Staff Writer
Organizers want to bring the Big Brothers Big Sister of the Tennessee Valley to Jackson County, and they are asking the public for help. It is said that one-to-one matches between Bigs and Littles truly empower youth and strengthen communities. The group asks Jackson County to bring this evidence-based mentoring organization to this area to invest in the future of the children and the County itself.
A free lunch and learn on March 15 at 11:30 is for anyone interested. Community leaders within K-12 are invited to attend to help identify Littles – the children that would benefit from a big brother or big sister. Also, community members interested in becoming mentors, aka Bigs, are encouraged to attend as well.
Sign up today: https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=269824230537
According to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tennessee Valley’s website, the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission is to create and support 1:1 mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.
It is our vision that all youth achieve their potential. By partnering with parents/guardians, volunteers, and others in the community, we are accountable for each child in our program achieving: higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships; avoidance of risky behaviors, and educational success.
The organization states, “It’s all about the kids… Children matched with a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters’ programs are more likely to graduate high school and less likely to be involved in juvenile crime. The program is community-based. The Big and Littles conduct their activities in the community based on the child’s needs or interests. The pair only meet at a public site, typically a school.
Another practice of the organization is to match first responders with local youth to break down barriers and provide community role models as personal role models. These volunteers are called Bigs in Blue.
Who does the program serve? The children, known as the Littles, are between six and eighteen (they must enter the program before turning fourteen). Some of the youth have situations in their lives that result in them wanting an extra person for support or guidance, a type of everyday hero. The mentors, known as the Bigs, are teens ages sixteen or older who commit to being a Big for a year minimum and to spending an hour each week with their Littles.
We need YOU to help establish Big Brothers Big Sisters of the TN Valley in Jackson County!
One-to-one matches between Bigs and Littles truly empower youth and strengthen communities.
Join us as we work to bring the country’s largest evidence-based mentoring organization to Jackson County and invest in our future.
A free lunch and learn on March 15 at 11:30 is for anyone interested. Community leaders within K-12 are invited to attend to help identify Littles – the children that would benefit from a big brother or big sister. Also, community members interested in becoming mentors, aka Bigs, are encouraged to attend as well.
Sign up today: https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=269824230537
