Big Brothers Big Sisters: A Lifeline for Youth Mental Health

Since COVID-19, reports indicate that children's health is in jeopardy. Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is addressing this issue head-on, aiming to encourage kids and youth to realize their full potential.

COVID-19 has significantly affected the mental well-being of many youths. The Raising Canada 2020 report released crowdsourced data showing that "57 per cent of participants aged 15 to 17 reported that their mental health is ‘somewhat worse’ or ‘much worse’ than it was before physical distancing measures were put in place.”

Jillian Dowding, director of service delivery at Calgary’s Big Brothers Big Sisters, an organization that supports children and youth between the ages of six and 24 by connecting them to mentors, believes that two key factors are at play.

“There has been real disruption to their routine... A disruption to the social fabric that their lives consisted of. It's even more impactful for kids in their developmental stage. Isolation—we are not meant to be alone as much as we all have been over the last year, nor are we meant to be 24/7 with the same people. For kids at higher risk, who have challenges with anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts, there is nothing about that situation that's going to make it better.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters has been around for over 40 years, although it was previously known by a different name. The long-term and short-term effects of their approach remain the same.

“What we do know is that after one year of mentoring, 77 per cent of our kids see an improvement in at least one of those areas, and after two years, 90 per cent, according to their parents,” said Dowding.

These positive changes in children and youth's lives are not only statistically shown. Dowding recalls an encounter with a young girl that has stayed with her.

“One of our young girls in our Youth in Care program was quite resistant at first and wasn't really buying in. Then she found out that her mentor, her Big Sister, was volunteering her time. She said, ‘I have never had anybody in my life who wasn't paid to be there.’ It just shifted everything.”

According to Dowding, “66 per cent of our kids have four or more ‘aces.’ Aces are sort of a checklist of vulnerabilities and ask things like, have you ever experienced violence in the home or the death of a parent or financial poverty or distress. There are 10 vulnerabilities listed.”

In 2019-2020, 1,120 children and youth aged six to 24 were matched, with 358 waitlisted. Those waiting to be matched with mentors engage in various activities, events, resources, and educational and recreational opportunities. BBBS also had 502 teen mentors with 34 waitlisted. These teen mentors undergo specialized training and are supported by BBBS. According to their annual report, “Teen Mentors build their own self-confidence and leadership skills and improve their Social-Emotional Competencies while mentoring children aged six to 12 in a school setting.” Overall, in 2019-2020, 2,014 individuals were served.

Within the same year, 276 surveys were completed by mentees aged nine and over who had been matched for at least a year. The surveys reported that 95% of BBBS mentees say their mentors show them that they matter to them, and 86% say their mentors help them complete tasks and achieve goals.

With COVID-19 still in full swing, BBBS believes the inability for the matches to meet in person is their biggest challenge currently.

“The whole program is built around putting down your device. Go out into the community a couple of hours a week. Let's go to the museum or the park. Let's spend time together. Now we're like, pick up the device.”

BBBS has a very active Recruitment and Community Engagement team. The matching process is very intentional and not a quick process.

“Generally, you apply to become a volunteer. We hope that within 90 days, you will be matched with a young person. There's an intensive interview process. We check referrals, speak with personal and professional referrals, and you have to go through a police check and a child intervention check, which can also take some time. Once you're accepted into the program after that process, we have an engagement team. There's a team of five whose sole job is to move volunteers and families through that onboarding process. They actually sit down on a weekly basis as a team working through files, so they're looking for finding the very best mentor for that child. Our focus is on the child, on what their needs are,” says Dowding.

With COVID-19 still a significant issue, Big Brothers Big Sisters moved to connecting matches online, through pen pals, and virtual meetups. Although Dowding says nothing will beat face-to-face contact, they are adjusting the best they can in a less-than-ideal situation.

The newly implemented program is known as the Big Pen Pal Project. It initially started with older mentors aged 55 and older. Seniors are now connecting with littles through written letters, many of whom are in grades 4, 5, and 6.

“The most isolated groups throughout the whole pandemic have been seniors, and to be able to see the joy they feel every time our staff goes and picks up their letters and delivers them to the school, it's just amazing the impact it's having,” says Dowding.

Although they are facing many obstacles with COVID-19, they are still encouraging a variety of activities to make the best out of an unfavourable situation.

“We did an activity called the big bake-off. So the little would select the recipe that they would send to the big, and the big had to prepare it under the direction of their little, all virtually,” says Dowding.

Dowding did notice that those who were matched pre-COVID fared better than the newer matches virtually. However, the effect is still prominent for both parties.

“All it takes is one caring adult in a child's life to affect change,” said Dowding.