History Irvin F. Westheimer on July 4th, 1903 saw a boy looking through a garbage can and became his big brother. He encouraged his friends to do the same. It was originally called Big Brothers of BC then it became Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver in 1972. Overview Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver is a registered charity and community- based organization that has been running in the Lower Mainland since 1957. they have mentoring programs for boys and girls and also provide volunteer opportunities. Before they matched little boys who had little or no contact with their father with adult males. Now they have many different types of programs to suit the diversity of the communities. Big Brothers embodies the principles of diversity and welcomes participants regardless of race, religion, culture or sexual orientation. Mission and Vision We enhance childrens social and emotional development by delivering and advocating for the highest quality, prevention-based mentoring programs. To put a mentor in the life of every child who needs one. Services provided In school mentoring program- matches a volunteer with a child in a nearby elementary school. They meet up one hour each week during school hours on school grounds engaging in activities or just hanging out together. Go girls- helps girls learn how to maintain a healthy active lifestyle, enhances competence, confidence and self esteem. And it also builds leadership and life skills. Game on- mentor approach to provide boys with information and support to make inform choices about healthy lifestyle practice. It is a 8 week program designed to provide mentors an opportunity to openly discuss current and pressing issues facing boys and young men through the lens of healthy living.
Values Safety -The safety of the community we serve is the ultimate foundation of our agency. Service -We are flexible and responsive in serving the changing needs of our communities. Integrity -We are committed to maintaining the highest possible standards in our work with the families, volunteers and partners. Inclusivity- We respect our environment of diversity and deliver programs accordingly. Compassion- Our work is rooted in caring and understanding. Passion - We are enthusiastic about and dedicated to our work Funds A lot of their money has came from fundraisers, businesses, service clubs and Federal and local government also funds Big Brothers Big Sisters. If they got the grant they would spend it on supplies, games, crafts, stuff to supply activities for the mentors and the kids. They could also get a bigger program space and hire more staff. Little Brother Peyton and Big Brother Chris Tabitha, Peyton's mother, was hoping to find her son a positive roll model so she enrolled him into Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Chris the Big Brother spends all the time he can with Peyton. One of their most recent adventures was to the Vancouver Train Tracks. Tabitha has witnessed the growth in their friendship between Peyton and Chris and their ability to learn from each other. She said that Chris has made such a positive influence of Peyton. Benefits of mentoring 64% developed more positive attitudes toward school 64% developed higher levels of self-confidence 62% were more likely to trust their teachers 60% improved relationships with adults 58% achieved higher grades in social sciences, languages and math 56% improved relationships with peers 55% were better able to express their feelings Plans for future They are hoping to start new mentoring programs: Tutoring program- would be in partnership with Quest. Quest students would help tutor elementary kids. Sports program- would be in partnership with various sports organizations around town. Would be for kids who cant afford to play organized sports. This is dependant on extra funding. Community help Currently, over 33,000 children are matched with volunteers in our mentoring programs in all of Canada. Amount of kids they have helped They had about 150 kids being mentored this year and next year they would like to try and help at least 35 more