John had the honor yesterday of joining Dave on the Wake up show to talk about our new campaign Ignite Potential. We currently have over 50 children on our waitlist waiting for their mentor. As John says one is too many. We need your help to end the wait and help mentor our youth so they can have a brighter future. Our program teaches children how to deal with the challenges that life will throw at them and how to manage issues in a healthy manner. Big thank you to Dave for allowing us to talk about the campaign on the show, and we welcome new mentors with open arms hoping that we will no longer have a waitlist after this campaign has finished.
WE CHANGE LIVES
THE COST OF DOING NOTHING
Many young people find themselves in vulnerable situations and facing adversities such as mental health issues, family violence, identity issues or poor living conditions, which put these youth at risk of not reaching their full potential.
PAVING THE WAY TO SUCCCESS
With the guidance and support of a mentor, these risks can be avoided, and these young people can gain the confidence to achieve more – higher incomes, happier lives, more contributions to their communities.
THE CONFIDENCE TO ACHIEVE MORE
Our mentors advise and challenge these young people, act as their champions, provide greater consistency in their lives, connect them to broader experiences, opportunities and networks, and provide safe, nonjudgmental environments in which the child or youth can confide anything.
WHICH LEADS TO BETTER FUTURES
HIGHER INCOMES
HIGHER ESTEEM
ACHIEVEMENTS
BETTER HEALTH
BELONGING
HOW DO WE DO IT?
BBBS creates individual and group mentoring relationships amongst adults and youth.
Mentorship is two-way, learning and development partnership where the young person needs are placed at the centre.
Young people’s brains are still developing, and that process is supported through back-and-forth interaction like the volley in a good game of ping-pong.
Mentoring is an important way to give youth experience with these essential serve-and-return relationships, developing them into healthy young people better able to deal with and overcome life’s adversities.
THE STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL MENTORING
RECRUIT
SCREEN
TRAIN
MATCH
SUPPORT
We have a comprehensive infrastructure for supporting mentorship partnerships: detailed legal screening of mentors to ensure child safety; a broad network of professional staff supporting mentors and volunteers; systems for selecting, approving and supporting volunteers; referring families to agencies that provide other services if required for the mentee and theirfamily.