Our Mentoring Programs are designed to be flexible and can adapt to a variety of individual personalities, situations and schedules.
Looking to get involved? Whether you’re interested in donating, volunteering or enrolling your child, Big Brothers Big Sisters offers several types of programs in communities across the country.
Community-Based Mentoring
Volunteer mentors (Bigs) and their mentees (Littles) meet on weekends or after school to enjoy match activities, play sports, visit museums or just talk. Spending time together out in the local community is how Bigs and Littles develop a solid relationship.
Bigs and Littles engage in one-to-one outings and activities they both enjoy between two and four times a month.
For additional details about the community-based program, click here.
Site-Based Mentoring
Sometimes the best place for a mentoring match to enjoy activities together is at the Little’s school or in the Big’s workplace. We are proud to offer three types of Site-Based Mentoring Programs.
- Beyond School Walls: Littles visit their Bigs during the week at their workplace, giving children an opportunity to experience the corporate world first-hand and to set goals for the future.
- College Bigs: College students are matched with elementary and middle school students and spend time together at the Little’s school during lunchtime or after school.
For additional details about the site-base program, click here.
LGBTQ Programs
Research has consistently demonstrated that LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risks in a number of areas that impede healthy and safe development. Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence is proud to support its LGBTQ+ community through our Pride Empowerment Program (PEP) and our Rainbow Bigs program.
In our Pride Empowerment Program (PEP), BBBSI partners with local schools to support LGBTQ+ youth by recruiting safe, responsible, and compassionate LGBTQ+ volunteers to be group mentors to high school Gender and Sexuality Alliances – a safe/brave space for queer and questioning youth. Volunteers attend regular after-school meetings for 12 months and work to help their mentees achieve their goals and realize their full potential.
In our Rainbow Bigs program, mentors who identify as LGBTQ+ are matched with a young person in our community-based program who has made a specific request to be matched with a Big who identifies in this community.
For additional details about our LGBTQ programs, click here.
POWER Up (Pathways to Opportunity with Empowering Relationships)
POWER Up is an innovative new program to tackle the escalating prevalence of violence, poverty, and systemic barriers, introduced in 2024 in 3 middle schools in the School District of Philadelphia. The POWER Up program strengthens relationships and life skills for middle school students by embedding skilled mentors in schools to deliver direct 1:1 and group mentoring.
For additional details about POWER Up, click here
