Eric Davidson was raised by teachers, and for a long time he saw himself following in their footsteps.
“I tried to stay out of it because it’s all I know, but I just kind of fell into it,” he said about teaching.
Initially Davidson did follow this path, moving from his hometown of Williams Lake to Kamloops to pursue a degree in education.
“I’ve always wanted to help people,” said Davidson, whose experience in Kamloops opened his eyes to a world of possibilities. “It gave me a lot of insight into how people learn and how people learn differently," he said about his time at TRU.
While in Kamloops Davidson spent time as a community support worker helping seniors with disabilities and later joined the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) as a NOOPA leader.
“I realized there’s a lot of people out there that need support,” he said. As a NOOPA leader, Davidson was running activities for the BGC’s youth drop-in program. He then worked in community outreach, going to different schools and supporting youth who needed extra help, be it with homework or their mental health.
Today, Davidson works with the Boys and Girls Club in Williams Lake as the children’s program manager.
“It was a huge learning curve,” Davidson said about his position which requires him to use a skill set different from what he was used to.
In his past role as a NOOPA leader, Davison described his job as more day-to-day, on the ground work with youth aged 12 to 19. Now, Davidson works at a big picture level. He relies on NOOPA leaders for their insight into what kind of programming youth would benefit from and to know what the leaders themselves would like to run. This, he says, ensures activities complement what the youth want and need and are run by leaders who are genuinely invested.
"I really love working here,” Davidson said about the BGC in Williams Lake, describing how each day on the job is different and is always a good challenge. He said he loves to see how his team helps youth as they grow and continue to show up at the BGC.
“It’s been really rewarding,” he said while thinking about kids he’s worked with who are now graduating and pursuing jobs they’ve been looking forward to.
“All the things we do here are a massive benefit to the community. It’s a place for kids to be themselves, maybe learn some life skills, make some friends and explore their interests,” he said.
Davidson runs a weekly Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) group on Thursdays to play the tabletop fantasy game which he says he’s a “nerd” for.
“It’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone,” he said about the D&D group. He said it allows youth to try different ideas, problem solve, work as a team and even practice simple math. He's also noticed youth breaking out of their shells and socializing outside of game nights, even organizing their own D&D campaigns.
“It's really fun because it’s all made up on the spot," Davidson said, describing the game as an opportunity for youth to learn how to think on their feet. "If something happens you have to deal with the consequences and figure out how to move past it."
Davidson has also been involved with the BGC’s annual haunted house in Williams Lake from brainstorming, to planning to scaring. Last year he helped come up with the theme for the haunted house, which was horror films through the ages. He dressed up as a scarecrow with a pumpkin head and spooked guests passing through the Children of the Corn display.
This year's haunted house will be themed after the original Grimms' Fairy Tales and Davidson will be dressed as the Big Bad Wolf from the Little Red Riding Hood story. He encourages community members to volunteer for setup, take down and scaring for the haunted house, but also said BGC needs volunteers all year round.
None of the BGC's work, he said, would be possible without the community's help, donations and feedback. Thanks to community involvement, Davidson said the BGC can meet people where they're at, providing food, clothing and a welcoming space for youth to drop in.
After the haunted house Davidson said BGC will be planning their annual Christmas dinner and preparing to give out stockings to kids and youth in need.
