Voices From The Big Brothers Big Sisters Gala

Intro

Hosts: Welcome to Uncover the Human, where every conversation revolves around enhancing all the connections in our lives. Whether that's with our families, co-workers, or even ourselves. When we can be our authentic selves, magic happens. This is Alex Cullimore. And this is Cristina Amigoni. Let's dive in.

Cristina Amigoni: Hello everyone. Last month we got the privilege to take the podcast out into the community and set up a pop-up podcast at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado Gala. The theme of the evening was the voice of our youth. So we invited people to stop by our table and share what brought them there at the gala and what the theme meant to them. What I loved was how many different stories and perspectives came together around the same belief that young people deserve to be seen, listened to, supported, and encouraged to find their own voices.

So this episode is a collection of those voices from the evening. You'll hear from people connected to Big Brothers Big Sisters in many different ways, each sharing a little bit of why this work matters to them. We've had board members, people that work for Big Brothers Big Sisters, guests and participants, as well as sponsors. I'm grateful to everyone who took a few minutes to join us, and to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado for creating the connections that make these stories possible. Happy listening.

Sierra Thomas: Hi, I am happy to be here. I work for Crocs and they are one of the sponsors for the Gala. And they said, “Hey, you wanna join our table this evening?” And I've never been to a Gala and I also am super interested in supporting certain philanthropic and charitable causes. So I said, “Why not?” So I'm here.

The youth is our next generation and we have to keep supporting our youth communities and make sure that they remain inspired and well supported. I'm really curious to learn a little bit more too by the presenters. I'm assuming there's gonna be some presenters that are also gonna talk about some of the initiatives.

Kylee Meeker: I am a program coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado. So I work with about 30 youth in some schools. And then I also work with about 22 Littles who are part of our matching program. I was in a different field. I worked with animals for a long time and then kind of wanted to focus on the youth because they're the ones who are going to change the world. They're the ones who need support to be able to do that. So I'm really happy to have ended up here.

I think my passion comes out just in relationship building. So I have a really strong passion for lifting people up and getting to know people and seeing their potential and bringing that out in them. I also have a very strong empathy bone. So I try to see the good in everyone and kind of focus on where we're going rather than where we are right now.

I think the biggest thing is just making sure that we are following one of our core themes in one of our programs. So one of our programs is called STARS, and that's Students Teaching About Relationships and Success. And one of the themes of that program is MentorLife. So always investing in someone and have someone invest in you. So I think that is really important outside of Big Brothers Big Sisters, outside of my job, just making sure to invest in our community because community is so important. And I think when we invest in the people we care about, that's when magic can happen.

Shawn Neville: Hi, I am Shawn. I've been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters for forty years. I had tragedy when I was young, got involved in 1986, was on the national board, regional boards here, and just believed so deeply in the mission.

The voice of our youth is making sure they know what their voice should be. So the essence of one's voice is predicated on what they see, what they hear, what they're inspired by. So part of Big Brothers Big Sisters' mission is not only providing a path, but creating the possibility of the path. It's so important that that voice is heard, but also altered when necessary. It's delicate, it's beautiful, and it takes time to create that, which I think is part of the beauty of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and creating those one-to-one connections and spending time in their lives to help them find that path that is best for them.

Sarah Diamond: I'm actually the board chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, and I'm also at Boa Technology, and we work really closely with the agency. I think the voice of our youth needs to be elevated, full stop. If we can help more youth to feel seen, feel important, to know that they have a place in the world, to be given their own unique voice, and it's going to be a better world and community all around.

Scott Holloway: Gina Gardner invited us. I used to be a Big. My Big is now thirty-eight years old. So we were Bigs and Littles a long, long time ago. So I've kind of not been involved for a while, but trying to get more involved again, and went to the golf tournament at Sanctuary and then we donated a suite for a baseball game. I think sometimes we don't give the youth credit and listen to them. So I think the biggest thing is just listening to them when they do have something to say. Because I think sometimes we think, “Those are just kids,” but they all have a voice and good ideas too, so that'd be the biggest thing I say is actually to listen to it.

