Big Brothers Big Sisters of Victoria — Funding Application (Langford)

Brief Description of our organization

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Victoria Capital Region (BBBSV) is fully aligned with the vision and mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada. Vision: All young people realize their full potential. Mission: Enable life–changing relationships to ignite the power and potential of young people. BBBSV has over 46 years of experience providing mentoring programs to communities on Southern Vancouver Island. Our services extend over 13 municipalities, nine First Nation Reserves, and Salt Spring Island. In 2018, we also began serving the Comox Valley. We have successfully provided mentors for children and youth through six different school-based or community-based mentoring programs that respond to the identified social issues impacting each community.

Through no fault of their own, many children and youth face adversities and challenges which threaten their confidence and limit their opportunities. The children and youth we serve come from diverse backgrounds such as living in poverty, single-parent families, intergenerational families, Indigenous populations, and new Canadians. Many of the children and youth are in families that have faced trauma and loss. They are often dealing with detrimental living conditions, financial stress, learning differences, identity challenges, exposure to violence, and increased risk factors for mental health challenges and addictions. Families who connect with BBBSV look to us for additional support to help their children mitigate these challenges. The pandemic also created residual stress for many of our families who are still dealing with increases in their children’s anxiety levels, social isolation, learning loss, and resistance to attending school, in addition to the financial and health-related consequences of COVID-19.

Our Theory of Change

We believe that children and youth facing adversity, those in need of additional supportive and consistent relationships, who are open to mentoring and can be safely matched, will benefit from being matched with a mentor who provides them with a developmental relationship which ignites their full power and potential and helps them grow up to be healthy, caring and responsible adults. Sadly, one in five young people have no developmental relationships. Developmental relationships are proven to reduce the impact of adversities and enable young people to discover who they are, cultivate abilities to shape their own lives and learn how to engage with and contribute to their community and the world around them.

More and more families, schools and community organizations are looking to BBBSV for support for higher-needs children and youth. Sometimes the families cannot access other services or receive enough support elsewhere – especially for children and youth who are neuro-diverse or struggling with anxiety - and a larger number of children under the age of 12 who need mental health support are being referred to BBBSV by health care or educational professionals.

The team at BBBSV is passionate about making a difference and applying their diverse experiences and skills to support our community’s most vulnerable young people. We strive to share our values of welcoming, learning and sharing with our children and youth, families, co-op/practicum students, and volunteer mentors. BBBSV is committed to sustaining an environment where representation matters, diversity is celebrated and people of every race, religion, culture, gender and sexual orientation are welcomed. At BBBSV, we acknowledge and honour the diversity of people, cultures, traditions and experiences, and we recognize and uphold the right of all individuals to respect, dignity, fairness, caring, equality, self-esteem and inclusion.

Program Descriptions

At BBBSV, we believe in the power of collectively working towards common goals that benefit our community and the lives of young people. Potential lives within every young person. When we match a young person with a trusted mentor, we start something incredible - a life-changing relationship with the needs of the child. BBBSV continues to provide mentoring services throughout the City of Langford and is working towards growing our presence in the community. We provide 5 different mentoring programs, within our organization three of which are currently running in the City of Langford. We are requesting your support for the following programs: Community Mentoring; B You: Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds; and In-School Mentoring. Our community programs operate annually and our school-based/virtual programs operate during the school year (September to June).

Community Mentoring Program

The Community Mentoring Program has an over 40-year history of supporting children and youth who have been referred to BBBSV because they need additional support through a caring relationship with a trusted adult. The children live in families who fall along a spectrum of needs from those who have lost a parent through death and/or divorce to those in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development or those being raised by grandparents or other extended family. The families and children/youth are seeking a mentor who will provide a supportive development relationship which:

• Expresses care: showing the young person that they matter
• Challenges growth: encouraging the child to keep getting better
• Provides support: by helping the child complete tasks to achieve goals
• Shares power: by treating the young person with respect and giving them a say
• Expands possibilities: by connecting the child with ideas that broaden their world

The families participating in the program are diverse. On average the children and youth range from 7-19 and the average age of the child needing a mentor is 9 years old. The majority of children/youth struggle to cope with three or more adversities which put them at risk:

