Many investments are oriented to economic results, but Big Brothers Big Sisters in Albuquerque is all about preparing local youth for successful lives. The non-profit organization is funded by private donations and state and federal programs. Jessica Sosa, a native New Mexican, is the Advancement Manager for the group. Her job is recruitment and marketing in the community. She told us, “The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Our vision is that all youth achieve their full potential.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters has existed for over 100 years and has a measurable impact on children’s lives. Children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program are more likely to move to the next grade level, graduate, and have post-high school plans such as college or trade school.
The children’s families never have to pay for the mentoring services. Jessica says, “We work with everyone from the foster care system to the child’s household. Many of these kids are raised by their grandparents or aunts and uncles. We ask the guardians what kind of mentoring they are looking for with the child, and they must approve the mentor.”
The organization has a Match Support Specialist assigned to each match that regularly communicates with the mentor, the guardian(s), and the child to make sure things are going smoothly. All mentors go through a thorough background check and fingerprinting. The organization currently offers services to about 1,500 children in Albuquerque and about 3,000 children throughout New Mexico.
Jessica says, “We go through a process of trying to match the child with a mentor with similar interests. If the child is interested in science, we try to find a mentor with a related background. We find this to be beneficial to both the mentor and the child. Our best-known program, Community-Based Mentoring, has the mentor working with the child for 4-6 hours a month. They can also communicate virtually.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters organizes year-round events for the children and mentors. Jessica told us, “We’re always looking for new and fun things to do…hikes, museums, sporting events. Many of these kids have never even been in the mountains here in New Mexico. Our goal is to offer them experiences to grow.”
Jessica shared a story with us of a mentor, Vanessa, and a child, Orias, participating in the Community-Based Mentoring program. Jessica stated, “Vanessa and Orias share exciting experiences and learn from one another. Vanessa describes Orias as a creative 16-year-old who opened up to her right away. Orias taught Vanessa some cords on his ukulele and read her the first three chapters of his novel that he recently began writing. He is incredibly talented. The importance of mentorship is clear to Vanessa. She finds mentoring extremely rewarding and realizes that youth in the program can greatly benefit from having an additional adult role model in their lives. Vanessa also knows that many youth have experienced trauma and challenges that can lead to bullying, and having a mentor that they can count on increases their confidence as they learn to navigate their worlds and develop.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central NM, 2501 Yale Blvd SE, Suite 302, ABQ NM 87106. Their phone number is 505.837.9223, and their website is www.bbbs-cnm.org.
