Big Brothers Big Sisters The Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) has been around for over 90 years. This organization has supported one-to one relationships with adult volunteers and youths of single-parent homes. The volunteer and the youth makes substantial time and commitment, meeting two to four times per month for a least a year, meeting can last four hours. The Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring helps improve the lives of youth and strongly engages the community through involvement with community leaders. It is recommended that the agency match volunteers to help meet the specific needs of the youth. The agency considers matching such as gender, proximity, and availability. In addition, youth and parents state their match …show more content…
The volunteer process has stringent guidelines, it protects youth by identifying and screening applicants that can pose a safety risk, therefore making this process time-consuming from three to nine months, with only 35 percent of the applicants being matched; 30 percent withdrew or was not considered, and 35 percent had not completed all the proper steps. The screening process for youth involves an application, interviews with parents and child, and a home assessment. Many agencies have a requirement of no more than one parent in the household. The youth must be between the ages of 5 and 18, a resident of Davidson County, have minimal social skills, and parent’s agreement for the child to follow the rules. The Big Brothers Big Sisters Program is located in the Middle Tennessee, but with more than 300 agencies spread throughout North America, also has partnerships with organizations across the world. Researchers have found that after spending over a year with (BBBSA), a significant improvement in social acceptance, and parental trust. Intervention in the elementary and middle school’s years can impact high school graduation rates. When someone makes a decision to become a volunteer he or she is taking a big responsibility. The volunteer role is a big commitment, becoming a role model and friend to a …show more content…
If money is an issue, trying not to spend money and come up with free activities that both can enjoy. The Nashville agency arranges for free and discounted tickets to events, most are donated. I believe that the positives out-weights the negatives. For the first few months of the program is a good idea to introduce and build a trusting relationship. There are ways this programs can improve, the fact is that each volunteer is expected to pay their way for everything and the parent of the child is to pay for the youth half. The Big Brother, Big Sister organization pays nothing for the outings of these kids. Many companies donate for the kids to do many fun activities, but not from the organization, the allocation of some funds should be dedicated to providing some fun
They assist with planning recreational activities, getting meals together, or doing laundry and along the way, assist the family to clearly understand young people and how to support them toward the goals they have (A child and youth care approach, Garfat and Shaw, 2003, pg. 1). 39-53).” Reaching the goals that a CYC sets for their clients can become the most important element of their lives. Additionally, their parent may require assistance and by reaching out to both the client and the parent, they are able to feed off each other’s progress.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America was started over ninety years ago. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) agencies have provided supportive, one-to-one relationships between adult volunteers and youth living in single-parent homes. Today, BBBSA provides about 75,000 young people with one-to-one supports (Public /Private Ventures, 1995a). In a presentation of the BBBS services, Public/Private Ventures (1995a:4) stated the following: Volunteer screening is a must and is a very strict procedu...
I began by tutoring at the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) and eventually became a teacher at the boys and girls club. The focus of my continued volunteer work was to enrich the children’s after school experience whether they needed help with homework or busy work. During my volunteer work the issue that stuck out in my mid continuously was social class or classism. The BGC emphasizes many different issues and points such as “creating aspirations for the future,” “Helping youth become responsible, caring citizens and acquire skills for participating in the democratic process is the main thrust of these programs and also to develop leadership skills and provide opportunities for planning, decision-making.” BGC encourages kids to engage in healthy and positive behavior as well as to help the youth build and discover creativity in the arts “Club programs help develop fitness, a positive use of leisure time, reduction of stress, appreciation for the environment and social and interpersonal skills.” (bgca.org)
Every Child is primarily supported by the purchase-of service contracts with child welfare agencies, state and federal grants, sponsoring from foundations, individual sponsors through events or partnering business. Individual and community contributions are also critical sources of funding. Every Child strives to remain fiscally sound and accountable to the public. The administrative costs comprise only 14% of the total annual operating budget. Every Child Inc. also embraces the diversity of the communities and individuals served and d...
After a single telephone call to the Children’s Hospital Volunteer Services Coordinators, I learned that volunteers were readily accepted to serve within the hospital’s recreational therapy deparment. When they asked my reason for volunteering, I explained to them that I wanted to help the children develop their leadership potential as well as other abilities. The members of volunteer services seemed excited.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen , my name is Gary Gidhay. I am here today to convince you that the minimum requirement of 40 volunteer hours is not only helpful to your community, but it is also essential to the development and health of the average teen. Now the average teen is bombarded with distractions, some of these being social networks, friends,family affairs/problems,video games, and even relationships in general. Some adults may think that these can be easily avoided , however those people are incredibly wrong. Being a teen in this generation is like nothing anyone will ever experience , we have everything at our fingertips , we have so many things to do it is almost impossible to get anything productive done. This is just one reason why the 40 mandatory community service hours are incredibly important to teens. These hours teach us things that if we were not forced to do , we would never learn and would make it very hard for us to strive in a typical work environment. We learn skills that we will use for the rest of our...
