NCJ Number
162037
Date Published
1993
Length
89 pages
Annotation
The mentoring program of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America (BB/BSA) is examined with respect to the program practices that underlie the one-to-one interaction for which BB/BAS is known.
Abstract
The analysis was part of a larger study of BB/BSA programs and their impacts on youth. Results revealed that BB/BSA approach to creating adult/youth relationships supports the match at many points in its life: orientation, pre-match training, post-match training, in-service training, and ongoing supervision. This aggregate level of support is the central factor in producing the high rate of interaction that distinguishes BB/BSA from other mentoring programs. Supervision is a crucial feature of the BB/BSA approach to mentoring. Caseworkers maintain regular contact with all match participants (volunteers, youth, and parents) during the first year of the match and intervene as necessary by providing information, referrals, or both. Supervision is the program practice most associated with a high rate of interaction. BB/BSA also provides structure through extensive screening procedures for determining volunteer eligibility; these include police checks, personal references, and employment status checks. Other characteristics of the BB/BSA approach include diversity in the communities served and the characteristics of the youth and volunteers, one-to-one interaction, standardization, longevity, and national visibility. Footnotes, appended methodological information, and 19 references