One hour a week ---"new" BIG program

[Aquila calva]

Posted on Mon, Jan. 22, 2007

 

 

This article is about Big Brothers Big Sisters. When I read the phrase one hour a week and when this article made a reference to volunteers time, I thought the scouter forum may like to read this. The times they are a changing, indeed.

 

 

Schools + mentors = a perfect match

 

Homeroom Big Brothers Big Sisters / Young program's popularity growing rapidly

BY MARY BAUER

Pioneer Press

 

It's noon, and the two students are on the floor, hunched over a piece of art paper in the school gym at Kenneth Hall Elementary in Spring Lake Park.

At first glance, they're an unusual pair Kristen Senftner, 18, is a lanky 6 foot 1 inches. Myah Ashley-Staple, 7, is not yet 4 feet tall.

Yet the two are a matched set. They offer a snapshot both figurative and literal of a relatively new Big Brothers Big Sisters program that brings volunteers into schools.

"It's really rewarding," said Senftner, a senior at Spring Lake Park High School next door. "The kids are always in a good mood and happy to see you. That's different from being in high school, where a lot of people don't want to be there."

The two have met once a week since 2005 at the school, where Myah is a second-grader, as part of the school district's contract with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities.

The district is one of several in the metro area signing onto a school-based program launched in 2002 that has proven so popular it shows signs of overtaking the traditional big and little matches that focus on movies and outings.

"When we first started, we were begging schools to take us," said Patti Hague, vice president of programs for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities. "Now schools call us asking for services."

The newer program initially was designed to woo today's volunteers who are crunched for time, said Jessica Hultgren, director of the site-based programs for the charity.

"This is more marketable to volunteers," Hultgren said. "It's one hour a week at that school. And school-based mentoring allows us to serve a lot of children we couldn't otherwise serve."

Volunteers have answered in waves. The compact time slots allow companies like Ecolab and Best Buy to send employees in groups, she said. High school students find the program a good fit for community service requirements, the case for Myah's "big."

"I wanted to do some sort of volunteer work," said Senftner, who plays basketball and is on the student council. "Because Myah's school is connected to the high school, it was really convenient and easy to fit into my schedule."

The program had 250 matches its first year, Hague said. In 2006, the group matched 1,127 children in 40 schools with mentors, of which 571 pairs were active at the end of 2006, she said.

The community-based program had 2,295 matches in 2006, but Hague said she expects the school-based program to take the lead this year as more schools sign up.

Statistics sell the idea to many districts. The Anoka-Hennepin School District partnered with the Twin Cities group this month after boning up on mentoring research, said Jennifer Bailey, assistant director of prevention programs for the district.

She cited an independent study in the early 1990s showing children in the program had markedly lower rates of truancy and illegal drug use.

"As a district, we're trying to close the achievement gap," she said. "This is one of the programs shown effective at doing so."

Costs vary, but the Anoka-Hennepin district expects to pay the Twin Cities BBBS about $500 per match or about $100,000 this year, said Eric Moore, director of student services.

The program is one of several the district offers as a safety net to at-risk students, he said, and is funded through grants and crime-prevention funding.

Much of the costs go to building recruitment in an area from scratch, he said. The cost should drop by half or more after three years, he said.

The charity runs the program top to bottom, including recruitment, criminal background checks, training and troubleshooting, Moore said. They also collect data so that after three years, the district can measure the impact and decide whether to continue, he said.

Tutoring is not stressed, although the sessions can include that. Myah and Kristen shoot hoops, draw or hang out in the computer lab at Kenneth Hall. Other matches do craft work, reading or playing board games. The idea is to lead by example.

"It's always good when you are little to see a teen-age girl who is a positive role model," said Brenda Alexander, whose daughter, Emma, was mentored by a high school student now in college. "Girls are so bombarded with negative images of what girls are supposed to be and do."

The two keep in touch by e-mail, Alexander said, which increases the payoff by planting the seeds of college for Emma, now 8.

Children in the program are referred by teachers, school counselors or other school staff who believe a child needs extra support, Hultgren said. The organization eschews labels, she said, but examples include academic struggles, social isolation or language barriers.

"When we originally got matched, Myah was pretty shy," Senftner said. "She's opened up a lot more and is a lot more comfortable."

Myah gives Senftner a glowing report.

"She's like really fun and smart," she said, her 10 braids bobbing as she spoke. "I like that she can play basketball. One day she said I can see her play."

Mary Bauer can be reached at mbauer@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5311.

To Help

To find out more about school-based mentoring or to become a volunteer, contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities at thinkbig@bigstwincities.org or 651-789-2400 or visit www.bigstwincities.org.

 

 

2007 St. Paul Pioneer Press and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.

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