The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of all youth. BBBS seeks to remove obstacles for young people by connecting them with a mentor – a caring adult who can be in their corner.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine (BBBSSM) provides mentorship services to young people in Cumberland and York counties. BBBSSM does this by creating one-to-one matches between adult mentors (Bigs) and youth (Littles) using an evidence-based model that results in positive outcomes for young people in the program. The organization aspires to empower every young person to thrive on a path to graduate high school with a plan for their future and a mentor whose impact lasts a lifetime.
As a local affiliate of BBBS of America, BBBSSM adheres to nationally adopted standards and best practices for child safety, staff and volunteer training, and match support for mentoring programs.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine (BBBSSM) has been recognized consecutively by the BBBSA Nationwide Leadership Council, receiving a 2021 Quality Award followed by a 2022 Gold Standard Award. These National awards are given out each spring for outstanding team leadership in providing one-to-one mentoring programming for local youth. BBBSSM was 1 of only 26 agencies (out of approx. 230 total) to be honored with the 2022 Gold Standard Award.
Even before the pandemic, anxiety and depression were on the rise among America’s youth. In 2019, JAMA Pediatrics reported that one in four children in Maine has at least one mental health issue, such as depression, anxiety, or ADHD. This is higher than the national prevalence of one in six.
One of the strongest factors in protecting a child from negative outcomes related to crisis is a safe, supportive, and consistent relationship with at least one adult. Social connectedness beyond parents offers protection. The social support a mentor provides is increasingly essential for young people and their families.
Mentoring, at its core, guarantees young people that there is someone who cares about them, assures them they are not alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges, and makes them feel like they matter. Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations. Ultimately, mentoring connects a young person to personal growth and development, and social and economic opportunity.
Mentoring also has significant positive effects on two early warning indicators that a student may be falling off-track: high levels of absenteeism and recurring behavior problems.
Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class. (Public/Private Ventures Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters)
Young adults who face an opportunity gap but have a mentor are 55% more likely to be enrolled in college than those who did not have a mentor. (The Mentoring Effect, 2014)
In addition to better school attendance and a better chance of going on to higher education, mentored youth maintain better attitudes toward school. (The Role of Risk, 2013)
Children who are in school, in class, and engaged in their work are more likely to succeed.
Big Brothers Big Sisters knows that children who avoid interactions with the juvenile justice system – and violence, drugs, and alcohol - are more likely to succeed. That's why our professional staff members, supporters, families, and advocates support, encourage and champion the relationships between Bigs and Littles. Bigs help teach their Littles right from wrong and help them make good decisions.
Our impact on juvenile justice is evident in research conducted by Public/Private Ventures and published in 1995. When comparing Littles matched with a Big to children waiting to be served by Big Brothers Big Sisters, these researchers found that:
Littles were 46 percent less likely to start using drugs.
Littles were 27 percent less likely to start using alcohol.
Littles were almost one-third less likely to hit someone.
Big Brothers Big Sisters programs influence educational success, social emotional learning, belonging and social connections, healthy behavior, and choices.
BBBSSM has a proven track record of improving intermediate outcomes for young people in the program.
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