Calgary Black Chambers empowers high school students through mentorship program

After years supporting various volunteer organizations, former Calgary Stampeders running back Jon Cornish was encouraged by his wife to develop his own non-profit with a goal of helping young Black people get on the right path for their future.

His wife had worked with the late Manmeet Bhullar, a Calgary MLA and cabinet minister, and was inspired by his work with Sikh youth.

So Cornish, who led the CFL in rushing from 2012 to 2014, ran with the idea. He rounded up a few dozen Black professionals to join him in his efforts to nurture Calgary's youth, knowing the struggles young Back Canadians can still face today.

That group became the Calgary Black Chambers.

"We're trying to sort of change the game for students," said Cornish.

And in two short years, they've already been nominated for an award: the Alberta School Board Association's Friends of Education Award.

 Cornish says such recognition shows they are on the right track.

"That's being reflected in the growth of these kids over the semester," said Cornish.

"Kids that started off the program shy and meek all of a sudden have this confidence now."

From 1 school to 5

Social studies teacher Norman Hounjet says he was part of the group's mentorship pilot program because he thought it would be a good fit for many of the students at his school, Father Lacombe High School, in southeast Calgary.

"They're either first- or second-generation Canadians, and so often they don't have that social capital of having connections or friends in the right places," said Hounjet.

In the 2020-21 school year, 40 grade 11 and 12 students signed up with a goal of meeting with their mentor at least twice a month, virtually.

The following year, the program expanded to five schools within the Calgary Catholic School Division. The school district says there are more than 200 students participating. 

And even though the majority of students are Black, Cornish says the mentorship program is open to all cultures.

"We have specific goals in mind to make Calgary the best place to live and work as a racialized person or as a non-racialized person," said Cornish.

Hounjet says he has received a lot of positive feedback from students.

"We've had kids who, after receiving mentorship from somebody who's in the field of their interest, have gone on to pursue that career path."

He says it's been beneficial in other ways, too, such as showing them that this actually wasn't their true path.

"And they've decided to pursue something different, and that's just as good."

Cash, skills and awards, too

Cornish says aside from connecting professionals with students — eventually in-person once it's safe to do so — the organization is also providing scholarships, ranging from $1, 000 to $8,000 per year.

"Most Black students thought they could get into university and finish, but only about half thought they had the financial means to do so, so that was a big issue we tried to tackle."

In their first year, Cornish says, they distributed 15 scholarships. This year, he says there will be 20. And he says they've raised enough money through corporate donations and fundraising to cover the next few years.

Cornish is also providing soft skills training to students. That includes communication, critical thinking in the workplace, ethical problem-solving, teamwork, networking, branding, how to control your brand, interview skills and CV production.

"So we try to cover all the bases that you might not encounter normally in school and the things that will help you get jobs," said Cornish.

Calgary Black Chambers has also brought back the Calgary Black Achievement Awards. 

Last year, they had 250 nominations. This year, Cornish says, the organization has already surpassed that figure and continues to take nominations.

The awards take place in April.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.