Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a social service organization that provides guidance for young boys and girls who lack normal parental and family relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is committed to the principle that every boy and girl needs adult companionship, and it encourages mature, responsible men and women to offer friendship and counsel to boys and girls who have been deprived of such support from their fathers, mothers, and other adult family members.
Program
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America serves member agencies in the United States and Canada. It enlists dedicated men and women from all walks of life to help guide, instruct, and influence young girls and boys from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. Adult volunteers (called "Bigs") dedicate themselves to developing positive social and educational attitudes in young boys and girls. As a result of their assignments to Big Brothers Big Sisters, boys and girls have shown marked improvement in schoolwork and decreases in juvenile behavioral problems. According to the organization's national office, children involved in the program have developed more positive attitudes toward school, achieved higher grades and better attendance records, strengthened their relationships with family members and peers, and demonstrated higher levels of self-confidence and trust. Boys and girls in the program were also less likely to become drug and alcohol abusers.
Although there is no structured educational program, all men and women who volunteer as Big Brothers or Big Sisters are concerned with helping boys and girls learn the best ways of relating to society. Many Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies have a High School Bigs program in which mature teenagers can serve as mentors and role models for atrisk elementary and middle school children. In some communities, agencies work with local police departments to provide early intervention for first-time juvenile offenders by matching them with a Big Sister or Big Brother. In most instances, referrals to Big Brother agencies come from local schools.
Big Brothers Big Sisters staff carefully screen prospective volunteers, then match them to children with whom they can form a useful, harmonious, and long-lasting relationship. Adult volunteers undergo orientation before meeting the child to whom they are matched. After the organization brings together the child and adult, the pair will meet regularly to go to movies and shows, visit museums and parks, attend sporting events, and engage in various other activities and outings. Bigs may also help children with schoolwork and talk to them about problems at home. Big Sisters and Big Brothers are free to spend as much money as they wish while with the child.
Organization
In some large metropolitan centers there may be several separate Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies that help match children and adults. Most smaller communities have only one such agency. A large national board determines program policies and standards for all Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies. A small paid staff at the national headquarters organizes regional professional staff conferences, council meetings, and an annual meeting at which all agencies are represented. Each local agency has its own board of directors. Many of the local agencies receive a portion of their support from local United Way appeals; much of the work is financed by contributions from foundations, private donors, and corporate partners.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters International (BBBSI). Established in 1998, BBBSI promotes and supports the development of Big Brothers Big Sisters-type programs throughout the world by offering materials, funding, consultation, and professional training. Agencies have been established in many countries, including Australia, Poland, South Africa, Japan, and Israel.
Membership
The work of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is carried out at the local agency level, where volunteers are interviewed and screened prior to being accepted as Big Brothers or Big Sisters. Boys and girls are also introduced to the program at the local agency level, where an adult and a young person are assigned as a team. No dues or fees are charged either to the adults or children. Most youths who take part in the program are between the ages of ten and fourteen. The majority are boys; about half are minorities. Most of the children come from low-income households and single-parent families, many of which have a history of substance abuse or domestic violence.
History
The Big Brother concept of one man working with one boy began in 1904 in New York City as a result of a clerk's interest in children's court. The clerk, who was concerned with the increasing rate of juvenile crime, spoke to a church men's club about the problem. As a result, each man in the club agreed to befriend a boy who had experienced behavioral problems. Later that year, an organization called Catholic Big Sisters was formed in New York; it was the first known Big Sisters program in the country. Although other similarly motivated groups joined the movement, Big Brothers of America was not officially organized until after World War II. The organization undertook a growth and development program that encouraged communities to form agencies. It sought highly skilled social workers to staff local agencies; launched a public information program; and initiated a research program to determine need, effectiveness, and value for the national organization and its local affiliates.
By 1970 there were 192 member agencies in the United States and Canada, with 175 other communities in the process of organizing agencies. In 1977 separate Big Brothers and Big Sisters organizations merged into Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the national headquarters was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By 2001 the organization had over 500 affiliates in communities across North America.
Bibliography
Beiswinger, George L. 1985. One to One: The Story of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Movement in America. Philadelphia: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Furano, Kathryn. 1993. Big Brothers Big Sisters: A Study of Program Practices. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures.
Greif, Richard S. 1997. Big Impact: Big Brothers Making a Difference. Boston: New Hat.
Internet Resource
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. 2002. www.bbbsa.org.
— EDITH M. LERRIGO, Revised by, JUDITH J. CULLIGAN
