Re posted from www.metroblenznewssquad.com

- by Rich Patterson

Tonight the power of the Olympics really hit home. And it hit me in a way that two weeks of non-stop athletic events, parties and happy streets could not have (although those ways hit me hard too, trust me). Tonight I met Sergey, a Moscovite working for a major international consulting firm. He’s been here in Vancouver since early February helping the Sochi group at Science World prepare to host the world at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Sergey Sirotenko board member Big Brothers/Big Sisters Moscow and Rich Patterson board chair Big Brothers Greater Vancouver

Sergey is also part of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization in Moscow – his little brother is in an orphanage and statistics for orphans in Russia are scary. Sergey says after they are released from state care most orphans aren’t ready for the “real world” and don’t know how to socialize – so they end up in gangs, in trouble, on drugs and often dead. The Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentorship programme makes a big difference because it boosts self esteem, socialization, education and well-being.

As well as volunteering as a Big Brother, Sergey sits on the board of the Moscow Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. In his role as board member he decided to look up a counterpart in Vancouver and that’s how I met him.

We just had dinner tonight. It was amazing to compare stories on mentoring youth in our two very different cultures. They tend to focus on at-risk youth (in state care) while Vancouver’s Big Brothers programme is aimed at youth in one-parent homes (most likely without significant male role model). I won’t bore you with all the talk at dinner but we did delve into budgets, fundraising, staff, leadership and board strategy. It was really great to meet another board member from a brother organization halfway round the world. We agreed that using technology tools like Skype we would introduce our boards to each other and continue discussions in the months ahead.

I want to thank VANOC and the people of Vancouver for not only staging an excellent Olympic games (helluva party!) but also for making an opportunity for businesses and organizations from around the world to meet. We are all the better for it.

Rich Patterson, has a twenty years experience in Public Relations, Marketing & Sales. Rich owns a successful Licensing, Apparel & Promotional Product company and is partner in a social media consultancy based in Vancouver. Contact Rich at rich[at]pattersonbrands.com or follow twitter @pattersonbrands