The Salvation Army is a Christian church and international charitable organization. The Salvation Army was founded in 1865, in the East End of London, by William Booth (Salvation, n.d). Booth was an evangelist who wanted to offer practical help to the poor and as well as preaching the Gospel to them. However, it originally was called the Christian Mission, but Booth had changed its name to the Salvation Army in 1878 (TheSalvation, n.d). In addition, “Is a protestant denomination of the Christian Church with over 1.6 million members in 109 countries” (BBC, n.d). The Salvation Army is “famous for its work with people who have fallen on hard times: it offers help to the elderly, the young, offenders, drug addicts and blind and disabled people;
Kim, in the United States, grades are not the only factor in evaluating school applicants and job candidates. From Rhodes Scholar selections to college applications, excellence in other areas such as leadership, volunteer activities, sports and arts is equally important (p82-90). In American schools, students are encouraged to do volunteer work. So much so that many schools have guidelines for how much time students are expected to spend serving in the community. Children learn the value of giving from an early age. Volunteer activities is one way Americans feel a part of things and share the goal of serving and contributing to build their communities. From neighborhood watch programs to environmental issues, Americans do not wait for the government to initiate action: they take action to bring about the changes they desire. Therefore, Americans view volunteer work as a way to teach children and young adults values such as cooperation and teamwork, dedication and work ethics, equality and social justice, leadership, generosity and compassion for
Friday, November 8 was my first time volunteering for the American Red Cross. I volunteered for a total of six hours at a High School in San Diego, California. My main duty was to check in every donor as they came in. Being a high school different regulations were placed. If a student was sixteen they were required to have a parent permission form. Also, the form they were required was sky blue. Therefore, they could not pretend to have a different age. On the other hand if a student was seventeen or older the parent permission form was not mandatory to have. A simple call from a representative of the American Red Cross to the student’s parent asking for consent was sufficient for them to donate. Following the parent permission the student was asked for their last name and...
Knowing and Serving Diverse Families has many strengths and serves as good basic information for those interested in working to help others. The textbook is organized into five sections...
Sure Start project works with parents as well as community based organization and agencies like statutory
Taking time to volunteer at the many nonprofit organizations, homeless shelters, advocacy centers, philanthropic fundraisers, local schools and child care facilities in the inner city is not always at the forefront of young people’s minds while navigating through their college experiences. But, with a little push from student organizations, local nonprofits and passionate individuals, volunteerism and community change can start to take a front seat and become not just an opportunity, but also a priority in the lives of young people.
This is a community-based mentoring program in which at risk youth are able to have a positive adult role model in their life. The program targets youth that need it most, whether they come from a single parent home, are coping with a parental incarceration, or have seen trauma in the household. Youth come from many different home environments, family structures, neighborhoods, and social-economic levels. Regardless of these factors, each youth is unique and have been identified for having a need of a friendship with a helpful adult. The Big Brother Big Sister programs joined forces in 1970 to become Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Much alike most other mentoring programs, this was designed off of the social control theory. The social control theory utilizes the idea that socialization and social learning builds self-control, reducing the inclination of participating in an act that would be considered anti-social. This derives down from functionalist theory of crime; all in all people’s relationships, values, commitments, and norms encourage them to not stray away from the bonds of
In the past four years of my life, volunteer work has left an indelible mark on my heart and mind. When I became a volunteer, I had a very vague notion of leadership. As my high school days come to an end, I am left with the feeling that I have finally come into my own shoes, discovering the things that are important to me and those that are not. I have found my personal leadership style, and I now pay attention to the leaders I come across each day. For this reason, volunteering has been both an enlightening and inspiring experience, for I am surrounded by peers, mentors, and the volunteer program director, all of whom are leaders with creative visions of their own.
Mentoring programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, are used as an opportunity to help lost children find their way back onto the right path. In these programs, an older, more responsible citizens volunteers to take a troubled child under their wing in a fashion that resembles sibling relationships. Programs such as these have been put into place all throughout the country. In 1995, Public/Private Ventures conducted a survey concerning the children of Big Brothers Big Sisters. This survey evaluated both matched and unmatched children, and found that the children matched with Bigs (i.e. Big Brothers or Sisters) were “46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs” (“Big Impact”). Implementing a program such as this would surely benefit the children and teens of Wayne County. If these troubled youths sign up for a local mentoring program and are paired with a Big that will teach them and look out for them, they have a better chance of staying away from harmful substances and bad