Big Brothers Big Sisters - Greater Twin Cities

About me:

For 89 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities (BBBS) has been matching kids ages 7-13 with adult, volunteer mentors to build long-term, one-to-one relationships. The young people we serve are between 7 and 13 years old when enrolled. In 2008, BBBS served approximately 3,300 children in our 10-county service area, which includes Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Washington and Wright counties.

Mentoring a young person is one of the most rewarding things that we can do to make our communities stronger by giving our kids positive reinforcement and helping them grow into strong, successful adults. All it takes is getting together with a Little Brother or Sister (mentee) to do things you both enjoy. The young people in BBBS’ programs don’t care what you do; they just want to have fun and maybe learn a thing or two from a consistent, caring adult.

BBBS has two programs: Community-based and School-based. In the Community-based program, Big Brothers and Sisters get together with their Little Brothers and Sisters two to four times a month at the location of their choice. In this program, volunteers may choose the traditional one-to-one mentoring relationship, or they may sign up for the Big Couples/Colleagues or Big Families programs to engage their partner/spouse/co-workers and/or children in the experience. In the School-based program, Big Brothers and Sisters meet with young people at their school for one hour per week for activities, such as reading, games, physical activity or art.

We know that we are enriching young people’s lives, supporting families and building stronger communities when we demonstrate the following measures of success. Of young people served by BBBS in 2007: •84% improved in self confidence •70% improved their relationships with adults •66% improved their academic performance •65% expanded their interests and hobbies •57% improved their use of school & community resources •44% were better able to avoid substance abuse