• 82% experienced loss through parental separation, divorce or a change in the health of a parent
• 72% have struggled with a mental health disorder
• 46% reported experiencing emotional coping challenges
• 44% reporting experiencing low self-esteem
• 43% have seen or heard violence or abuse
• 42% have experienced bullying or bullied others
• 38% have experienced literacy or learning challenges

Community Mentoring can affect the lives of children, youth and families in every community. Through education, extra support and increased opportunities, they can together address challenges. Children and youth are supported through the mentoring relationship and are involved in their community encouraged in school and at home, and have dedicated time every week with a positive adult role model who promotes a healthy lifestyle, healthy boundaries and pro-social behaviours.

There is no fee for service. There is a waitlist for the program - we currently have 30 children/youth on our waitlist in the Community of Langford and the demand for our services is growing. Typically, girls will wait three months for a mentor while boys will wait 11 months. Each match (child/family and mentor) is assigned to a highly-trained caseworker who supports relationship development, safety, training and family support and referral.

B You: Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

B You Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds was established in 2010 and through program evaluation and stakeholder feedback we have determined that B You Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds is an asset in middle schools where it serves girls identified as struggling socially and emotionally. In partnership with area middle schools, female-identifying youth aged 9-15 who face adversities are matched in a group with three trained mentors. The mentees benefit from learning new skills and tools to: help them build self-esteem; develop healthy boundaries; improve their communication skills; feel physically, mentally, and emotionally safe; find a voice to advocate for themselves; and feel connected to the community. The group (mentors and youth) participate in activities which support confidence, self-esteem, and resiliency. The sessions introduce creative and critical thinking skills and provide tools, skills, resources, and opportunities for the girls to explore and enhance their potential.

Referral reasons reported:

• 71% were struggling with mental health challenges
• 56% experience learning challenges
• 50% experience low self-esteem
• 39% reported experiencing peer difficulties
• 45% were feeling extremely socially isolated
• 27% bullying and cyber-bullying

Discussion topics within the group included: Self-Care - 61%, Friendship - 68%, Journaling - 43%, Relationships – 43%, Mental Health - 41%, and Bullying – 29%. Other topics include: school, anxiety, balanced eating, emotions & gender/stereotypes.

B You has been effective in improving three pillars of development: physical health, self-efficacy and social development. The program is held in: Spencer Middle School and Savory Elementary School.

In-School Mentoring Program (ISM)

The In-School Mentoring Program (ISM) was established by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada to meet the needs of children identified by their school as being most at-risk but who were in families with a parent/guardian who might not have the capacity or ability to manage the safety requirements for their child to be enrolled in our community-based mentoring programs. These are children who don’t have a strong family support system. They are often students who struggle socially and academically and, without a positive role model to guide them, will move through each grade feeling more and more isolated and left behind.

ISM is offered at partner schools in School District 62. It has successfully added to the preventative services available to families who need low-barrier access, sometimes in rural or remote communities, providing early intervention and supporting the healthy development of children. The program ensures every participating child has training in personal safety and has a mentor who builds a developmental relationship with them.

Partner schools sign a Memorandum of Understanding with BBBSV:

• Each school assigns a liaison who is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate children are referred to the program by teachers and counsellors from grades 1-5, ages 6 to 11.
• Parents/Guardians must provide signed permission for their child to participate.
• Depending on the school and needs of the children and youth at each school determines how many children benefit from the program.
• The program runs the school year from June 2024 to July 2025.

BBBSV Mentoring Coordinators have a multi-disciplinary team with years of experience in education and learning. BBBSV mentors are trained volunteers with a wide range of backgrounds and experience. The youngest mentors are teens (aged 14 to 18 from partnering High Schools close to the Elementary School) and the oldest mentors are typically seniors in their 70’s or 80’s. Once matched with a child, the mentors are monitored by a BBBSV Mentoring Coordinator for the duration of the mentoring relationship.

Each volunteer mentor meets with their mentee weekly for the duration of a school year. While match activities are varied and centre around the interests of the child, the pair never leave the school grounds. The ISM program provides elementary school students with access to role models who can support both their academic and social success.

