Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay

Our Agency's singular program is Comprehensive Mentoring. Our mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. A simple but powerful mission which serves as the foundation for what we do. Thanks to dedicated volunteers and generous donors we're able to serve children from all walks of life. Within our comprehensive mentoring program, volunteers (Bigs) and children (Littles) spend time together either in the community or at an assigned site location. Community Based participants may choose outings such as going for a walk, working on arts and crafts, taking a bike ride, or watching a sporting event. Site based participants may meet with their Little Brother or Little Sister one hour a week at a near-by school and may choose activities such as reading, games, or even just talking about school and/or life. In our School-to-Work mentoring program, partner high schools are matched up with a local business or governmental entity for a minimum of two years. High school juniors the first year and seniors the second year meet with their assigned mentors at his or her work place for a half a day each month during the school year. During this time, youth participating at each site have the opportunity to participate in career readiness training such as resume writing and job shadowing, while developing a 1:1 relationship with their mentor. The overarching objectives for each of these School-to-Work matches is to form a positive 1:1 relationship, have the student graduate from high school with the best possible grades, and develop a plan for each student of what he or she will do upon graduation.