Dorge encourages Bonnyville students to follow their passions in life, recognize pitfalls

Bonnyville students got to listen to an engaging presentation that made them think about their futures.

Mitch Dorge, drummer from the Crash Test Dummies, has been busy over the past several years visiting schools and talking to young people about following their passions in life while recognizing some of the hurdles that go along with it.

His inspiring message “In Your Face & Interactive” came to Ecole Des Beaux Lacs and BCHS on Wednesday.

“When I was a kid, no one ever came to my school and ever asked me, what do you want to do with your life? You have the ability to be anything that you want to be,” said Dorge.

“If someone would have done that, I don’t know that my life would have taken a different trajectory, but what I see now is that when I’m talking to people, and I asked them that question, like if I could snap my fingers right now, what would you do for the rest of your life? People are like, well, I don’t know.”

Dorge’s passion from the time he was 6 years old was drumming.

That led him to join the Crash Test Dummies in the early 1990s.

He said during that time he never concerned himself with being in a famous rock band or being the best drummer in the world, but that opportunities opened up for him because of his passion.

Some people he knew couldn’t seize those same chances, however, because of substance abuse.

“I’m just trying to let them know that there are certain things that can get in their way. And I do go down the drugs and alcohol road. But it’s not about right or wrong. It’s not about good or bad. It’s about understanding what you’re getting into,” he said.

“I think that’s one of the major problems that we have, right? We’ve got people that are getting involved with these things and don’t necessarily know what they’re getting involved in before it’s too late. Then they’re 22, 23 years old, they’ve forgotten to chase the dream, they don’t know what the dream is anymore. Then it’s kind of a struggle to get your feet back on the ground. I’m trying to see what I can do to prevent that.”

Dorge estimates that’s he talked to 250,000 students in the past year touring schools across the country.

The Co-operators Insurance has partnered with Dorge since 2007, which helps bring him to these locations.

In Bonnyville’s case that’s Choquet Insurance.

“They didn’t really have a lot to gain by coming into schools and saying, hey, you want to buy insurance. But they’re not about insurance, they’re about community. They’re about giving the kids strength and direction and they’re amazing people beyond that.”