Nominated by
Dustin Lockhart
July 06, 2014
Robin is awesome! He has a passion for empowering people, especially youth. He is a Life Coach and a Social Worker whose innovation and compassion has impacted the lives of more people then we can possibly know. He has created government programs through his work for the Ministry of Children and Families that enables children in care that have been living on the street to enter into a ‘youth agreement.’ This allows youth as young as 15 to have their own residence as long as they adhere to certain conditions. This program has been very successful. Prior to this program, youth who were living on the street would be put in foster care with a family and all the rules that accompany that situation. Imagine taking care of yourself for years, with all the challenges and responsibilities that surround that lifestyle, and then being told with this new family - you have to be in bed by 8. It just was not working. Youth would be back on the street within a week. However, with the implementation of Robin’s program, youth are given trust and responsibility which enables them to raise themselves up and have the opportunity to succeed. This program was so successful that it has been studied by other nations in order to be implemented in other countries.
Robin also spearheaded a youth engagement program where he met weekly with a group of high school age youth that were in the care of the Ministry. He engaged them in decisions within the ministry that affected youth in care. They learned about the system complete with its challenges and shortcomings. After a couple years these same youth were doing presentations for Deputy Ministers and training others to lead youth engagement programs in their own cities. Further, almost all of these youth went on to post-secondary education which, as you may know, is not the usual statistic for foster kids and youth in care. One of the youth even went on to become a social worker.
All one has to do is have a conversation with Robin, and they will be inspired and motivated. Being a life coach is really the perfect job for him because it comes so naturally. It is in line with his life’s purpose to connect with people and help them see the obstacles in their life as opportunities. He is always there to listen to friends, family, and acquaintances – heck, I can’t count the number of times he has struck up a conversation with a person at a bus stop or café, who after talking to Robin, says farewell with a hug and is inspired to take on their live.
I have been dating Robin for seven years now and intend to marry him. He is a living, breathing, embodiment of Awesome, and I can’t imagine anyone more deserving of this award!