TO
TO ME.
TO ME. IS
TO ME. IS THE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH AND ALL THIS THAT
ENDURING THIS PANDEMIC. BIG
BROTHERS. BIG SISTERS IS
SUDDENLY ON THE FRONTLINES OF
THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AND
THEY ARE DOING THEIR PART TO
KEEP US ALL TOGETHER. SO WITH
ME IS LAURIE FROM BIG BROTHERS
BIG SISTERS AND SHE'S GOING TO
TALK ABOUT YOU GUYS HAVE A BIG
EVENT COMING UP. AND YOU GUYS
ARE REALLY DEALING WITH JUST A
LOT DURING THIS TIME. YEAH,
ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, ALL OF A
SUDDEN, YOU KNOW, ALL OF OUR
KIDS WHO YOU YOU WE HAVE ONE
HUNDREDS OF KIDS IN OUR
PROGRAMS AND A LOT OF THESE
KIDS COME FROM LOW, VERY LOW
INCOME SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
THESE KIDS AND THEIR FAMILIES
HAVE REALLY BEEN IMPACTED
THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE CRISIS
NOT BEING ABLE TO GO TO SCHOOL
,NOT BEING ABLE TO SOCIALIZE,
BEING YOU KNOW, FAMILY MEMBERS
,STAGGERING JOB LOSSES AND OUR
BIGS. WE CALL THEM BIG BROTHER,
BIG SISTER. OUR BIGS HAVE
REALLY STEPPED UP TO GET MORE
CONNECTED, MORE INVOLVED WITH
THE LITTLES BECAUSE JUST ABOUT
EVERY STUDY SHOWS IT'S ACTUALLY
MORE SOCIAL CONNECTION HELPS
KIDS WITH THE LONELINESS AND
THE DEPRESSION. AND YOU KNOW
THE MANIFESTATIONS OF WHAT
WE'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW.
AND SO OUR BIGS ARE MORE
IMPORTANT THAN EVER BEFORE. AND
WE HAVE A COUPLE OF THEM A BIG
IN A LITTLE GAMES NOT SO LITTLE
BUT HE'S HE'S YOU. ONE OF OUR
LITTLES. WE GO ALL THE WAY FROM
7 TO 17 AND HE'S BEEN IN
THE PROGRAM AND AND REALLY CAN
SPEAK WELL TO WHAT WE DO. SO HI
GUYS. AND THAT'S YEAH THAT'S
WHY I'M JOINED WITH I'VE GOT
IT'S WEIRD TO CALL SOMEONE BIG
AND LITTLE. RIGHT. BUT WE IT
COMES FROM AN ENDEARING PLACE.
SO DAVE, WELCOME. HELLO. FIRST
I WANTED TO CHECK IN AND JUST
KIND OF SEE HOW YOU'RE FEELING
AND DOING DURING THIS REALLY
WEIRD CRAZY TIME. SURE. PRETTY
GOOD. SO VERY LONELY AT TIMES.
NOW I HAVE TO POINT OUT REAL
QUICK YOUR TOP TACO TUESDAY.
SURE. BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I
WANT TO BE YOUR BUDDY BECAUSE I
MEAN COULD FAN AS WELL. I LOVE
TIGERS BEING A PART OF THIS
PROGRAM. AND WHAT IS IT DONE
FOR YOU ESPECIALLY NOW? I'VE
BEEN IN THIS PROGRAM SINCE I
WAS 11 YEARS OLD. I THINK SO.
RIGHT. I WAS 11 YEARS OLD. IT'S
STARTED QUITE A LOT. I HAVE
ACTUALLY MORE MORE BEEN BEEN
ABLE TO BE MORE SOCIAL. IT'S
ACTUALLY HELPED WITH LIKE YOU
GUYS SAID DEPRESSION BECAUSE I
HAVE SOMEBODY TO TO BE THERE.
THAT'S TO AND TO LIKE SHARE MY
FEELINGS WITH IT. IT'S A WEIRD
THING AND WE ALL NEED THAT. BUT
I THINK LIKE WE'RE ALL
PHYSICALLY ISOLATED. BUT
SOMETIMES THERE MOMENTS WHERE
WE CAN FEEL A LITTLE BIT MORE
CONNECTED BECAUSE WE'RE USING
TECHNOLOGY TO STAY TOGETHER.
ANDREWS YOUR BIG RIGHT? YEAH.
