Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS)

Today in our column, we’ll take a look at the history of one of the world’s most well-known mentoring organizations — Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS), which has been changing children’s lives for more than 120 years through the power of personal connections.

How it all began

In 1904, New York court clerk Ernest Coulter began noticing that more and more boys were appearing in court for minor offenses. He realized that many of them had lost connection with adult role models and needed support. Coulter called on citizens to become mentors for these young people. The first 39 volunteers responded to his appeal, marking the beginning of the Big Brothers movement.

During the same period in Philadelphia, the Catholic Big Sisters initiative was founded to support girls facing difficult life circumstances. These two parallel initiatives gradually spread across the country, forming chapters in different cities throughout the United States.

In 1977, the two organizations merged to create Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS). Throughout the 20th century, the organization grew into BBBS of America and gained support from presidents, companies, artists, and society as a whole.

Impact and effectiveness

In 1990, BBBS became one of the first organizations to apply evidence-based approaches to evaluating the impact of mentoring on child development. Research showed that participants in BBBS programs:

• are 52% less likely to skip school
• are 46% less likely to use drugs
• get along with others 33% better

Source: Public/Private Ventures, 1995

How It Works

The "One-to-One" model: a mentor (Big) supports a child (Little) in education, socialization, and personal development.

Mentoring formats:

• Traditional (meetings outside of school)
• School-based
• Online
• Specialized programs (children of military families, vulnerable groups)

Today

BBBS operates in every U.S. state and beyond the country, with a strong network of partners, volunteers, and research confirming the effectiveness of this type of interaction. It is a great example of how individual attention from an adult can change a child’s life.

The story of BBBS is another source of inspiration for those who are already mentors or are just beginning their journey toward becoming one.

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The Mentoring Association has been implementing mentoring programs in Ukraine for many years. If you would like to join them and become a source of support for children from vulnerable groups, we invite you to learn more at an online meeting hosted by our specialists.