Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA), the national parent organization for a network of more than 400 local agencies across the United States, pairs youth positive role models. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ community-based mentoring program, which matches adult volunteers (a “big brother” or “big sister”) with at-risk youth (ages 6 to 18) to form long-term, one-on-one mentoring relationships, is the premier, most recognized mentoring program in the country. In addition to its community-based mentoring program, BBBSA is also developing and testing a new mentoring model, school-based mentoring, that pairs youth and mentors in a school setting during normal school hours.

Evaluation Status: Proven Effective

In a rigorous, scientific evaluation conducted by Public/Private Ventures, Making a Difference, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s community-based, one-on-one mentoring program was proven to have a meaningful, positive impact on the lives of its participants. Among its findings, youth in the program were:

• 52% less likely to skip school
• 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs, and
• more likely to get along with their families and peers.

BBBSA has recently completed a three-year control trial evaluation of its other major mentoring program, school-based mentoring. The study Making A Difference, also conducted by P/PV, yielded mixed results, prompting BBBSA to develop a comprehensive plan to improve the program.

EMCF Investment

Since 2000, the Foundation has invested $20 million in BBBSA. Over seven years, BBBSA significantly bolstered its own capacity to help affiliate agencies serve larger numbers of youth in their respective regions, increasing the total number of mentor-mentee pairings from 133,000 in 2000 to 257,000 in 2006.

For more information, visit BBBSA’s website at www.BigBrothersBigSisters.org.