If you are a caring individual with a few hours to give per week for a minimum of one year you can be a Big Brother or Sister to a child or youth.
Volunteer mentors complete an interview with a staff member, provide a police background check and personal references, and attend an orientation and training session. Volunteer Big Brothers and Sisters are then 'matched' with a child or youth—the Little Brothers and Sisters.
Making the right mentoring match is very important, so we get to know volunteers and children—your personalities and interests. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Victoria also stays in touch with you, the child, and the child’s family to provide ongoing support, activities, and resources, through out the duration of the mentoring match.
While we ask volunteer mentors to comit to a mentoring match with a child for a minimum of one year, many friendships last more than a year. The average mentoring match lasts for a little under two years. Some mentoring matches last longer. The impact of mentoring lasts for a lifetime!
It does not take special skills or talents, experience, or money to be a volunteer mentor. There are also no age limits on participation. Our youngest mentors are 16 years and older and participate in the Teen Mentoring Program or Big Buddies Program. Our most experienced mentors are in their eighties.
We have a number of different mentoring progams that volunteers can chose to participate in. All of the mentoring programs help children and youth, but each accomodates different schedules, availability, activities, and destinations.
Volunteer recruitment, assessment, and training is available throughout the year.
To learn more about becoming a volunteer Big Brother or Sister please Contact Us, telephone 250-475-1117, or e-mail: bbbsvictoria.com
You may also print the Application for Volunteers 19 and over or Application for Volunteers under 19 and, once completed, bring it into our office, fax it to us at 250-475-1197, or mail it to us:
230 Bay Street
Victoria, BCV9A 3K5
We look forward to meeting you!