Annual Report 2024

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC) supports a strong Network of individual Big Brother Big Sisters (BBBS) service providers across Canada through our federated model. Children and families are at the heart of all we do. Individual BBBS agencies commit to igniting the power and potential of local youth through mentorship, aligned with our Theory of Change. BBBSC supports member agency efforts by igniting growth, innovation, and collective strength across the BBBS Network. BBSC is a not-for-profit leader that unites local mentoring providers from coast to coast to coast, in urban, rural, remote, and Indigenous reaching communities.

The National Office was especially pleased to be able to support the Federation of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada to deliver mentoring programs to more children across Canada in 2024.

33,709

Children & Youth Served in Mentoring Program

18,227

Volunteer Mentors trained and supported by agency staff

Big Support to the Network

From BBBSC, our individual agencies receive centralized support, resources, and guidance, including a national quality assurance program, pan-Canadian programming, centralized data collection with a shared technological infrastructure, staff training, national advocacy, nationwide fundraising, volunteer recruitment campaigns and governance support.

Here are highlights of the many ways we strengthened the Network of Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies in 2024.

56

Webinars, including education and training, project engagement
and national project communities of practice were hosted for service delivery staff. Professional training included insurance and cybersecurity sessions for agency leadership.

50+

Marketing assets for 3 major campaigns on multiple channels reached over 2 million people.

4,405

IT help desk tickets supported centrally for the Network

4.4M

Mercedes-Benz Canada engaged their extensive marketing talents to create and deliver a commercial across Canada than garnered more than 4.4 Million viewers, with more than 10 Million impressions. Volunteer enquiries that were generated were connected to local agencies to learn about the mentoring volunteer experience.

98%

of Mentees feel their Mentors treat them with respect and create opportunities to take action and lead.

98%

of Mentees feel their mentor shows them they matter.

Here is what mentees reported

as to how the relationship
had a positive affect on them

93%

of Mentees feel their Mentors help connect them with new people, places or ideas.

93%

of Mentees feel their Mentors help them complete tasks and achieve goals.

93%

of Mentees feel that their Mentors encourage them to do their best.

Mentoring as a Social and Societal Intervention

In 2024, about 3 in 4 mentees who enrolled in BBBS programming reported experiencing at least three or more of the core 13 adversities tracked through our National Need Registry, and five out of 6 mentees have experience two or more. The number and complexity of their adversities highlights the critical need for supporting mentoring relationships. As the national leading experts in providing mentoring services to children and youth, we are calling on communities to invest in mentoring as a proven solution. We are sounding the urgent need for more volunteers to step in and stand beside these young people.

Reported Adversities

Percentages of Mentees who reported experiencing the following adversities

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A MENTOR AND MENTEE

Big Brother Ryan and Little Brother Andre

When Rylan Jeffrey stepped up to become a BIG mentor in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, little did he know he was the lucky one.

Rylan has a great example and role model in his life – his father Shaun, who has supported the local agency, and is a member of the National Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada.

With his father’s encouragement, Rylan began the rigorous process of becoming a volunteer mentor. He completed the screening, and the training called “Bigs 101”. And then he was ready to be matched.

At the same time, another parent was thinking how they could best support their child who struggled with a number of adversities. A mother named Lindsay enrolled her child, Andre to be matched with a Big Brother.

Throughout the year, Rylan and Andre would meet each week. They love to play basketball and football, play arcade and video games, or just hang out. At first, Andre was shy and resistant. All that changed after Rylan’s patience, week after week.

Eventually, Andre was able to work through several challenges and reach new milestones. That’s when Rylan really felt things were improving.

Looking back on the past year, Rylan is grateful for the opportunity to experience what it’s like influencing a young person in a positive way. He says, “It’ll help me when I choose to become a father one day. This experience has made me a better listener and a better person. We both have a new friend for life.” Rylan added that it’s not as difficult as he thought it might be. If he has some tough questions, or needs advice, the agency staff provides support and encouragement along the way, during their regular check-ins.

For Lindsay, she has only good things to say about this whole experience, adding that there are things she would never have been able to say to her son, and a mentor like Rylan can earn that trust and guide Andre to become the best version of himself.