HI ANDREW. OK. PLEASE TELL ME
YOU KNOW YOU'RE PART IN IN THIS
COMMUNITY AND IN KIND OF HOW
IT'S HELPING YOU DURING THIS
TIME AS WELL. YES. YEAH. GABE
IS NOW 17, IS A SENIOR IN HIGH
SCHOOL. SO WE'VE BEEN MARRIED
SIX YEARS AND IT'S BEEN VERY
FOR ME IT'S BEEN VERY REWARDING
AND A LOT OF BIG SAY THEY GET
MORE OUT OF IT THAN THEY
EXPECTED THROUGH THIS PROCESS
JUST BEING A MENTOR AND BEING
THERE AND JUST SEEING GABE GROW
IT GETTING MORE AND MORE HE'S
BEEN ABLE TO EXPERIENCE A LOT
OF THINGS THAT YOU EVEN ME
MYSELF FOR THE FIRST TIME LIKE
JUST DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES,
DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HE'S BEEN
ABLE TO DO. SO FOR ME DURING
THIS TIME IT'S BEEN GREAT TO
HAVE SOMEONE I CAN REACH OUT TO
AND KIND OF BE THERE FOR YOU
KNOW, BECAUSE ROCK WHERE I KIND
OF GO AND DO THIS AT THE SAME
TIME TOGETHER AND IN DIFFERENT
WAYS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS AND
JUST KNOWING THAT I CAN REACH
OUT TO HIM AND THE AARON IT'S
PRETTY AWESOME GABE. SO WE SEE
YOUR GRADUATE THIS YEAR. YOU'RE
SENIOR. YES. HOW ARE. HOW ARE
YOU DEALING WITH THIS? NO
GRADUATION STUFF. YOU GO TO
SCHOOL. I GO TO SCHOOL. A
CHARTER SCHOOL. I TAKE YEAH.
SAN DIEGO. IT'S SAN DIEGO
CHARTER SCHOOL. YEAH, I KNOW
IT'S A TOUGH TIME FOR EVERYONE
BUT I MEAN THAT'S A HUGE
ACCOMPLISHMENT. SO CONGRATS TO
YOU. I WANT TO GO TO LAURIE
BECAUSE YOU GUYS HAVE AN EVENT
WEDNESDAY SO PLEASE TELL ABOUT
THAT BEFORE WE WRAP UP. WELL,
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
MAY WHAT BETTER ACTIVITY THAN
GETTING OUT AND DOING SOMETHING
THAT HELPS ALL OF OUR MENTAL
HEALTH? IT'S NOT JUST THE KIDS
ON OUR PROGRAM BUT JUST
EVERYBODY. YOU SEE MORE PEOPLE
OUT WALKING THAN EVER BEFORE.
SO WE ARE DOING SOMETHING
CALLED THE BIG WALK TAKE LITTLE
STEPS FOR MENTAL HEALTH. IT'S
NO COST TO PARTICIPATE. WHAT
WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS REALLY
RAISE AWARENESS AWARENESS OF
THE MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS. WE
HAVE A NEW CRISIS COMING ON US
RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF ALL OF
THE THINGS THAT THIS CORONA
VIRUS YOU THE ISOLATION AND
THE JOB LOSS THERE'S A LOT OF
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES GOING ON
RIGHT NOW AND SO WE WANT TO
HIGHLIGHT THAT AND ALL WE'RE
DOING IS ASKING PEOPLE
WEDNESDAY BETWEEN FIVE AND SIX
IF YOU CAN GO OUTSIDE, JUST GO
OUTSIDE, TAKE A WALK, WEAR
GREEN AND COME TO OUR WEBSITE
AND REGISTER SO WE CAN GIVE YOU
SOME UPDATES AND THINGS TO DO.
BUT IT'S TOTALLY FREE. WALK IN
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. ALL WE DO IS
ASK THAT YOU TAKE A PHOTO OR
SELFIE A VIDEO AND POST IT ON
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA. WE'LL HAVE
ALL KINDS OF MATERIAL FOR YOU
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING
TO SAY AND TAG US AND REALLY
WE'RE HOPING TO GET PEOPLE
ACROSS THE COUNTY AS PART OF
THE BIG WALK. IF YOU CAN'T WALK
BETWEEN 5 AND 6 THAT'S OK. GET
OUTSIDE AND YOU CAN STILL GO TO
OUR WEBSITE AND SIGN UP AND
TELL EVERYONE THE WEB SITE SO
THEY KNOW WHERE TO GO. YEAH,
JUST GO TO OUR WEB SITE WHICH
IS S D LIKE SAN DIEGO SD BIG
DOT ORG SD BIGGS DOT ORG AND
YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR FREE. WE
ARE HOPING THAT WE CAN GET
PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTY TO
COME WHERE GREEN. GO OUTSIDE,
TAKE A WALK AND THEN JUST A
PHOTO SELFIE POSTED ON YOUR
SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELL US MORE
YOU THINK YOU ANDREW AND GAY.
THANK YOU GUYS SO