Key goals, Objectives and Expected Outcomes: BBBSV has experienced an increasing demand for the ISM program, both from parents/guardians and from Principals and Counsellors who have requested the in-school mentoring program be delivered at their school. The objective over the next 3 years is to meet our strategic goal, to serve more children and youth through additional schools, growth by 2 elementary schools and 1 high school.

Benefits to the City of Langford

In 2023, 55 children or youth and 23 teen or adult mentors who self-identified as Langford residents participated in BBBSV’s programs. This work was supported by a grant from the City of Langford. Changing the course of young lives changes the future of communities. By every measure, BBBSV returns positive results in the mental health, employment and civic engagement of the recipients of our mentoring programs. When we have happy, healthy young people in our communities, everyone benefits.

The BBBS Victoria programs enrich the lives of families, children, youth and volunteers in the Langford community. Mentors and their mentees access community events, activities, and networks within the community, which broadens their horizons and in turn supports local businesses. Both local individuals and businesses donate to our programs, as they believe in the power of mentoring.

Families in the community (parents/guardians/children), as well as mentors, enjoy the benefits of ongoing support from a trained social worker, helping them to better face the challenges they encounter in their lives. In addition, BBBSV delivers numerous training opportunities which enhance participants’ knowledge, skills and coping mechanisms. Mentors receive diversity and developmental relationships training; young people receive life skills and employment readiness training; as well as children, parents/guardians, and volunteers receive child safety training. All of these factors strengthen the participants’ connection to their community and ultimately their ability to contribute in a positive way to that community.

Description of Request & Expected Outcomes

The need for developmental relationships in children and youth’s lives has increased dramatically over the past few years. Currently, we have just over 160 children on the waitlist, 15% at this time last year. The families on the waitlist have been thoroughly screened by us and the children provided with child safety training.

We are committed to sustaining and growing our Mentoring Programs in Langford, we are kindly requesting $5,000. Our strategic goal in 2024, with the support of the City of Langford, is to increase our year-over-year matches, reduce our waitlist and better serve families. We want to close the gap between children matched and children waiting. Program growth requires funding to support volunteer recruitment, training, retention and ongoing match monitoring.

The grant funds will be applied to wages for our professional team of employees who are responsible for screening and preparing families, providing child safety training, recruiting, screening and training volunteers, and providing ongoing monitoring support for the matches. We strive to ensure that all parties are set up for success in their new relationship and have the necessary support throughout the match for continued success and positive outcomes.

Since July 1, 2023 (the start of our fiscal year), 50 of Langford’s children and youth have been actively matched with a mentor and 15 Langford residents are volunteering as mentors. However, another group of young Langford residents is still on our waitlist for a community-based mentor. Our goal is to serve 60 or more children and youth from Langford in 2024. The B You program will run 3 sessions at Spencer Middle School, and 2 sessions at Savory Elementary School. In-school Mentoring program services 1 Elementary school in the Langford community during the school year from September to June.

Expected Outcomes include:

• increased positive relationships and social networks;
• new relationships of trust and strengthened family connections;
• opportunities for children/youth to connect and form positive relationships;
• supports for youth in transition from systems (e.g. child welfare, justice);
• increased skills and knowledge to support healthy development and social networks;
• engaged family members in educational activities;
• the acquisition of life skills and improved social functioning;
• increased participation in recreation/social/community programs;
• the development of community leadership and inclusion;
• increased participation through improved self-esteem, confidence and engagement;

Our programs are measured annually through pre and post-surveys with children/youth, mentors and families. Our Theory of Change identifies short and long-term goals and we measure our impact. Working with BBBS Canada on research projects helps us to better understand the impacts of our programs, and supports program development, training and volunteer recruitment.

Your funding directly contributes to citizens' health, well-being and happiness within your community. You can enable us to provide local young people the life-changing support they need to navigate the challenges they face and the power to realize their full potential.

Sincerely,
Emma Kirkland, Director of Development

2024 - LANGFORD GRANT PROGRAM

Community/In-School Mentoring & B You Programs — Total Budget