Big ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ change lives

In 1904, young New York City court clerk Ernest Coulter observed more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognised that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteer mentors. Around the same time, members of a group called Ladies of Charity were befriending girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court.

These two initiatives marked the beginning of what has become Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), an international organisation operating in 13 countries, and serving over 280,000 children in need. For 100-plus years BBBS has brought hope to communities and young lives across the globe. The initiative has changed thousands of Kiwi kids’ lives too, after it was established first in Dannevirke in 1996, before spreading around the country.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Taranaki now has 100-plus wonderful volunteers matched with equally wonderful tamariki (young people) right around the mountain. The exceptional success of BBBS in Taranaki belongs to the wider community, especially the volunteer mentors who support this great initiative. They generously offer their time to mentor for a minimum of one year. They are thoroughly screened, including reference checks and police checks, and provided with professional training before being introduced to a young person. Every relationship is closely monitored and supported by a professionally trained BBBS Mentoring Coordinator/ Kairuruku.

BBBS mentors believe every young person has the potential to be anything they want to be, they just need the chance to realise it. The BBBS programme assists in achieving this goal by providing youth with opportunities to form strong, positive relationships that express care, challenge growth, share power, and expand possibilities.

BBBS facilitate the selection, training and development of a network of volunteer mentors across the country. Once they are matched with a young person, mentors are provided ongoing professional support and supervision to ensure they achieve the best outcomes for them.

Children are normally matched when they are aged between 6 and 10 and are welcome to stay on the programme until they are 18.

Two types of mentoring programmes are offered by

BBBS in New Zealand: community-based and school-based.

Considered the traditional BBBS relationship, communitybased mentoring happens after school or on weekends. An adult volunteer (over 18) and the young person they have been matched with will spend up to three hours together once a week, one-on-one, doing things they both enjoy out in the community, like at the library, a park or the beach.

School-based mentoring is done in a primary school setting, often in the library, staff room or in the playground, and is ideal for people who like the set routine and structure of a school setting. Common activities include board games, Lego, baking, sports and crafts, which are preferably done outside the young person’s core subjects.

The BBBS programme has proven time and again that mentoring relationships change young people’s lives. With the right training and professional support, mentors are able to form strong positive relationships with their mentees that express care, challenge growth, share power, and expand the possibilities available to them. Mentors, too, benefit from these rewarding relationships. Mentorship is a two-way, learning and development partnership.

The matching process is thoughtfully considered as young people are looking for a positive adult role model that they can build a trusting friendship with. Matches are based on personality, shared interests, location and other factors that will ensure the match is a success.

❚ Visit https://www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.nz/ for more information about becoming a mentor or about the programme.