BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS
MENTORING PROGRAMS
Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Programs
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Australia is a charity that provides high-quality one-to-one mentoring programs to help change the course of young people’s lives. We offer a diverse range of high-quality mentoring programs to meet the needs of young people across the country.
Our programs have a profoundly positive effect on the mentees involved by providing them, with a positive role model and giving them the ability to identify their aspirations whilst establishing enduring connections with others.
The Vision:
Our vision is for vulnerable young people in Australia to have the opportunity to unlock their potential, creating a brighter future for themselves and their community
The Purpose:
Our purpose is to provide vulnerable young people with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-t-one mentoring relationships, that changes lives for the better, two people at a time
The Need
Now more than ever young people need guidance to help create better and brighter futures.
In recent years we have seen an increase in mental health issues in young people, along with increased instances of youth crime. When facing challenges young people often seek help from an immediate network, such as friends or families. Many vulnerable young people lack these support networks, meaning they lack guidance and support when facing social and emotional challenges.
Challenges Young People Are Facing
Discrimination
Discrimination
Economic Disadvantage
Economic Disadvantage
Gender Inequality
Gender Inequality
Disengagement
Disengagement
Suicide
Suicide
Mental Illness
Mental Illness
Unemployment
Unemployment
Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Programs
Research has found that Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring programs provide major benefits to young people.
In a Social Return On Investment study by Boston Consulting Group, it was found that for every $1 invested in Big Brother Big Sisters mentoring programs, there was an $18 return when working directly with disadvantaged groups. When working with the least economically advantaged groups in a community, the return on investment was $23 for every 1$ invested.
When a young person gets referred to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Australia, our qualified teams assess the needs of the individual to determine which mentoring program is most appropriate.
Community-Based Mentoring
Community-based mentoring helps young people develop a greater sense of belonging and self-worth. The program provides positive role models to young people who are lacking guidance.
This program offers stability and consistency for young people in need of support through one-to-one mentoring. Once a week, the mentor will meet with their mentee to spend time together and do activities to help build a strong mentoring bond.
In-School Mentoring
In-school mentoring programs identify people who need additional school support and would benefit from being matched with a mentor to build upon their school engagement, increase their self-belief and build confidence to reach their potential.
This program helps schools seeking assistance and support to help strengthen positive student mental health and wellbeing. one-to-one in-school mentoring promotes holistic wellbeing for students as well as providing support related to further education and career pathways. Mentoring is tailoered to each school and its students, ensuring progress remains responsive to the community
OurSpace Online Mentoring
Our interactive monitored online mentoring platform ‘OurSpace’ enables us to provide mentoring support to young people across Australia who are unable to access traditional face-to-face mentoring.
This program aspired to break down barriers to support isolated young people, providing high-quality, intensive, one-to-one mentoring via a secure online platform. Purpose-built for online mentoring, the platform offers the ability to moderate each mentoring interaction in real-time, which ensures we can continue providing best-practise mentoring programs in a digital environment.
Our Mentors
Our mentors go through an approval process before being matched with any mentees. To ensure matches are made safely, efficiently and effectively, we:
- Invest in best-practise recruitment, screening and assessment of volunteer mentors, including psychological testing
- Provide on-going training and support for mentors.
- Ensure regular supervision of mentors and mentees.
- Establish a simple feedback loop for mentors, young people and their families/carers
- Adhere to internationally recognised quality and safety standards protecting both the rights of young people and the volunteer mentor
Want to Support?
Enter the Big Brothers Big Sisters Lottery by purchasing a ticket or becoming a VIP subscriber to support our mentoring programs while having a chance to win some amazing prizes!
We rely heavily on contributions from our amazing supporters to fund our mentoring programs. We currently have over 500 young people waiting to be paired with a mentor…at this point due to lack of funding, we can only support 1 in 5 of them.
By becoming a VIP member in our lottery, you will help provide monthly contributions to our mentoring programs for an amount of your choosing, while going in the draw to win some amazing prizes!
Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Programs
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Australia is a charity that provides high-quality one-to-one mentoring programs to help change the course of young people’s lives. We offer a diverse range of high-quality mentoring programs to meet the needs of young people across the country.
When a young person gets referred to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Australia, our qualified mentoring program teams assess the needs of the individual to determine which mentoring program is most appropriate.