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12 year-old Owen is a sporty, bright young boy who is the oldest of four siblings. The males in his life have not been able to be positive role models for him due to struggles with addiction.

Owen has seen a lot in his short life, and was struggling with managing big emotions. He was having a hard time with relationships at school and with his siblings. He was acting out in anger and aggression. His mum really wanted him to have a positive male role model in his life to find more positive ways of expressing his feelings.

You may recognise Owen’s mentor Josh from the Auckland Blues. Josh was brought up in Northland with three brothers, including his twin – All Black Jack Goodhue. Jack is a mentor for the Christchurch branch of BBBS, and encouraged Josh to mentor up in Auckland. 

Rugby-mad Owen was over the moon to be matched up with Josh. Unsurprisingly, their favourite thing to do is throw a ball around, but they also love finding new places to eat and just hanging out. 

Since being matched with Josh, Owen’s mother has cried in tears of happiness as her son’s angry outbursts have reduced, and he no longer lashes out at her like he used to. She feels like he has changed immensely since being matched with Josh and is grateful to have the programme in their lives.