Big Brothers Big Sisters Of South Alabama Inc

Programs: Big brothers big sisters of south alabama is the local leader in quality youth mentoring services. We hold ourselves accountable for and are able to measure specific youth outcomes that indicate that when matched with a big, our littles achieve success in school, are better able to avoid risky behaviors such as getting into fights and trying drugs and alcohol, and improve their self-confidence and academic performance. Our program serves children ages 6 to 12 in mobile, baldwin, washington, clarke, escambia and monroe counties. Once a match is created between a big and a little, our organization provides ongoing professional support for the duration of their match or until the little turns 18 or graduates from high school. During the year, children (continued on schedule o) matched with a mentor for one year in our community-based program resulted in the following outcomes: - 100% of our children showed an increase in their self confidence - 98% displayed an improved attitude toward school - 100% showed an ability to avoid delinquent behaviors - 97% of our children improved academically our matches served during our school-based program for the 2014-2015 school year resulted in the following outcomes: - 98% of littles are more confident that they will finish school. - 95% of littles had improved relationships with peers and adults. - 96% of littles avoided risky behaviors. - 97% of littles improved academically. - 82% improved by one letter grade or more. Our "littles" have many challenges to overcome, including poverty, negative influences from peers, and poor academic performance. Big brothers big sisters of south alabama helps the children we serve overcome these obstacles by providing a thoroughly screened and trained, caring adult to serve as a "big" brother or "big" sister, who serves as a mentor, guide and friend so that the child can have someone that they can share new experiences with, confide in, and receive additional support and guidance from. Our services are offered at no cost to our community's most vulnerable families. Those that invest in our mission enable us to conduct background checks on volunteers to ensure child safety, and provide ongoing professional support for children, families and volunteers to build and sustain long-lasting relationships; a key to successful mentoring.