OUR 2024 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Throughout 2024, we stabilized our fundamentals to recover following several difficult post Covid years for us, our Network, and our sector.

2024 Financial Statements

NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Young Canadians are Getting Pumped for Post-Secondary thanks to Scotiabank Investment

Big Brothers Big Sisters takes the fear out of the unknown in its Pumped for Post-Secondary program (PFPS).

The program is currently operating in the Greater Toronto Area and is expanding across Canada, thanks to a multi-year investment by Scotiabank through their ScotiaRISE Community Investment.

Groups of high school mentees are mentored by trained and screened university and college students on a post-secondary campus throughout the school year. Through intentional group sessions, mentors empower and encourage mentees to successfully transition from high school to university and college. Focusing on the developmental assets of planning and decision making, self-esteem, sense of purpose and positive view of personal future, the program inspires mentees to envision themselves beyond high school.

Mentee, “A”, from Humber Lakeshore has been involved in Pumped for Post Secondary for the past three years. She’s graduating in Spring of 2025, and her connection to education is so strong that she is planning to head back to Humber to study fashion. It wasn’t always that way. During the last day of the program, “A” mentioned that back in grade 10, she only joined the program to get her volunteer hours. At that time, she had no direction about what she wanted to do with her future. Things began to change, get better.

By grade 11 and 12, after coming more regularly, she started to get a better idea of what she wanted. She and her friends would often come early and stay behind a bit longer than others because they enjoyed the chill and safe space. They’d often stick around after sessions just to chat with the mentoring coordinator, and the other mentors about life, school, or whatever was on their minds. They felt seen and heard. It was cool to see how comfortable and confident she became over time.

Pumped for Post Secondary is a shining example of what showing up for a young person can look like. In just 13 sessions over the academic school year, so many lives are transformed and uplifted.

This year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto (BBBST) expanded the initiative to develop resources and training tools that other agencies will pilot in communities coast to coast, beginning in 2025.

“Connecting youth to caring adults who can provide guidance and insight into experiences is an important pillar of our Theory of Change. When youth are connected and engaged, they do the hard work and invest in themselves. We have the data to prove that,” says Stachen Frederick, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto. Success in school is a key Thriving Indicator that the agency measures to demonstrate the impact a mentoring relationship has on a mentee. Last year, 96% of BBBST mentees stated they wanted to do well in school as a result of our programming.¹

REEL Canada

Expanding Youth Career Paths Through Film

REEL Canada supports positive identity formation through showcasing Canadian films to youth across Canada. BBBSC and REEL Canada partnered throughout 2024, celebrating National Film Day and their ‘REEL Opportunities’ where BBBS youth heard directly from employees from the Canadian film industry on job opportunities and possible careers.

Cenovus Energy is BIG on STEM

Responding to a shortage of youth entering STEM programs or pursuing STEM careers

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC) and Cenovus Energy began a new 3-year national partnership to stimulate and increase youth motivation to pursue post-secondary and career opportunities, focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. With this partnership, Cenovus Energy can deliver on their goals of Cenovus Cares; Future-Ready Youth, helping young people prepare for their futures. BIG on STEM was a new and creative initiative designed to demystify post-secondary STEM options and connect over 200 BBBS youth to STEM networks and professionals across Canada. More than 200 youth aged 15 and older (mentoring matches) from Langley, BC to St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador, explored their post-secondary options for employment readiness through BIG on STEM events in 10 communities. Engagement between mentees, mentors and Cenovus professionals focused on exploring STEM careers and post-secondary programs by casually, and intentionally, being connected with a professional in the field of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

RBC BIG Possibilities Mentoring

Program Expands to include an older age range

The RBC BIG Possibilities Mentoring program saw a significant pivot in this program year. We shifted to include an older age range (18 to 25-year-olds). We developed a new program model exploring and committing to the outcomes of our programming for older youth and young adult mentors. While this pivot was significant, it built upon the longstanding and demonstrated success of BBBS core mentoring programs, and RBC Future Launch-funded programming, which have developed the post-secondary and career readiness skills of young people across the country for many years.

