Big Brothers Big Sisters at Penn

The Fox Leadership Program launched a mentoring program in September 2003 in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania (BBBS SEPA). In the '06-07 academic year, we matched 200 Penn students with youth from the surrounding community and we will have close to 350 active matches by the conclusion of the '07-'08 academic year. We currently provide Big Brothers and Big Sisters for 8 schools -- Powell, Shaw, Lea, St. Ignatius, Our Mother of Sorrows, St. Francis de Sales, Wilson and KIPP Academy. In addition, we provide Bigs for the Caring People Alliance community center.

Fox Students, Paraguay, clothes donation

Why the Big Brothers Big Sisters brand of mentoring?

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, led by Penn grad Judy Vredenburgh (CW '70), is the nation's oldest, largest and most effective mentoring program with more than 250,000 matches at over 450 agencies. A 1995 research study led by Fox Executive Director Joe Tierney, then a senior researcher at Public/Private Ventures, showed that young people matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister were significantly less likely to start using drugs or alcohol, did significantly better in school and had better relationships with their parent or guardian. A partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern PA offers proven outcomes as well as support for the matches provided by a team of highly-trained case managers following carefully developed standards and procedures and years of experience (BBBS has been in Philadelphia for 90 years!).

School-based Mentoring

Thousands of children in Philadelphia need mentors. Despite having over 1,300 active matches, children in West Philadelphia can wait up to two years for a Big Brother or Big Sister. Penn will help BB BS SEPA meet this demand by offering two distinct types of mentoring programs. School-based mentoring involves Penn students meeting with their Little Brother or Little Sister at the child's school two times each month. These meetings are supplemented by monthly group activities involving all the mentors and mentees. The school-based mentoring program is not a tutoring program; the "Bigs" and "Littles" are encouraged to talk about any topic and/or engage in any activity that interests them.

Community-based Mentoring

The second type of program is community-based mentoring, which involves Penn students meeting on a weekly basis at a time and location agreed to by the Big, Little and parent or guardian.

For more information contact Laura Sharkey at lauraalicen@gmail.com.



FLINOLA Penn Leads the Vote Big Brothers Big Sisters at Penn FarmEcology Medical Emergency Response Team Food Stamp Enrollment Campaign PowerSpeak Archive Events Calendar		Big Brothers Big Sisters at Penn The Fox Leadership Program launched a mentoring program in September 2003 in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania (BBBS SEPA). In the '06-07 academic year, we matched 200 Penn students with youth from the surrounding community and we will have close to 350 active matches by the conclusion of the '07-'08 academic year. We currently provide Big Brothers and Big Sisters for 8 schools -- Powell, Shaw, Lea, St. Ignatius, Our Mother of Sorrows, St. Francis de Sales, Wilson and KIPP Academy. In addition, we provide Bigs for the Caring People Alliance community center. Why the Big Brothers Big Sisters brand of mentoring? Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, led by Penn grad Judy Vredenburgh (CW '70), is the nation's oldest, largest and most effective mentoring program with more than 250,000 matches at over 450 agencies. A 1995 research study led by Fox Executive Director Joe Tierney, then a senior researcher at Public/Private Ventures, showed that young people matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister were significantly less likely to start using drugs or alcohol, did significantly better in school and had better relationships with their parent or guardian. A partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern PA offers proven outcomes as well as support for the matches provided by a team of highly-trained case managers following carefully developed standards and procedures and years of experience (BBBS has been in Philadelphia for 90 years!). School-based Mentoring Thousands of children in Philadelphia need mentors. Despite having over 1,300 active matches, children in West Philadelphia can wait up to two years for a Big Brother or Big Sister. Penn will help BB BS SEPA meet this demand by offering two distinct types of mentoring programs. School-based mentoring involves Penn students meeting with their Little Brother or Little Sister at the child's school two times each month. These meetings are supplemented by monthly group activities involving all the mentors and mentees. The school-based mentoring program is not a tutoring program; the "Bigs" and "Littles" are encouraged to talk about any topic and/or engage in any activity that interests them. Community-based Mentoring The second type of program is community-based mentoring, which involves Penn students meeting on a weekly basis at a time and location agreed to by the Big, Little and parent or guardian. For more information contact Laura Sharkey at lauraalicen@gmail.com.