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Community Mentoring

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Taranaki logo.

We are proud to be associated with the most well known and respected community mentoring programme in the world: Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS).

Like the international model, the local initiative aims to support young people aged 7-17 with ‘one on one’ mentoring using community and corporate volunteers.

Research shows that "when 'little brothers' and 'little sisters' feel good about themselves, they positively impact their friends and families, their schools, and their communities. And as this important study has shown, these young people believe in themselves because a 'big brother' or 'big sister' believed in them.”
Source: Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters (1995).

We are committed to supporting young people and supports Big Brothers Big Sisters Taranaki in several ways:

The Community Development Team provides: support and advice, pathways to community funding and project assistance to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Taranaki Trust.
School-based mentoring via corporate volunteerism: the council is offering ten staff the opportunity to mentor a young person for one hour per week during school / work hours.

What is Big Brothers Big Sisters?

Established in 2007, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Taranaki has the support of key agencies including the New Zealand Police, Child Youth and Family, the Family Court and the education sector.

There are very strong community leaders on the BBBS of Taranaki Trust board including: Family Court Judge Murfitt, Francis Farmer (Chair), Principal Jenny Gellen, Paul Butterworth, Tracey Phelan, Kerry Mills, Andrew Ross and Paul Shearer.

How does Big Brothers Big Sisters work?

Big Brothers Big Sisters poster. Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children aged 7-17 with mentors in professionally supported one-to-one relationships. The relationships that develop are long-term and have many positive outcomes for both the ‘bigs and littles’.

There are two programmes and volunteer opportunities available within the district:

Community-based mentoring: For as little as an hour a week, 'bigs and littles' meet in their community to share fun activities … stories … and a little bit of themselves.

School-based mentoring: 'Bigs and littles' meet once a week in schools, libraries and community centres, to talk and have fun. It’s not about being a tutor … it’s about being a friend. Return to top

What ‘bigs and littles’ do

Getting together is a great time for both 'bigs and littles'. It doesn’t require a special occasion or expensive activities; just a few hours every month sharing simple things you already enjoy with a young person. Things like…

Shooting hoops.
Playing a board game.
Sharing a pizza.
Taking a walk in the park.
Or just hanging out and talking.

What are the benefits?

International research indicates that after 18 months of spending time with their 'bigs', the little brothers and little sisters were:

46 per cent less likely to begin using illegal drugs.
27 per cent less likely to begin using alcohol.
52 per cent less likely to skip school.
37 per cent less likely to skip a class.
More confident of their performance in schoolwork.
One-third less likely to hit someone.
Getting along better with their families.

Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteers had the greatest impact in the area of alcohol and substance abuse prevention. The study found for every 100 youth aged between 10 and 16 who start using drugs, only 54 similar youth who are matched with a big brother or sister will start using drugs. Minority boys and girls were the most strongly influenced; they were 70 per cent less likely than their peers to initiate drug use.Return to top

The Big Brothers Big Sisters match

According to the 1995 research, one-to-one matches are such a powerful force for influencing children’s behaviour because of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ signature approach to mentoring.

A Big Brothers Big Sisters’ match is carefully administered and supported by rigorous standards and trained personnel. Professional staff strive for matches that are not only safe and well suited to each child’s needs, but also harmonious and built to last. That is why so much care is taken in screening and orienting volunteers, and then in matching them with children.

However, Big Brothers Big Sisters professionals are much more than just “matchmakers”. They provide ongoing support and supervision to the big, the little, and the little’s family. They offer training and advice to help ensure that the match is satisfying and fulfilling for everyone involved.

Additionally, every Big Brothers Big Sisters agency subscribes to a uniform set of standards and procedures. They also receive ongoing training and consultation from the Big Brothers Big Sisters national office.

It is this web of support that helps maximize the likelihood that a Big Brothers Big Sisters relationship will take root and flourish. The research found, for example, that Big Brothers Big Sisters’ matches consistently spend more time together, and continue as a match for longer periods, than do their peers in other mentoring programmes studied.Return to top

The impact

The 1995 research found that Big Brothers Big Sisters offers a positive, broad-based programme "that focuses less on specific problems after they occur, and more on meeting youths’ most basic developmental needs."

The matches that were observed in the study shared everyday activities: eating out, playing sports or attending sports events, going to movies, sightseeing, doing chores, and just hanging out together.

What mattered to the children was not the activities, but the fact that they had a caring adult in their lives. Because they had someone to confide in and to look up to, they were, in turn, doing better in school and at home. The littles were also avoiding violence and substance abuse at a pivotal time in their lives when even small changes in behaviour, or choices made, can change their lives forever.

Source: Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters (1995) was the culmination of a four-part series on Big Brothers Big Sisters. The first three reports were A Study of Program Practices (1993); A Study of Volunteer Recruitment and Screening (1994); and Building Relationships with Youth in Program Settings (1995).

Contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of Taranaki

Please contact:
Paul Lampe
Youth Aid Officer / Big Brothers Big Sisters Programme Manager
Ph: 06-759 8854 AWE logo.
Email: bbbstaranaki@xtra.co.nz

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Taranaki would like to acknowledge the support of their trustees - the New Plymouth Police and corporate sponsor AWE.