P.E.A.C.E. Inc. Big Brothers Big Sisters Program

The local Big Brothers Big Sisters program was established in 1980, when it matched 7 children from our community with adult volunteers as mentors, through what is now known as the Traditional Mentoring Match or Community-Based program. During that first year volunteers enrolled in the program, mentored the children primarily involved in other P.E A.C.E. programs. Today, still under the auspices of P.E.A.C.E. Inc. there are 108 children matched with an adult volunteer through this program in Syracuse and Onondaga County.

With assistance from different departments throughout P.E.A.C.E. Inc. and overview presentations in the community, the BBBS staff has been able to recruit adult volunteers to match them with children from the waiting/applicant list. Currently there are 116 children on the waiting list, 34 girls and 82 boys.

In 1999, Big Brothers Big Sisters started the School-Based Mentoring Program, in order to provide mentoring services to more children in the community. In 1999 we started by matching 12 children from Seymour Elementary with 22 high school students from Bishop Ludden High School.

As of today, the School-Based Mentoring Program has now been expanded to 8 different elementary schools in Onondaga County and 3 in Oswego County. The School-Based Mentoring Program partnerships include:

• Porter Magnet & Bishop Ludden High School (Mondays)
• Lemoyne Elementary & Nottingham High School (Tuesdays)
• Seymour Magnet & Bishop Ludden High School (Tuesdays)
• Delaware Academy & Fowler High School (Wednesdays)
• Bellevue Elementary & Bishop Ludden High School (Wednesdays)
• Roberts K-8 & Corcoran High School (Thursdays)
• Levy K-8 & LeMoyne College (Thursdays)
• Dr. King Magnet & Syracuse University (Fridays)

Paul V. Moore High School students in Central Square are mentoring at the following elementary schools:

• Central Square Intermediate
• A.A. Cole Elementary
• Cleveland Elementary

The School-Based Mentoring program has grown over the last five years. Last year we had a total of 532 participants, between the “Littles” and their mentors.

This type of program, School-Based Mentoring, is a highly effective method to further the mission of youth development and education in America. The Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) School-Based Mentoring Study, funded by a grant from the UPS Foundation, in their 1999 study, reported that school mentors have a positive, measurable effect on children.

According to the teachers who referred “Littles” to the BBBS School-Mentors Study: 

• 64% developed a more positive attitude towards school;
• 58% achieved higher grades in social studies, languages and math;
• 60% improved relationships with adults;
• 56% improved relationship with peers;
• 55% were better able to express their feelings;
• 64% developed higher levels of self-confidence; and,
• 62% were more likely to trust their teachers.

In addition, 77% of the teachers, parents and volunteers involved in the study, reported increases in the students’ self-confidence.

This type of mentoring provided through the School-Based Program has proven to be a very effective tool for teachers to gauge the pupil’s academic and social skills improvements. More and more children are asking their teachers and counselors to consider them for this program which gives the teachers “a way to provide yet another incentive to the student”.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters program relies heavily on the in-kind services from A & E Transport to provide transportation needed for the School-Based Mentoring program.