This lively young boy was only just up to my waist, had no front teeth and could barely reach the pedals on his first two wheeler bicycle. It is with great delight that I can say that nine years later we are still together and part of the BBBS programme. Nine years later he is now almost as tall as me, shaves daily and has asked me to teach him to drive a car!

Nine years is a long time and it has been my privilege to see Jordan grow from a young seven year old boy into a mature sixteen year old young man. Our journey together has been about building a friendship and a relationship that has involved experiencing lots of exciting adventures together along with sharing the everyday ordinary events in our lives.

Jordan has grown so much and in so many different ways in the time we have had together. He has become a very active young man involved with many community activities who has a very positive outlook on life. The change from the young and shy, socially awkward and reticent seven year old to the now confident and focussed young man has been a delight to watch and a pleasure for me to realise I have effected positive change in his life.



When I first joined BBBS about 15 years ago I thought about what I could contribute to my young person, what I could do for them and how I could help them grow as a person, but what I have learnt over this time is how much I have received back. This has been a real bonus for me.

Mentoring for me with Jordan has been like the ‘pebble effect.’ When you drop a pebble in the middle of a pool of water many ripples spread. The time I have spent with Jordan has resulted in many positive ripples that have improved his life”.

He supported me through some tough ages and stages where my behaviour was challenging at home, and my motivation at school waned. Tim gave me the avenue to consider how to manage myself differently. This helped me develop better coping skills, and have more respect for my family and my education. We have done many activities that I thought I would never have the opportunity to do, or didn’t even know about. I now do better in school, have more confidence, and I am better at managing my emotions.

I have become involved with groups such as Scouts to a leadership level, taken on photography, become a leader of a youth group and want to make this something I could do as a career. Before mentoring, as a young 7 year old, I didn’t think much of anything. I am sure having Tim as my mentor is the one thing in my life that has made the difference for me. He is just one of the good guys, who gave his time to a little kid who just needed that little more male support. He has been that one person for me”.

Tim has watched Jordan grow up literally, and mentally. He has been here through the good and bad (the boy’s father died in 2015). Tim was a huge support to not only Jordan during this time.

He has become just a part of our family really over the years as we see him every week when he picks up Jordan. The support he has given our family through tough times by being the listening ear, humour and genuine kindness has been amazing. The dedication he has shown to Jordan and my family is exactly the kind of mentor Jordan needed, and made me feel comfortable letting my son go off with him every week.



Being part of the BBBS family and having a Big Brother for my son has been, and is, a treat. I am very fortunate, thankful, blessed, and couldn’t have asked for a better mentor for my son than Tim. The importance of having an older “parent and friend” role model has supported Jordan to learn to trust, to teach, encourage and have fun. The fact that Tim has seen Jordan on a consistent basis is just what we needed in our family at the time for Jordan. They will always be great friends now and Tim will always have a place in our lives”

"As the Mentoring Coordinator for this match for the past five years, it has been amazing and a privilege to see them become a match who have nothing but respect and generosity towards each other and there will be a lifelong connection after they have moved passed the journey with BBBS".