Community-based Mentoring is the traditional Big Brothers Big Sisters relationship. It happens after school or on the weekend, depending on what works best for you as the mentor.
It’s all about the volunteer mentor and young person spending time together doing things you both enjoy - one to three hours, once a week, for one year.
Mentors go to the school once a week and take the young person out of class for an hour and stay on school grounds.
Many of our mentors spend time with their young person in the school library, staff room, kitchen or playground, depending on the school and the weather! Typically it is the same time and day each week. Most schools prefer it to be either late morning or in the afternoon so that the young person doesn't miss core subjects which are done first thing in the morning.
We pride ourselves in our experience in making great matches that are long lasting and that significantly impact young lives.
Through quality training, Big Brothers Big Sisters equips Mentors with the ability to ignite potential and build resilience in young people all over Aotearoa New Zealand.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Zealand is part of the world’s largest volunteer mentoring network. We make professionally supervised mentoring matches between adults and young people (aged approx. six to twelve) throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
As a national not-for-profit organisation, Big Brothers, Big Sisters of New Zealand relies entirely on community grants, business sponsorship and donations to provide their quality mentor training.
Studies show that 98% of the youth we mentor believe they now make better life choices as a result of the relationship with their ‘Tuakana’ (mentor)
They volunteer their time and skills to ensure the programme meets national standards and regulations.
From the older the younger will learn, from the younger the older will learn.
Where the older has responsibilities to the younger, so does the younger to the older.
Drew Ewan
National CEO
drew.ewan@bbbs.nz
Chelsea Routhan
National Operations Director
Matthew Button
National Practice Manager
Cushla Vass
National Communications Manager