Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brothers/Big Sisters has been heavily researched for effectiveness - and is the principal successful mentoring program in North America. Several research studies indicate that this program of individual mentoring - reduces violence, school absenteeism and drug use. The same studies have shown that all of BB/BS’s success has come from adults mentors whose actions are relational rather than prescriptive. BS/BB carefully matches youth in need with adult mentors. Relational matches are distinguished from prescriptive matches by being relatively free of unsolicited advice, the inclusion the young person in all decision-making as to activities undertaken, and an attitude of partnering on the part of the adult. Matches which amount to a more top-down style with much advice-giving were seen to produce almost none of the results seen above - and such matches are regularly terminated by the young person before they get too far.

From this we learned that our approach - which avoids trying to teach youth, but allows them to learn with our encouragement - is more likely to bear fruit than other more frequently seen attempt to "instruct" youth. Big Brothers as an organization was able to see the parallel between our work and theirs. As far back as 2001, rare national approval from Big Brothers was granted to our organization to send their youth to our programs. We have been serving their youth ever since.