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Volunteers Make a Big Difference!Volunteer opportunities exist state-wide in Delaware. Please see our Link Page for office addresses and a direct link to email. Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children ages 6 through 17 with mentors in professionally supported one-to-one relationships. We have several volunteer options to choose from.
The School Mentor program offers the volunteer the option to meet with a child one hour a week during the child's school day, usually at lunch time. During these visits, the volunteer and the child play games, do school work, have lunch, or just talk. As in all the BBBS programs, the goal is to strengthen the self esteem of a child by providing adult friendship. Please call your local offices for a list of participating schools.
In this traditional BBBS program, the volunteer is matched with a child, age 6 to 17, from a single-parent family. The volunteer and child get together two to four times a month to do things they both enjoy. The goal of the friendship is to help the child with the tough job of growing up, expose him/her to new learning experiences, and to help strengthen their self esteem.
This is an option for the Community-Based Program where married couples can serve as a Big Brother Big Sister "team." This method of mentoring is practical for those who want to mentor, but are concerned that individually they may not have the time to commit to a Little Brother or Sister. Married couples can spend time with their Little as a team, or one-on-one. In addition, if a married couple has children of their own they can simply include their Little in family activities.
In this program, you will be mentoring a young person between the ages of 11 and 17, who is soon to be; or recently released from a juvenile correctional facility or program. Volunteers will be asked to meet with their Little Brother or Little Sister 2-4 times per month for at least one year. These volunteers may also have the opportunity to participate in a group mentoring program with youth at Ferris School and then, once a rapport has been established with a particular kid, mentors would have the option to continue into a community-based match.
Based on the same philosophy as the Community-Based Program, the Mentoring Children of Promise Program matches adult volunteers with children, ages 5 through 15, who have an incarcerated mother or father. The children have been enrolled in the program by their custodial parent or guardian. Many of these children are being raised by a grand parent.
Volunteers are matched to a particular child according to an assessment of the child's needs, interests and abilities. Mentors are asked to visit with the child about once a week, primarily on weekends or after school. The focus of the relationship is to expose the child to new life experiences and provide support and guidance, all while having fun! Once the child's parent is released from prison, the match can still continue, as long as the parent and volunteer both agree.
Who knows but what God has brought us through this child. This is the meaning of the West African word Amachi; a word chosen as the title of a mentoring program which recruits people of faith to mentor children who have an incarcerated parent. In Delaware, the Amachi program is a partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware (BBBSDE) and Canaan Baptist Church. People of all faiths are welcome to participate and will be matched one-on-one to a child with an incarcerated parent.
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Mentoring Children of Promise