COMMUNITY - BASED PROGRAM
Volunteer mentors (Bigs) are matched one-on-one with local youth (Littles ages 7+). Bigs & Littles (Matches) spend a minimum of 4 hours a month focusing on low to no-cost activities and have outings that take place in the community ( going to libraries, sporting or cultural events, the mall, the park, etc.).
In a Community Based program, the child’s parent(s)/guardian(s) joins the match relationship—participating in the enrollment interview and monthly match support contacts. Bigs, Littles, & parents/guardians communicate on scheduling outings that work with everyone's availability. Some matches meet on the weekends, others get together in the evenings after school/work. Each match is unique and develops a reliable schedule that works for them.
Most volunteers serve as a Community Based Big individually. However, our “Big Couple” and “Big Family” expand the experience by involving the volunteer’s spouse/partner and/or own children as active participants in the match. Big Couples and Big Families typically are matched with Little Brothers.
Professional staff help develop and support each match. During their outings, Bigs help cultivate relationships that provide their Little with the skills to manage every day challenges. Through simple friendships, Bigs experience the joy of helping their Little discover a world of possibilities and opportunities.
In a Community Based program, the child’s parent(s)/guardian(s) joins the match relationship—participating in the enrollment interview and monthly match support contacts. Bigs, Littles, & parents/guardians communicate on scheduling outings that work with everyone's availability. Some matches meet on the weekends, others get together in the evenings after school/work. Each match is unique and develops a reliable schedule that works for them.
Most volunteers serve as a Community Based Big individually. However, our “Big Couple” and “Big Family” expand the experience by involving the volunteer’s spouse/partner and/or own children as active participants in the match. Big Couples and Big Families typically are matched with Little Brothers.
Professional staff help develop and support each match. During their outings, Bigs help cultivate relationships that provide their Little with the skills to manage every day challenges. Through simple friendships, Bigs experience the joy of helping their Little discover a world of possibilities and opportunities.
Benefits for Bigs
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Benefits for Littles
Big Brothers Big Sisters one-to-one mentoring makes a huge difference for the youth it serves. Research consistently shows that Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring helps youth overcome the many challenges they face. Statistics have proven that youth in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program showed improvement in the following areas:
- Self-confidence
- Ability to express feelings
- Communication with peers & adults
- Attitude toward school
- Decision-making
- Sense of the future
- Academic performance
- Less likely to engage in substance use
- Improve social skills
- Increased grit
SITE/SCHOOL-BASED FACILITATED
In the Site/School-Based Facilitated Program, matches meet at a designated location - like a school, workplace, community center, or other site - and a BBBS staff member is present at all meetings and observing match interactions. This program consists of High School and College Student Bigs being matched one-on-one with an elementary or middle school Little. BBBS staff plan the activities matches do together each week. Bigs often eat lunch with their Little, or the match will hang out in the school's library, gym, computer lab, or other designated space. These programs typically take place weekly for about one hour, occurring on the same day each week (For example, every Tuesday from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm). This schedule follows the academic school calendar.
During these sessions, a professional staff member will guide the match through activities designed to strengthen the match relationship and help youth build important character strengths such as motivation, resilience, self-esteem, and social skills to help them succeed in life.
During these sessions, a professional staff member will guide the match through activities designed to strengthen the match relationship and help youth build important character strengths such as motivation, resilience, self-esteem, and social skills to help them succeed in life.
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2023-2024 School/Site-Based Mentoring Locations:
Please contact Carli, Vice President of Programs for more information about the Site-Based Programs.
Email: [email protected] Call/text: (906) 251-8047 |
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