Twelve agencies in five provinces were selected for their proven ability to serve and reach into diverse communities, and be responsive to the needs of the community and youth each serves. In addition to designing and delivering their local program, each Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada agency facilitated a National Project Table to connect agencies with one another, to spark learning, problem-solving, and innovation, to coordinate program evaluation and support RBC Partnership Activation events. Two national partnership activations brought BBBS young people together virtually with RBC Future Launch champions to learn from their expertise. These events included a Job Seach 101 (February) and It All Adds Up to Making Sense of Savings (April). The full BBBS network of agencies had the opportunity to attend virtually.

BIG Steps to Success

Improving Educational Outcomes for Children Living in Government Care

This national partnership with Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada aims to improve educational outcomes for young people involved with the child welfare system, through the power of mentorship. Children and youth living in government care often lack the unconditional support of a consistent positive adult role model. BBBSC mentorship helps to overcome barriers and provides meaningful outcomes.

In 2024, the Big Steps to Success program expanded by adding a new site in Eastern Newfoundland and transitioning three secondary sites to caseload sites to better support program goals. The Student Support Fund was also extended, allowing mentors to travel and sustain matches that would otherwise face geographic barriers—facilitating six trips in North Bay alone. Two Communities of Practice were held, where teams shared successes, challenges, and discussed key issues such as emotional regulation and mentee waitlist management. A national guidebook is in development to capture program learnings and best practices for mentoring youth in care. We anticipate sharing across the network in late 2025. BBBS staff continue to build stronger relationships with Indigenous agencies by attending local community networking events to gain trust and build partnerships.

Program outcomes continue to show strong positive impact. All participating youth reported that their mentor regularly supported their Big Growth areas, with 100% agreement across Challenged Growth, Shared Power and almost 100% agreement with Expressed Care. Notable improvements after one year in a match include a 72% increase in feelings of self-management, 52% in mental wellness, 51% in responsible decision-making, 32% in positive identity, and 12% in school connectedness. The program continues in 2025.

Mercedes-Benz Canada 3-Year Investment Through Driving Your Future

Tackling Waitlists and Volunteer Shortages

In order to create opportunities to build future leaders for the thousands of youth waiting for a mentor, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC) and Mercedes-Benz Canada (MBC) have partnered to help address the waitlist of over 10,000 youth by raising brand awareness to recruit Mentors through unique marketing initiatives. Through this partnership, MBC is the title sponsor of BBBSC’s National Youth Mentoring Advisory Council. NYMAC ensures the voice of Canadian youth authentically informs the work of BBBSC. Throughout 2024, MBC paired with BBBS of Peel York as their flagship agency to support in person events and volunteer opportunities.

OUR 2024 NATIONAL PARTNERS

We are deeply grateful to our donors and partners for making our work possible. We recognize our Circle of Support donors who contributed $10,000 or more in 2024. We sincerely appreciate the local contributions that our partners provide to our local agencies.

Chair’s Circle

($250,000 +)

Cenovus Energy

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada

RBC Foundation

Scotiabank

Westjet Cares for Kids

President’s Circle

($100,000 – $249,999)

Bain & Company
Cadillac Fairview
Coca-cola Canada Bottling Ltd
Coca-Cola
The Keg Spirit Foundation
McCall Macbain Foundation
Mercedes-Benz
Rogers

Leader’s Circle

($50,000-$99,999)

Bowl Canada
CIBC

Champion’s Circle

($25,000-$49,999)

Crocs

Builder’s Circle

($10,000 – $24,999)

Airlie Foundation
Hydro One
Neora Ripples Foundation

Please visit us online at bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/national-partners for more details about the contributions of our partners.

THANK YOU!

2024 Board of Directors

Breanne Oliver, Chair
James Sliter, Vice-Chair
Gunvir Kalra, Treasurer
Daria Hobeika, Secretary
Ian Cascagnette, Director at Large
Jay Green, Director at Large
Shaun Jeffrey, Director at Large
Raheela Khan, Director at Large
Josh Liswood, Director at Large
Peter MacKay, Director at Large
Jamileh Naso, Director at Large