By no fault of their own, young people in our programs are facing daily adversities and barriers to their success. Through mentorship, Big Brothers Big Sisters provides a caring and consistent adult who builds a safe and trusting relationship that can enable young people to thrive, despite the challenges they face.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a no-cost community program for young people who can benefit from an additional consistent relationship with an adult. Almost 80% of Big Brothers Big Sisters families identify as living with financial stress. This could include precarious employment, no employment or single income homes with multiple dependants. Many Canadian families struggle to pay for the necessities and often extra-curricular programs or even basic programs, like tutoring or counselling, do not fit within the household budget. Our programs have been provided at no-cost to families for over 100 years. We believe all young people deserve access to personalized supportive, skill building opportunities and our Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentors provide just that.
Without the intervention of our Mentors, some of our Mentees may not be where they are today. Families enroll their children in our programs because they recognize that their children have less access, less opportunities and are facing barriers to potential success. Some of our Mentees live in neighborhoods where they witness violence on a daily basis. Some Mentees are socially isolated from their communities because they struggle to socially connect with peers. Some of our Mentees are victims of bullying or their caregiver is in recovery and cannot be fully present when they are needed. These are the adversities that some of our young people live with every day, stemming from systemic injustice and structural inequality.
Through Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring, young people are provided with a caring, supportive adult who is ready to challenge their growth, expand possibilities, express care and provide support so that a young person is positioned to thrive. We believe that all young people deserve the right to reach their full potential, despite the barriers they face. Big Brothers Big Sisters locations across the county are committed to reaching the young people who need our intervention and we work hard to offer our no-cost services to Canadian families.
