Big Brothers And Big Sisters Of Dane County Inc

TO CREATE AND SUPPORT ONE-TO-ONE MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS THAT IGNITE THE POWER AND PROMISE OF YOUTH, SO THAT ALL YOUTH ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.

COMMUNITY - WE TAKE PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT 84% OF THE MATCHES WHO WERE TOGETHER AT THE START OF THE PANDEMIC WERE STILL TOGETHER GOING INTO 2021. OUR CONSISTENT AND HIGH-QUALITY MATCH SUPPORT PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLE IN KEEPING THESE RELATIONSHIPS TOGETHER, WHETHER MATCHES WERE MEETING IN-PERSON OR VIRTUALLY. WE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF MATCH SUPPORT CONTACTS WE MADE TO EACH FAMILY, ENSURING THAT EVERY PARENT HAD A MATCH SUPPORT SPECIALIST WHO COULD LISTEN TO THEIR FEARS, CONCERNS, AND NEEDS, AND HELP THEM NAVIGATE SYSTEMS AND FIND SOLUTIONS THAT FIT THEIR UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES. IN ADDITION TO OUR EXISTING MATCH SUPPORT, WE CONTINUED TO CONNECT PARENTS TO VITAL RESOURCES LIKE RENT ASSISTANCE, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND MORE.COMMUNITY-BASED MENTORING (IN-PERSON) - THE CORE, TRADITIONAL PROGRAM OF BBBS INVOLVES AN ADULT MENTOR "BIG" MATCHED WITH A CHILD "LITTLE". THESE COMMUNITY-BASED MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS INVOLVE ONE-ON-ONE OUTINGS AND ACTIVITIES, DOING THINGS THE BIG AND LITTLE ENJOY TOGETHER LIKE: TAKING A WALK IN THE PARK, GOING TO A MUSEUM, LISTENING TO MUSIC, OR HANGING OUT AND TALKING. SOME BIGS MEET WITH THEIR LITTLES ON THE WEEKENDS. OTHERS GET TOGETHER WITH THEIR LITTLES ON WEEKDAY EVENINGS. EACH MATCH IS UNIQUE AND DEVELOPS A SCHEDULE THAT WORKS FOR THEM. EACH MATCH IS SUPERVISED AND SUPPORTED BY AN AGENCY MATCH SUPPORT SPECIALIST.HYBRID COMMUNITY-BASED MENTORING (VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON) - ONLINE AND IN-PERSON MENTORING PROGRAM FOR LITTLES AGES 6-18. ALIGNED WITH PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES; MATCHES ARE CURRENTLY MEETING ONLINE, BASED ON THEIR SCHEDULES AND INTERESTS. BBBS STAFF PROVIDE ACTIVITY OPTIONS AND SUPPORT TO HELP MATCHES CONNECT AND GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER. ALLOWS FOR OPTIONAL IN-PERSON OUTINGS DURING COVID (MUST FOLLOW OUR COVID MATCH OUTING POLICY). CAN MEET REGULARLY IN PERSON ONCE PUBLIC HEALTH RESTRICTIONS LIFT.VIRTUAL COMMUNITY-BASED MENTORING - ONLINE MENTORING PROGRAM FOR LITTLES AGES 6-18. BIGS AND LITTLES MEET ONLINE, BASED ON THEIR SCHEDULES AND INTERESTS. TYPICALLY MATCHES MEET 1X/WEEK FOR 30-60 MINUTES. MATCHES CAN USE A VARIETY OF WAYS TO CONNECT; SOME MEET ON FACETIME, SOME ARE EMAIL PEN-PALS, SOME PLAY VIDEO GAMES ONLINE-IT IS FLEXIBLE TO FIT THE MATCH. BBBS STAFF PROVIDE ACTIVITY OPTIONS AND SUPPORT TO HELP MATCHES GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER. MATCHES DO NOT MEET IN PERSON.

ENROLLMENT - WHILE THE PANDEMIC PAUSED AND SLOWED OUR ABILITY TO MAKE NEW MENTORING MATCHES, IN 2021 WE CREATED 134 NEW MATCH RELATIONSHIPS VERSUS 48 IN 2020. IN THE BEGINNING OF 2021, WE OFFERED THE FLEXIBILITY TO 25 MATCHES TO BEGIN MEETING VIRTUALLY AND THEN TRANSITION TO IN-PERSON ONCE PEOPLE FELT COMFORTABLE MEETING SAFELY IN-PERSON, MUCH OF THIS DUE TO THE AVAILABILITY OF A COVID VACCINE. ALTOGETHER, WE SERVED 494 MATCHES IN 2021 AND DUE TO THE LONGEVITY OF OUR MATCHES, OUR AVERAGE MATCH LENGTH RELATIONSHIP IS 48 MONTHS.

SCHOOL FRIENDS - THE BIGGEST PROGRAMMATIC IMPACT FROM THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN TO OUR SCHOOL-BASED MENTORING PROGRAM. BECAUSE THIS PROGRAM HAS HISTORICALLY TAKEN PLACE WITHIN SCHOOLS, WHICH WASN'T ALLOWED WITH OUR SCHOOL PARTNERS, WE'VE HAD TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS TO CONTINUE MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR LITTLES. WE BUILT OUT VIRTUAL VOLUNTEER ENROLLMENT PROCESSES, CREATED AN ONLINE ACTIVITY TOOLKIT FOR MATCHES, AND RESEARCHED & IMPLEMENTED THE SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY NEEDED TO EXECUTE VIRTUAL MENTORING. OUR HARD WORK PAID OFF, AS WE PILOTED A VIRTUAL MENTORING PROGRAM FOR OUR SCHOOL-BASED MATCHES IN 2020 AND LAUNCHED IT ACROSS SEVERAL SCHOOLS IN 2021. WE CONTINUED TO PARTNER WITH MADISON METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PROVIDE VIRTUAL MENTORING FOR 50 STUDENTS.