Now in its 27th year of operation, Big Brothers Big Sisters continues to thrive with a growing demand for our services.
There are many people across the region already benefiting from having a Big Brother or Big Sister who provides consistency, friendship, a new outlook on life, and opportunities they may not otherwise get.
We have a handful of staff at Tasman District Council who share their spare time with a little brother or sister!
Big Brothers Big Sisters recruits, selects, trains, and supports volunteer mentors to match with young people, who through no fault of their own need a positive role model due to their personal circumstances.
The organisation was successful in receiving $3,800 from our Community Grants which will be used to contribute to salaries for Mentoring Coordinators who support volunteer mentors and interact with the young people – assessing their suitability – and their caregivers and whānau.
Big Brothers Big Sisters has a community-based programme and a school-based programme, and by the end of February will have 175 matches across the region.
The average match length is close to three years, but many matches have been meeting for a lot longer than this and go on to have lifelong friendships!