PARENT/GUARDIAN ORIENTATION
What do we do at Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters?
Our mission is to create and professionally support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the promise in us all
What is a Big Brother or Big Sister?
A Big Brother or Big Sister is a mentor and friend. Our Bigs are ordinary people who are extraordinary. They can have different experiences and backgrounds. All Bigs are volunteers who share their time with a Little to help fulfill our mission.
Our programs include:
Community-Based Mentoring: A Little meets up with their Big 2-4 times per month for at least one year. The parent, Little and Big communicate together to schedule activities. The purpose of the time together is for the Little and Big to build a healthy, mentoring relationship.
School-Based Mentoring: A Little meets up with their Big at school for an hour per week. Depending on the school and the young person's needs, they might enjoy lunch together, spend time working on homework or play a board game.
Families as Partners
When it comes to the future of our youth and the well-being of our communities, we're all in this together. So it should come as no surprise that we need the parents and guardians of Littles to be involved every step of the way, starting with the initial match. Not only will you provide information about your young person's strengths and needs, but you will also approve the selection of the Big Brother or Big Sister. Once the match is made, you remain closely involved in many ways, including:
- Approving activities and outings between the Little and Big.
- Asking your youth questions about those outings, and sharing what you learn with the match advisor.
- Reporting your young person's progress and milestones to your match advisor on a regular basis. (The match advisors will contact you regularly, but welcome feedback at any time)
- Participating in training on youth safety offered by staff, and communicating with your youth about the training he or she receives.
Here at Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters, we are committed to youth safety.
We want to work together to keep your young person safe. To do so, we start by thoroughly screening potential Bigs and Littles. Each volunteer must complete a screening process that includes:
- A written application
- A criminal history record check
- An interview
- A home assessment
- References
- An orientation and training process that will help to encourage your youth’s healthy development
- A professional decision about whether they should volunteer with a young person
While our staff carefully screens each volunteer, we need every guardian’s help to make sure the relationship is healthy and safe. You can do this by:
- Staying aware of all activities and ensuring that they are approved and follow agency guidelines.
- Keeping in contact with your match advisor and answering all questions openly and honestly.
- Following the rules and policies outlined.
- Completing "Your Child’s Personal Safety" online training. (Our staff will assign this training to you during the enrollment process)
- Ensuring your youth completes their safety training and reviewing it with them to answer any questions they have.
In order to be accepted into the program, you and your young person must complete every step of the enrollment process.
Our enrollment process for families includes:
- Review and completion of all paperwork
- Online safety training for guardians
- Review of safety training booklet for Littles
- Guardian and Little interview
- A professional decision about whether the program is a good fit for your family
Please note that our staff reserves the right to deny a youth as they see fit and completion of the enrollment process does not guarantee acceptance. Additionally, once a young person is matched, staff reserves the right to close a match at any time.
If your young person is accepted:
We will place your youth on our waitlist while we search for a Big. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee a Big or predict wait time.