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Sidekicks
Description: Sidekicks is a mentoring program offering Colgate students an opportunity to develop a friendship with a child of the Hamilton community. Children range in age from 6 to 13 and Colgate students are asked to interact with their sidekick regularly. This means approximately one hour a week, although many commit more, and sometimes schedules can be adjusted so that pairs only meet a couple times per month, but with longer meetings.
Students are engaged and energetic young men and women who dedicate about an hour a week and often more to their "sidekick," a child in the Hamilton area. Sidekicks is one of the largest student groups on campus and has the most participants in the COVE, Colgate's community service hub.
Sidekicks pairs do many things together and continue to surprise the rest of us by coming up with new activities. Pairs often go sledding, make arts and crafts, read, play sports, go downtown for hot drinks and games at the Barge, head to ice cream at Maxwell's, or go to the Bookstore for a number of sponsored children's events. In addition to wherever their imagination leads them, pairs participate in activities sponsored by the leadership team and the COVE. These events, including an end-of-semester party each semester, Kidsfest at the Barge, and kids' days at the rock climbing wall are usually well attended and a lot of fun.
Sidekicks has its own e-mail account: sidekicks@mail.colgate.edu, but for a quicker response please contact the COVE's main e-mail account: cove@mail.colgate.edu.
Community: Because of the individual nature of Sidekicks, the Leadership Team only works with Hamilton Central School on a liaison basis and group members do not go to any specific location regularly. There is a Parent Advisory Board with which the student-run Leadership Team meets bi-annually, made up of parents, school counselors, mentoring advisors, and members of the Leadership Team.
Volunteers say: "Growing to love a child that needs you and looks up to you is a great feeling. Sidekicks is a great way to be independent but active with the COVE while still making a difference in someone's life. Sidekicks builds your ability to be trustworthy and responsible, give guidance, provide a positive role model, and interact with someone from the Hamilton community on a deeper level."
Resources: Sidekicks' Webpage