Yes, you!  It’s really simple.  All you need to do is spend time and have fun with a great kid doing things that you already do (or want to do) like:  watch sports, enjoy free tickets to cultural and sporting events, wash your car, go hiking, or watch TV. Whatever.  You decide!    By simply changing their perspective of what the world can offer, you can literally start changing their lives

You bet! Behind the scenes, you’ll have a team of experts—the Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters Match Advisor Team—cheering you on and giving you help.

Our Big Brothers come from diverse backgrounds just like our Littles. They are regular people, just like you. You don’t need any special degrees or job skills. You just have to want to positively impact the life of a young person. Role models come in all shapes and sizes, and you could be a perfect fit!

Generally when enrolled, our Little Brothers are between 6 and 16 years of age. The one thing they all have in common is that they want a Big Brother  to call their very own.  They represent all walks of life and come from the 20 communities and 65 schools that we serve.

We get to know you first, so we can find the best Little Brother for you.  Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters matches you with a kid based on common interests, personality and geography.

All volunteers and employees are subject to background checks including an interview, obtaining references from people who know them well, driver’s license checks  and conducting criminal offender (CORI) and sexual offender (SORI) records checks.

As a Big Brother/Little Brother team, you decide together what you want to do and then your Little gets parent approval. We recommend that you keep a consistent schedule of outings and get together on a regular basis.  Until your relationship is established the outings will also depend on the comfort level of your Little’s parents, your Little and you.

Usually, we like to make matches where the Big and Little are within at most 7-10 miles. Beyond this, travel takes up too much time and this can undermine the longevity and quality of a match.

The quality of time invested with your Little is more important than the amount of money you spend. That’s why we don’t encourage spending a lot of money on your outings. The goal of the relationship is to help him see the world through a different lens so you can inspire him to become something he never thought possible. If you are going to spend money, we encourage you to seek out low-cost activities, especially in the beginning. Shoot hoops at a local park, play a game together, or share that pizza that you were going to have for lunch anyway. Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters offers donor-supported group activities that are a great way to meet other Bigs and Littles. As a Big Brother, you may also receive notices for free tickets to cultural and sports activities for you both to enjoy.

Share an activity that gives you something in common to talk about. Buy a comic book to read together. Play a board game. Hit a bucket of golf balls at the local driving range. Take a ride in the car with the radio on and talk about the music you like. You want to select activities that give each of you a chance to learn more about one another.   Most important: keep it simple and enjoy yourselves!

In the beginning it’s important for you and your Little Brother to get to know each other. This can happen best on a one-to-one basis. However, over time it’s also valuable for your Little to get to know the people who are important to you.  The main focus is the friendship you develop with your Little and the impact you have on his life.

Once you are matched with your Little Brother, a Match Advisor will be in regular contact with you to provide assistance and give feedback. Any time you are unsure about what to do or how to handle a situation, you will have a Match Advisor there to help. They’ll help you with ideas for activities, guidance for handling possible difficult situations, and feedback on how you are making a difference.

No, Littles have a parent or guardian in their life already. What they need is a Big Brother to spend quality, one-on-one time with them. Someone to have fun with, someone they can confide in, someone like you!