Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

The Mission of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto is a commitment to improve the lives of Toronto’s children and youth by delivering the highest quality volunteer based mentoring programs. Our vision is that every child who needs a mentor has a mentor.

History of Organization

Big Brothers and Big Sisters is Canada’s best-known and most successful mentoring organization. For almost 100 years we have developed programs that provide critical, long-term bonding, nurturing and professional support to help at-risk youngsters trust adults and motivate them to grow into achieving, contributing and mature individuals. We match volunteers who serve as friends, key mentors and positive influences. Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto (BBBST) has benefited tens of thousands across the city providing the highest possible levels of service, quality and program safety.

Our programs are preventative programs targeting at-risk and vulnerable children and youth who have been referred primarily from the school system, Children’s Aid Society, child-serving agencies, the legal system or by their parents. The programs are all mentorship-based, centered on the ideal that vulnerable children need positive role models in their life to build trust, mature social skills and ensure safe and healthy personal development.

Accolades and Accomplishments

Like some other kids, I haven’t seen my Dad for many years. It used to make me angry and really sad, and it sometimes still does. But thanks to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto, I don’t feel that way often anymore. A few years ago, I was having trouble with my anger and kept getting in trouble at school. So my Mom thought the Big Brother program might help. The only problem was that there was a very long waiting list for Big Brothers and an even longer wait if I wanted to be matched with a black man. Eventually, our worker suggested I get matched with a Big Sister and thought she had the perfect person. Tamara is from Trinidad and very cool—we hit it off right away. She really guides me in a lot of ways and, most of all, makes me feel like I am special. We aren’t poor, but I know it has been hard for my Mom raising me on her own. I think being poor and not being able to afford a good home and food is often the hardest thing for fatherless kids. I know I am very lucky in many ways and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto helps out by giving tickets to Tamara and me for plays and other events we can enjoy together. Although I agree that it isn’t cool growing up without my Dad in my life, it is still possible to become a responsible, law abiding citizen.

It really is true that it “takes a village to raise a child.” Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto has really become part of my family. Today I no longer feel like I am a loser because I don’t have a father in my life. I feel like I can do just about anything. I can even be the mayor of the biggest city in Canada—Mayor David Miller was raised by a single Mom too! And I know I’m going to be a great father someday. I wouldn’t give up my Big Sister for the world, but I wish more men wanted to join Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto programs. They could really change a young person’s life. Just ask me!

Programs

>Go Girls! Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds
>In-School Mentoring

Original Program: our signature program which allows a one-to-one mentoring match in the community.
School Programs: began in 1996 with the In-School Mentoring program and has expanded and been enriched with the following:

• Go Girls! Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds
• Co-op Student Program
• New College
• Boys Mentoring Program (pilot)
• JUMP Math (new)
• School to Work Program (new)

Group Programs: began in the late 1990’s in response to the growing wait list of children requesting a mentoring match.  These programs provide an innovative approach to building group and socialization skills for children and youth.  They include:

• Big Bunch
• Youth Program (new)
• H.E.R.O.S. Hockey
• Graduated Youth Program (new)

Go Girls! Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Go Girls! Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, is a curriculum-based program designed to address the physical activity, balanced eating, and self-image needs of girls 11-14 in a group mentoring format. Adolescence is characterized by a sharp decline in girls’ self-esteem coupled with declining rates of physical activity, increased concerns about body appearance and the initiation of dieting. The health related behaviours of nutrition, physical activity, and positive self-esteem provide avenues for interventions to assist girls during this difficult transition period. For the mentors, there is a great opportunity to develop leadership skills. Female volunteers are trained as mentors to facilitate in a group setting of a ratio of two mentors to eight girls.

Program Impact

We have seen changes in attitudes, academic performance and socio-emotional behaviours in the girls participating in the program; they have been given an outlet for their frustration, access to physical exercise that energizes them and to caring mentors who are there to listen and support while providing an invaluable boost to their sense of self, both in their confidence levels and self image. We know that the likelihood of children involved in this type of program engaging in various high-risk behaviours is much lower than children who are not being mentored in some fashion.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

“1.3 million people (58%) report that they are inactive during leisure time, including 38.9% of youth. Torontonians are proportionately less healthy than other Ontarians.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Go Girls’ focus on healthy lifestyle choices around nutrition, exercise and emotional health addresses these concerns, giving Toronto girls 11-14 an opportunity to learn best practices about how to care for themselves.

Participant Vignette

“It is so important that young girls get the information that Go Girls Offers. This can be a very difficult and confusing time of their life so it’s great that they learn about balanced eating, active living, making decisions, body image, etc., and that they have a support group”.

“I enjoyed gaining the trust of the girls and knowing that they genuinely wanted us to share our ideas. I think we were presenting things in a very different way than most adult mentors they have in their lives. For this reason I think we “go through” in some special ways” (Mia H, May ’09)

“Go Girls is an excellent way to connect with girls about issues that are real and affect their daily lives. It’s not only educational, it’s fun. For the girls and mentors! (Claire H, June ’09)

“The enthusiasm of the kids makes it worth it. The girls each come with their own (backgrounds) and Go Girls is a time to appreciate individual differences, and at the same time realize that we are all essentially the same.” (Mary S, August ‘09)

In-School Mentoring

The In-School Mentoring Program is a formal partnership between Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto and the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board. Our In-School Mentoring program is a preventative program that offers volunteers the opportunity to be matched in a one-to-one relationship with students who the school believes will benefit from extra attention and support. The children and youth who participate in the program are identified by principals, guidance counselors and/or teachers as being able to benefit from having a positive caring mentor. The student and volunteer meet for one hour each week during school hours, on school property, throughout the school year.

Program Impact

Our In–School Mentoring program is making a big difference. The following statistics were presented to The Honourable Greg Sorbara, Minister of Finance in a Pre-Budget Submission on the Power of Mentoring by Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada, December 2006:

• 90% of mentors see a positive change in the child they mentor
• 88% of students show improved literacy skills
• 64% develop higher levels of self-esteem
• Our Littles go one to graduate from high school at a rate of 20% higher than the national average.
• 78% of Littles who came from a social assistance background no longer rely of this form of income 

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

“Half of all students in the JK – Grade 6 population in Toronto are from lower income families.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Children from low-income families may not have access to the help, support and encouragement they need in order to succeed at school. Our In- School Mentoring program provides a responsible, caring mentor to spend meaningful time with a child who has been identified by a teacher as needing additional support.

Participant Vignette

“The Big Brothers and Big Sisters program has been a very rewarding experience to the students here at Bendale. The students have developed a relationship with their big brother or sister, thereby allowing them to be more social. The four students in my class that have a big brother or big sister are always excited and eager to see their "sibling" weekly, and will talk about them in class. They are visibly disappointed when unforeseen things happen, and their usual weekly "sibling" is not able to come. When I asked them why they are sad, their responses were, "I won't be able to talk to them like I do with other people." Or, "I like playing games with them every week. They listen to my jokes and stories." This program that you offer is so invaluable to the students. The time these big brothers and big sisters volunteer is priceless to our students, and we are very thankful for them.” (Teacher, Bendale P.S.)