Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities
Background and Purpose
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities (BBBS) was established in 1920 with the mission to enrich young people's lives through one-to-one friendships. BBBS provides mentorship opportunities for at-risk youth ages seven to eighteen by engaging and professionally supporting adult volunteers (Bigs) to form long-term relationships with children (Littles). In 2007, BBBS served 3,364 children in the Greater Twin Cities, including 1,122 new children. Current programs include:
- Community-Based - which forms long-term one-to-one friendships between an adult volunteer and a child. The adult meets with the child two to four times a month, providing guidance, support and friendship;
- Big Couple/Colleagues and Big Family - they have the same goals as Community-Based matches except that a couple, or two friends, or a family volunteer as a team to befriend a single child; and
- Site Based - the volunteers in this program meet with the mentee on school grounds or other community location at 40 sites throughout the metro area.
The goals of each of these programs include: increased self-confidence, increased academic performance, and improved relationships with family and peers. BBBS has 24 board members, approximately 70 FTE staff and more than 3,500 volunteers.
Current Request
Two large barriers to having more men serve as mentors include their preference for a more structured mentoring opportunity than the traditional Community-Based mentoring program provides, and mentoring opportunities outside of the typical work/school day. In response to these challenges, Big Brothers Big Sisters has designed a new program called "Park Buddies."
By holding activities in neighborhood parks and recreation centers, the agency hopes to attract male volunteers and build on their love of sports. With this initiative, BBBS will develop and expand partnerships with a site in one of three targeted communities: Dayton's Bluff, Payne-Phalen or Greater East Side; and with one or more corporate partners, a college partner and with other community groups.
The communities were selected as the potential site because most of the more than 80 boys on their waiting list live in these neighborhoods. The partnerships with corporations and colleges will be designed to provide a steady flow of potential male mentors. Their goal is to match at least 10 boys with mentors and offer opportunities and activities during out-of-school time in a neighborhood based facility. The program will incorporate new components designed to encourage and enable more men to volunteer as mentors. Recruitment for Park Buddies will begin in the fall with programming to start in January 2009.