Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough
By Nicole Zummach
November 24, 2008
PETERBOROUGH, ON // Those of us who grew up with an older sibling in the house might remember the inevitable teasing, hair pulling, and wrestling for control of the television remote. But most likely, we also looked to these big brothers and big sisters for advice, companionship, and comfort in hard times. It was good to know there was someone in our corner, no matter what. Not everyone is so lucky. Many children and youth, particularly those who come from a single-parent family, often don't have a mentor in their life - someone to look up to and learn from. No one knows this better than Big Brothers Big Sisters, an organization that has been working with young people for more than 80 years, providing a friend where one is needed. CharityVillage spoke with Darlene Evans, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough, which recently received the prestigious Donner Award for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services. Evans talks about the importance of a mentor in the life of a young person, the needs that exist in her community, and how the organization is continually striving for excellence in all they do.
CharityVillage: Most people have heard of Big Brothers and Big Sisters and probably have some idea of what you do, but what might they be surprised to learn about your organization?
Darlene Evans: Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada has a 97% brand identity, but the one thing that people might not be as clearly aware of is the number of children served. In addition to that, probably what would be most alarming - and I think this speaks to most communities across Canada - is the number of children in need that are actually on waiting lists for service. What that illustrates is the significant need in communities, the number of single parent-led families, the number of children living in poverty. That's probably something that the average citizen wouldn't know, and should know.
CV: What's the situation like in Peterborough?
DE: In Peterborough it's unique because, for the size of our community, per capita we have a higher percentage of single parent-led families. Peterborough also has a higher rate of teen pregnancy, and a higher percentage of children living in poverty, per capita, than some communities in different places in the province.
Certainly, we want [the BBBS] experience to be a positve one; we want everyone to feel good - the volunteers, as well as the children and families being served. But the premise of what we do, the long-term benefits of mentoring on children and youth, is so much more significant than that. It's not just a feel-good thing. These volunteers that give of themselves may not even be aware of the significant impact that mentoring has on very impressionable, very vulnerable children and youth.
CV: Who is coming to volunteer at your agency? Is there a typical Big Brother or Big Sister?
DE: I wouldn't necessarily describe a typical persona, per se. There is an age requirement at the younger end; a volunteer has to be at least 19 years of age. But beyond that, we have everything from 19-year-old students through to seniors in our community who are volunteering to mentor a child. In fact, we have a specific intergenerational mentoring program that targets seniors - more of a grandparent-type figure. So I wouldn't say there is a typical volunteer. They come from all backgrounds, all walks of life. Having said that, we do have a rigorous screening process.
CV: Do you have any trouble attracting volunteers?
DE: No, but we're always looking for volunteers. There is an interesting shift across the country with volunteerism. What we're seeing is that we need more male volunteers. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about that. We're seeing our volunteer numbers increase, but we're seeing more women coming through to volunteer. I think that's a trend across the country. When we look at our waiting list of about 89 children right now, three-quarters of them are boys. We tend to have more women applying to volunteer, so the girls are coming off the waiting list at an increased rate over the boys.
CV: You mentioned your rigorous screening process. Do you think the voluntary sector as a whole is doing a good job with volunteer screening?
DE: I think there is always room for improvement, and that includes us as well. But I think that, in general, with the increased awareness with respect to liabilities and risk management, most organizations in the not-for-profit sector - in particular those dealing with direct service delivery to vulnerable people - are much more aware and cognizant of the need for rigorous screening. If for no other reason than the fact that our insurance companies are now demanding it. If you want to have full coverage, you need to be doing your due diligence and provide evidence of the fact that you are attempting to mitigate all risk.
As challenging and onerous a task as screening can prove to be, it's well worth every ounce of effort you put into it. It's critical. If you have to find ways to expedite your time in different areas, don't let it be in your screening practices.
CV: Do you do any long-term evaluation of the impact of your programs?
DE: There has been a lot of research done. One project, Project Impact, actually started in the 1980s and was completed in the late 90s. What that project set out to do was locate individuals who had been involved in a Big Brothers or Big Sisters program, and as adults now, take a look at that cohort of individuals versus youth that would have been in similar circumstances but did not have a mentor. The outcomes were quite astounding with respect to the percentage difference in those that went on to post-secondary education versus their peers that had not been matched with a mentor. There was a staggering statistic for those who had been raised in a home that had relied on social assistance as the sole source of revenue. Among those youths who had been matched with a mentor, now as adults, a much lower percentage were relying on social assistance than their peer group who would have been raised on social assistance but were not matched with mentors.
So, mentoring is about a preventative approach - helping children and youth develop their confidence and self-esteem, having a positive adult role model. Quite frankly, the majority of our youth come from less than desirable home environments, so being able to actually identify with a different type of environment, a different way to live, a different way to communicate with people...the impact of that is immeasurable.
CV: As a multiple Donner Award winner, what have you learned about your organization through their evaluation process? Where do your strengths lie?
DE: We've learned a lot through the Donner process. We've been involved with the Donner program for five years, now. We've been a finalist in each of those five years and won in our category in 2006 and 2008 [plus the $20,000 William H. Donner Award in 2008]. It is a very valuable process. It would resemble an organizational review.
Our key strength, I think, has been our creativity and our innovation. We've developed some new programs to attract new or different types of volunteers for specific programs; that has proved to be very beneficial for us. Our bottom line is to serve as many children as we possibly can, with the ultimate goal always being to not have a waiting list.
Darlene Evans is the executive director of Big Brother Big Sisters of Peterborough. For more information about the organization, visit: www.bigbrothersandsistersofptbo.com.
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