Emily Trujillo: It's nice to meet you. I have the privilege of sitting on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, and this is a very special annual event for us. Mentorship means more to me than anything. It's so special. I think the voice of our youth, it's really just creating a channel for them to have their own voice and giving them the confidence and empowering our youth to have a voice and be confident.

Speaking up before they know the answer, but just putting themselves out there, and that's what I'm really looking forward to. And I love that we get to celebrate this tonight.

Nadege Toomey: I'm on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters. I've just joined in January, so I'm still quite new, but I'm loving it so far. I really love the people that are involved. Their passion for the cause and what they do every day is so palpable. You can feel it. They love what they do. And Elycia especially is such a charismatic leader and just brings people together around this shared purpose and vision. And you just want to do anything you can because you just love her energy so much.

One of the things that's top of mind for me, I have two small children myself, very small, so this isn't a thing for us now, but I think about social media and the advent of technology and the world that kids are growing up in right now. And do they really feel like they have a voice? Because there's so much chatter and noise and so many things coming at them at full speed. I think about my middle school and high school experiences and it felt much more quiet and slow. And so I just wonder what that impact is having. And I think this organization creating space for in-person connection, either with a peer or with a Big outside of school, however you were getting to them, sort of giving them a minute to just be kids and just be present. I feel like that matters so much now more than ever. And does it feel authentic? Because so much of what we're presented with online is not real, and so you get a perception of who somebody is, but is that really who they are? Is that really how they feel?

Uma Gopaldass: My mission and the Big Brothers Big Sisters mission is kind of aligned. My background is poverty and when you grow up and you kind of stumble your way through school, university, you know, simple things like finance, managing, investing, all of that we didn't grow up in. So it kind of aligns with the current mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters, which if we can create that element of space and capabilities for these kids to know that there's more out there than their current situation. I think they could get an early start and not like me at a late start. So yeah, it took a long while to be rich per se, but you know, to even get over the poverty mindset. It takes a long time. Yeah. So that's what brings me here. To support so there's data in fact saying that early intervention, it really helps build kids up. You know, this is not the only organization but this one of the great organization that if you can provide a stepping stone, there are kids who had nothing and then are doctors today or or you know and then they're lifting up the community.

Krystal Ryan: Alicia and I are part of the Forty Plus Double Dutch Club. And I'm also a former Big. This organization is the best organization that I have ever encountered as a foster child myself. You know, not having brothers and sisters. So having someone to give back to me as a child. And then when my schedule would permit, I was able to do the same. So hands down, I'll always support Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The voice of the youth is very important because they always feel like they're not heard anyway. So in our church, I'm a part of the youth department. And that's one thing that we always hear is that people talk at us and not to us. So being able to let them have their way, let them be heard, let them feel how they feel, it is amazing. So their voice is very important. They are future leaders. People need to hear them, they need to see them, they need to feel them. Sometimes we get so caught up in being adults or the business part of it. We need to remember we too were children at one point.

Gala Guest: What brought me here is an opportunity to work amongst the community and celebrate all of the achievements that they're doing within the community, to meet other community leaders, and just really spend time sharing together a unified mission. Everyone's voice should be heard. I think all too often we think, because our youth are young, that maybe they haven't developed an informed opinion and that they shouldn't have a say in the community, the things that happen around them, and the things that happen in their home. I know a lot of them have been raised kind of like, “Don't speak unless spoken to.” But I think that they have a lot of valuable knowledge to be able to share with us as a community to inform us on how to make a better life for our youth who are going to be running the world one day.

Outro

Hosts: Thanks so much for listening to Uncover the Human. We are Siamo, that is the company that sponsors and created this podcast. And if you'd like to reach out to us further, reach out with any questions or to be on the podcast, please reach out to podcast@wearesiamo.com or you can find us on Instagram. Our handle is @wearesiamo, S-I-A-M-O. Or you can go to wearesiamo.com and check us out there. Or, I suppose, Cristina, you and I have LinkedIn as well. People could find us there. Yes, we do have LinkedIn.

We'd like to thank Abbay Robinson for producing our podcast and making sure that it reaches all of you, and Rachel Sherwood for the wonderful score. Thank you so much for listening.