Big Brothers Mentoring Program
“My son looks forward to seeing his ‘Big’ each week. He has a male role model to spend time with and that means everything to me.”
— Shelley, Mom of a “Little Brother”
The Big Brothers Mentoring Program supports boys who have limited to no contact with a positive male role model by providing them with an adult “Big Brother” mentor. Big Brother mentors are volunteers who spend quality time one-to-one with their Little Brother, building their friendship over sports, hobbies, cultural events, etc. Whenever possible, our organization provides activity ideas and free tickets and admission vouchers to Big and Little Brothers.
Racy Sidhu met his Big Brother Randy over 30 years ago; the two remain close friends. Read their story.
There is currently a list of children in Greater Vancouver who are waiting for a Big Brother. You can help change that by volunteering or making a donation today.
In-School Mentoring
“On numerous occasions, I’ve seen Little Buddies standing at the door of their school or staring out the window anxiously awaiting the arrival of their Big Buddy. The smile on the Little Buddy’s face upon the arrival of his or her Big is absolutely priceless.”
— BBGV Program Manager
Our In-School Mentoring Program matches children with an adult male or female volunteer. The children have been identified by their teacher or other school staff as students who could benefit from some additional attention from a caring role model. Big and Little Buddies meet once a week during school hours on school grounds to play games, bake cookies, read, or just hang out.
Click here to read the story of how Constable Karen Baker volunteers as a Big Buddy through a special partnership with Surrey RCMP.
There is currently a list of children in Greater Vancouver who are waiting for a Big Buddy. You can help change that by volunteering or making a donation today.
Teen Mentoring Program
“All in all, being a Teen Mentor for three consecutive years has been an amazing experience; for the both of us. I would not only highly recommend, but encourage anyone interested in making a difference to do so.” Read Ryan’s story.
The Teen Mentoring program matches elementary-aged children with a teen Big Buddy from a nearby high school. The children have been identified by their teacher or other school staff as students who would benefit from some additional attention from a caring role model. Big and Little Buddies meet once a week on school grounds along with other Big and Little Buddy matches. While the focus of the program is to enhance the Little Buddy’s self-esteem, teen mentors benefit from improved leadership skills and interest in volunteerism. Many Teen Mentors even continue to volunteer as In-School Mentors after high school.
There is currently a list of children in Greater Vancouver who are waiting for a Big Buddy. You can help change that by volunteering or making a donation today.
Game On! Mentoring Program
“I’m so thankful and happy that I reached out to your organization. My son has come a long way and grown positive in
just a couple of years with his Big Buddy.”
— Linda, Mom of a Little Buddy
Game On! is a group mentoring program that teaches boys about physical, mental, and emotional health. This after-school program incorporates sports, a healthy snack, and weekly discussions on topics like self-esteem and video games to encourage healthy lifestyle choices.
Game On! is offered free of charge to families in Greater Vancouver thanks to the support of our volunteers and donors. You can help by volunteering or making a donation today.
Mentoring with Math
“The Little Buddy has a special friend who visits them once a week and this can help with peer relationship development as well. Kids in these programs start seeing school as a more positive or happy place, which can enhance their enjoyment of school, and can even help with grades and attendance for some students.“
— Mentoring with Math Mentoring Coordinator
2021 Update:
We want to extend our gratitude for your interest in volunteering for the Mentoring with Math program. We have had incredible interest from the community and the program is currently at full capacity. We are continuing to accept applications to volunteer for Mentoring with Math, however, please note that your application and interviews for Mentoring with Math will not commence until June 2021 in preparation for the Fall term.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
How does the program work?
Children in grades 3 – 7 are able to attend the Mentoring with Math sessions each week for 90 minutes. For the first part of the session, they will use a variety of techniques based on the principles of the JUMP Math numeracy program to encourage an understanding and love of math. The second part of each weekly session will encourage students in the program to interact with one another through a number of games and activities.
Who tutors the children in the program?
The volunteers are not professional tutors but are typically people who have a desire to support children in their community. They are only available for assistance during the 90-minute program session. All volunteers go through Big Brothers’ screening and training process before joining the program.
Interested in joining the program?
Children in the program must be able to demonstrate a need for academic assistance in math at their grade level and not be able to access any other academic enrichment programs. If you’re interested in enrolling your child or being a math mentor in this program, please contact Danielle Olson, Site-Based Lead at danielle.olson@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca, or via phone at 604-802-8839.
Further information
The program is based on JUMP Math which is a numeracy program. It is dedicated to enhancing the potential in children by encouraging an understanding and a love of math in students and educators. The REACH Community Fund helps Canadian non-profit and charitable community organizations that deliver tutoring or mentoring, homework clubs and schools that have a community volunteer program for tutoring outside of the classroom. REACH provides students with JUMP Math workbooks, tutor guides, and tutor training at no cost to approved tutoring programs. Our Mentoring with Math program is in partnership with SFU Surrey TD Community Engagement Centre, Sunset Community Centre in Vancouver, and North Burnaby Neighbour House.
Roots Mentoring
The Roots Program is a fun after-school program where Big and Little Buddies will connect and share knowledge through mentorship. We will amplify and celebrate Indigenous culture while learning from the experiences and teachings of Indigenous community leaders and honoured guests.
We welcome Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth to take part in fostering an environment of curiosity and dialogue to learn from one another and from our honoured guests.
Open to youth in Grades 9 – 12, at select schools (Name Schools). The Roots Program runs once a week for one hour after school, for the duration of the school year. The Little Buddies are in elementary school from Kindergarten to Grade 7.
We’re currently offering this program to students at Templeton Secondary and Hastings Elementary in Vancouver and New Westminster Secondary and Lord Kelvin Elementary respectively.
To Apply:
Either click here to fill out our online application, or alternatively contact Danielle at danielle.olson@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca, and we’ll send you an application that you can send back to us.
We look forward to hearing from you.
The Benefits to You
- Gain volunteer hours towards graduation
- Develop leadership skills and build your resume
- Make new friends
- A fun way to make a huge impact in your community
The Benefits to the Child
- Increased self-confidence and self-esteem
- Improved decision-making skills
- Improved ability to express feelings
- Less likely to bully or be bullied.
There is currently a list of children in Greater Vancouver who are waiting for a Big Buddy; you can help change that by volunteering today.
The Roots Program is inspired and informed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. At BBGV we continue to build a foundation on which strong and collaborative relationships can grow between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth, mentors, staff and community partners.