Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Dane County is seeking 50 mentors for its School Friends program for the upcoming academic year.

The organization matches community members, known as “Bigs,” with youth, or “Littles,” for mentorship. The School Friends program follows the same mission but pairs mentors with students who have limited availability outside of school.

This year, the program is partnering with seven schools and is scheduled to begin the week of Sept. 28. Applications are currently open.

“One of the needs we’re seeing right now is for kids to feel connected and like they belong in school,” said Sandy Morales, CEO of BBBS Dane County. “A lot of data shows that mentoring can play a role. While we’re not a tutoring program, we can impact educational outcomes.”

Having someone invested in a child and their future can make a meaningful difference, Morales said. As part of its recruitment efforts, BBBS is particularly seeking mentors of color to pair with youth of color.

Having a mentor who shares their background can be motivating for young people, Morales said.

“It provides validation when they can see themselves in someone who has achieved in their career or is a successful, caring person in the community,” Morales said. “It might be more motivating to know, ‘Oh, this person looks like me.’”

The School Friend program asks Bigs to spend about an hour with their Littles during lunch or after school once a week. Morales urges that it’s not just for teachers, counselors or youth development professionals, but anyone in the community who wants to make an impact in a child’s life.

The organization helps its Bigs navigate their time with their Littles. Big Brothers Big Sisters gives support and guidance throughout the program and matches mentors up with Littles who have similar interests as them.

“It’s really people who are interested in mentoring, but maybe have thought about it in the past and thought, ‘I don’t have enough time,’” Morales said. “I think if somebody’s ever thought about doing this and maybe wasn’t able to do our community-based program, this is a great opportunity to still be a mentor, still be there for a young person, and meet them at school, meeting them where they’re at.”

New this year, Hawthorne Elementary has been added to the School Friends program after BBBS identified an increased need for mentoring on Madison’s East Side and in communities farther north toward Sun Prairie.

“We’re seeing more need in our community-based programming in those parts of town. While we are also recruiting volunteers to be part of our community-based program, we thought it would make sense,” Morales said. “We’re responding to the need that we’re seeing on that side of town, so that is why we’ve decided to invest in or to have those school partnerships in those schools.”

Schools, like Hawthorne, have been very responsive to BBBS, Morales said. Other schools in the roster include Wright Middle School, One City Schools, Mendota, Randall, Kennedy and Emerson Elementary Schools.

Applications are currently open for the School Friends program. While there is no true deadline, BBBS anticipates it will begin matching Bigs to their Littles mid-September and have the program kick off near the end of the month.

The deadline is flexible, as Morales says BBBS has a quick turnaround time in the interview and matching process. The School Friends program runs until the end of the academic year.

Madison365 is a news outlet covering communities of color in Wisconsin.

Omar Waheed

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County seeks 50 mentors for School Friends Program

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