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Remember being in grade 10? Remember thinking about…“YOUR FUTURE”? Remember being totally confused about what you wanted to do, because well, you were 15, and you had barely realized what you were interested in? Remember thinking that “your future” was a bit less pressing than the myriad of other things going on in your teenage brain/life? Wouldn’t it have been nice to have someone older (and smart, and cool) who could answer questions, and perhaps just tell you that high school might not be the best time of your life?

 

Que the Parkdale Peer Mentorship Program! I’ve been involved with this program for the past couple of weeks and let me tell you, it’s kind of THE BEST. Started by the U of T Medical Society, in collaboration with the Parkdale Community Health Centre and the Parkdale Art & Cultural Centre, it’s an opportunity for grad students such as ourselves to get in touch with bright, young students who are stuck in the dredges of high school! (…Okay, perhaps I have latent negative memories of my own high school years).

Why so awesome? Well, check out what we did this past Saturday!

As a group, we adventured to Joe Rockhead’s Indoor Rock Climbing Gym, located in Liberty Village. Now, it’s been a couple years since I’ve gone climbing, but luckily I was the mentor in this situation and have recently shed-off most of my teenage athletic anxiety. We had a few ROCK stars (groan..) in our midst and I think everyone had a really good time. We went as a large group, but the facility caters to beginners to advanced, for group and individuals alike. It’s a large gym and all of the instructors I had the pleasure of working with were extremely patient, supportive and generally good-natured people.

And like all good places in the city, there is a Student Discount! Just show your ID with an expiry date (ie: you may want to bring proof of current enrollment), and you are entitled to these discounted prices:

• STUDENT DAY RATE: $15
• STUDENT 10 VISIT PASS: $125

There are also student memberships, which include discounted rates depending on how long you sign on. For more information on rates (student and non-student), check out the website.

For more information about the Parkdale Mentorship Program, email : uoftpmp [at] gmail.com