Behind every statistic is a person. Meet some of the students, mentors, and leaders whose lives have been shaped by PLAY.
"Before PLAY, I used to skip class because I felt invisible. My mentor noticed me — not my grades, just me. She showed up every week for two years. I started believing someone saw potential in me, so maybe I should too. Now I help lead our school's STEM club and I've applied to three universities."
"I started as a mentor when I was in my second year of university, mostly because I thought it would look good on a resume. That was three years ago. The truth is — I've learned more from these kids than I ever expected. Watching a student go from refusing to speak in group sessions to leading them? That changes how you see the world."
"I moved to Ottawa two years ago and didn't know anyone. Survivor Games camp was the first time I felt like I belonged somewhere. We were in teams, doing challenges in the forest, and no one cared where I was from. Everyone just wanted to win together. I made friends that week that I still talk to every day."
"I joined PLAY in Grade 7 and graduated high school as a Student Leader. Now I'm in my first year of social work and I come back to volunteer on weekends. PLAY gave me a language for the experiences I'd already lived. I use that language in every class I take and every kid I work with."
"At Leadership Summit, I completely messed up a group activity I was supposed to run. I wanted to disappear. But my mentor said: 'That's the job. You reflect, you adjust, you go again.' That moment stuck with me more than any success I've had. I apply it to school, to sports, to everything."
"I could do a lot of things with my Tuesday evenings. I choose PLAY because the relationships here are real. These students don't need someone to lecture them — they need adults who believe in them consistently. Being that person for even one kid is worth every minute of the commute."
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