During the interview process, they often ask if you are comfortable working with kids that have been abused or have had other problems at home or school. I know that a lot of the kids in BBBS need a mentor to "help set them on the right path."
I was just wondering what everyone thought about programs like this where a child is set up with a mentor that is usually only a couple years older than them. Do you think these programs are effective for helping children with difficult home lives? Or, do you think these programs are more effective for helping kids with school? Do you think an older mentor would be more effective than a teenage mentor? Just a few questions to possibly respond to! Have a great weekend! :)
9 comments:
Genius! I love these programs for the mere reason that they are created to make people feel loved. It doesn't matter if the child has a bad home life or has all the money in the world or has everything going in his or her favor. There's no remedy for being an only child besides a playmate and someone to talk to.
I signed up to be a big, but because of some of my circumstances, I turned down meeting a Little for right now. It broke my heart to do it. My old elementary, St. Mary's, had a similar program where second graders (or something like that) teamed up with the kids who were just coming into school. At the time, I hated it. I didn't like the little kid who picked me to be her big sister because, when I met her, her face was COVERED in a generous layer of chocolate. It took my leaving that school and her to realize how much she was like me and how much I was dependent on her company too. I learned so much from her about patience and unfailing love, just like I taught her how to be independent and passionate.
As the baby child in the family, I find it an absolutely amazing experience to have a little sibling who hangs on every word and looks up to me rather than down at me. And I'm sure that the kids who get mentors end up doing a lot better with life in general because he or she has someone to admire and has a level to aspire to reach.
That sounds so cool! If you read these comments Carolyn, what does being in Big Brothers Big Sisters consist of for the mentor?
I think these programs could be very beneficial. I think a lot of the times kids are surrounded with only one environment and if it is an unhealthy one, the odds of the child growing up problem free are slim.
As far as the age of the mentor, I think that an older mentor wouldn't be as beneficial, maybe an age difference of about four years would be good because I remember always looking up to my cousin who is four years older than I am. Even if you are at a similar age to the child; even if you are both teens, you are just older, I still think that the seniority can still instill some respect and admiration from the younger to the older automatically and I think this will make the relationship beneficial to the younger, if not to both.
Thanks for writing back so soon! Well ,there are two types of programs that you can choose to be in--either site-based or community based. I decided to do a site-based match rather than community so I see my Little once a week rather than once a month. I thought it would be easier to develop a relationship with my Little if we had the opportunity to spend more time with each other. I also wanted the chance to help her with her homework and see how she interacts with friends and classmates. She's a little shy! The program also discourages big group activities and encourages more individual ones. So for site-based you usually do arts and crafts, sports, and homework and community based you can pretty much do any activity that is age appropriate, but for any match, a mentor is just someone for the Little to talk to, confide in, and simply have whenever they just need someone.
Aw, Taylor. That must have been hard to turn down! :( I hope you can eventually do it! You would be a great Big!
This sounds like such a great program! It probably makes such a big difference in the lives of many kids. I think it would be effective to have a child set up with a mentor who is a couple years older than them because the older one can be a good role model, but also be close enough in age that they can still relate to each other. I think the effectiveness of helping the child with difficult home lives or with school is probably kind of dependent on the specific relationship. However I do think it could be a great benefit to both. I do, however, think that if a child has had abuse problems or a really difficult home life, they should be put with an older mentor who is better able to help with their issues. It's great to hear that a lot of you in the class have been or thought about being involved with this program!
I was actually looking into doing this too! I think it's a great program. I also think that the mentor only being a couple years older is a good idea. This way the little can relate to them more. I feel that it's easier to open up to people that you find it easy to relate to. Being able to relate to someone creates a sense of comfort and trust. This can also cause an even closer relationship between the little and the big. I agree with Lauren about how the type of situation this benefits more depends on the relationship formed. If you form really close relationships then I think that such a program can be beneficial for many situations.
This sounds like an amazing program, and if I had the time I'd love to be a part of something like this!!!! I love the idea of helping kids who didn't have the same opprotunities that I did - acutally I just love kids in general. Programs like this definitely have the ability to make all the difference in the life of a child.
I really think that BBBS is a good program to help children with both their home lives and their school lives because what children mostly need is someone to talk to. When they have someone they can confide in, they're able to focus more on their school work than frusterating daily occurences. I also think that a mentor who is closer in age to them would be more effective than a much older mentor because it'll be easier for them to relate to a younger mentor.
Thanks again for all the comments! I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas for activities I could do with my Little? I'm kinda stuck and I need some creative ideas! I would greatly appreciate any input :)
For Albuquerque, there are actually a good variety of activities! Of course, there are all the museums: Natural History, Aquarium, Zoo (bit cold?), Botanical Garden, Explora!(is awesome!) You can look for different showings at the Dome theatre or the planetarium. Also there is bowling! Holiday Bowl has "After Night Bowling" which is pretty fun. You get to bowl with black lights on! There is the ice or roller skating rink. Also a favorite for many dates is Art Attack! you get to paint your own pottery! I personally have never been but lots of my friends have and they said its lots of fun! Also I thought of Build-A-Bear! haha I hope this helps. I have had many times where I needed to figure out what to do, and these are on my constant list! Also I think what you are doing is great! There is no doubt that BBBS is a great program! Having someone there to help is what every person needs! This post has definitely made me think of this for myself. Oh also sorry I only posted things that you have to have money for! I'm not actually sure how BBBS works. Any one could doing a community service together! I really love Project Share, you cook and serve food for the homeless. There is a LOT of community service out there in NM too! Hopes this helps. :)
I think programs like BBBS are great! Older mentors are helpful, too, but I imagine it would be easier to relate to someone who's a bit closer to your age--it seems like it would be a bit easier to form a friendship rather than ONLY a mentorship. I hope that makes sense.
I haven't done BBBS yet (though I'm now considering it!) but I do remember a program we had in elementary school where younger kids would join up with older kids and we would read books to each other. It's not really the same thing, but it is nice to have that companionship with someone who is close to your age, and to be able to learn from such a relationship.
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