Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo has provided mentorship for more than 15,000 local youth since 1995 and is celebrating its decades of service during National Mentoring Month.
On Jan. 16, Big Brothers Big Sisters of SLO (SLObigs) is hosting a celebration at There Does Not Exist Brewery to honor the mentors, volunteers, and staff who have helped throughout its 30 years of operation—and hopefully inspire prospective mentors, as the organization plans to expand this year, according to Development Director Jane Connely.
Being a community mentor with SLObigs is a six-hour per month commitment for one year, Connely explained, where one mentor, or “Big,” gets matched to one child, or “Little,” and they spend time together going on outings that both will enjoy.
“It’s like the easiest way to be a part of the community ever. You’re literally going to movies and hiking and whatever you’d like,” Connely said.
And those six hours per month could help a kid develop life skills and an overall sense of security, Connely said.
“Having a friend teaches you how to have a friend, and that’s what a mentor is,” she said. “A mentor shows consistency. A mentor occasionally gives advice, but often listens. And I think that kids need to be listened to, and when they’re listened to, they learn how to listen to others.”
However, right now, Connely said the organization has more Littles than Bigs and is asking for volunteers ranging in age from recent high school graduates to retirees.
“We’re looking for all ages from 18 to 118,” Connely said with a laugh. “There’s a need for everybody,”
According to Connely, SLObigs works to provide safe and secure relationships for any child from Nipomo to Cambria and operates under three mentorship programs within the community, high schools, and juvenile halls.
“What’s really cool is that we spend a lot of time matching our Bigs and our Littles,” Connely said. “We really look to what our littles are interested in, and also their background in terms of ethnicity, if they’re having any like behavioral issues, and really talking through with our mentors what that looks like, and we give them resources and regularly check up with them to make sure that they’re successful.”
The juvenile hall mentorship program is highly successful as well, Connely said, so much so that it’s at capacity for mentors.
“But that’s where you’re actually going to juvenile hall and meeting with kids who have already been in the system. We also have good results with that, and the relationships forged there often stay lifelong,” she said.
Connely said that she’s seen good results from mentorship program.
“Kids who you know weren’t going to school are going to school; kids who didn’t have any friends are making friends; kids who were constantly seeing the school counselor aren’t relying on that as much,” she said.
SLObigs mentors can even help to identify food insecurity and find resources for families to receive the support they need through other local nonprofits.
“I think it just takes one person to change a life, and the gift is just time. Parents are stressed and don’t have a lot of time, and a lot of our kids either don’t have both parents at home, or both parents are working a ton,” she said. “This is a way for our kids to feel safe and secure,” she said.
Connely acknowledged that there may be fear associated with becoming a mentor; however, SLObigs encourages its mentors to show up as they are.
“We just want you to be yourself. Like, that’s it. Just be yourself. You don’t have to give advice. You just have to be there,” she said. “Because being in a community doesn’t mean that you have friends that are all your age. It means that you have friends of all different ages, with all different backgrounds, that can really help you live to your full potential.”
For more information about becoming a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of SLO visit: slobigs.org.
Fast fact
• Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants for its first-ever advisory council. The council will provide the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries with recommendations on the management of the sanctuary and maintain a strong connection between communities, stakeholders, and the sanctuary. For more information on the 13 openings, visit: sanctuaries.noaa.gov/chumash-heritage/advisory. Δ
Reach Staff Writer Libbey Hanson at lhanson@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jan 16-26, 2025.