Unlock Their Potential

All children have potential, but not everyone recognizes it. At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami, we do. We are committed to unlocking your child’s potential and defending it.

For more than 60 years, we have been matching youth (Littles) in our community with committed adult mentors (Bigs). We support these mentoring relationships, helping to transform the lives of thousands of children and teens (and adults!) for the better. Littles who are matched with Bigs come from a variety of backgrounds, including single-parent households, immigrant families, and more.

To demonstrate that mentoring works, a study was done for Big Brothers Big Sisters showing that kids matched with a mentor:

  • Are more confident and feel better about themselves
  • Are more likely to steer clear of drugs and alcohol
  • Do better in school
  • Get along better with their family and friends

Process to Enroll Your Child

Step 1: Application

Complete the online application here. Once you submit your application, an Intake Specialist will call you to schedule a one-hour in-person interview for you and your child.

Step 2: Orientation, Interview, & Match

When you arrive, you will attend an orientation to provide you with an overview of the child safety measures we take and healthy Big-Little relationships. After the orientation, a Program Specialist, who will provide support throughout your experiences with the organization will conduct an interview to get to know you better; this allows BBBSM to make a match that takes into account your child’s interests, background, and personality.

Once your designated Program Specialist makes a final recommendation for acceptance, your child becomes a Little, ready to be matched. Your Program Specialist will use information you and your child provide to recommend a Big. You will receive the recommended Big’s profile to make a final decision to accept the match.

Step 3: Match Introduction

For one-to-one mentoring, your Program Specialist will schedule a time for you and your child to meet your child’s Big. This is your chance to start getting to know each other in a supported environment. If you’ve enrolled in community-based mentoring, you will also schedule your child’s first outing with his or her Big.

Step 4:
Ongoing Support

Once you meet your child’s Big, you will be free to move forward with the mentoring relationship. For community-based mentoring, this means making plans with your child’s Big to meet in the community. For site-based mentoring or School to Work, your child’s Big will either go to your child’s school or your child will go to his or her Big’s place of work, respectively, on a regular basis.

Your Program Specialist will provide ongoing support to make sure the relationship continues in a positive manner; these contacts are made mostly by phone or in person. When talking to your Program Specialist, feel free to share your child’s successes! It is also important to voice any concerns you may have to allow your Program Specialist to make recommendations or take action to fix any issues; this allows for a lasting, fun, and impactful relationship between you, your child, and your child’s Big.