A MESSAGE ON BIGS MENTORING

What programs do we have?

 The In-School Mentoring Program matches children in participating schools with adult or teenage volunteers from the community. Volunteer Bigs spend 1 hour each week with their Little at the Little’s school acting as a positive role model, support figure, and friend. Activities can include crafts, board games, baking, playing on the playground, or any other fun and safe activity that can be done on school property.

What is the goal?

The goal of the program is for the Little to have fun doing activities they like while spending one on one time with a positive role model. Research shows that this type of one on one mentoring relationship can have a positive impact on a child’s self-esteem and self-confidence while encouraging more active engagement in the classroom. The program also strives to help a Little with positive decision making and healthy relationship building. The primary goal of the program is for the Little to have fun with a positive role model while building a healthy relationship with a Big.

Our Connect Group Program volunteers and instructors are adults who are interested in teaching specific skills and sharing their experience and expertise with children/youth. Activities could include a wide range of activities such as painting, canoeing, or snowboarding groups.

What sets Bigs apart?

What makes BigsNBC group programs unique is that they are created exclusively for children/youth in our community. We develop our own programs from the ground up rather than running group programs designed by others half way across the country. What sets us a part from other program providers in our community is that we have a long history in the community and we have an exclusive MOU with SD57 to run our ISM program in schools during school hours. No other organization in PG has this type of program with this type of reach.

Written by: Bob Schroeder
Mentoring Manager, BigsNBC