By Tony Crowder
It takes a village to raise a child is a widely touted proverb with alleged origins in Africa, one of the cradles of human civilization. In various African cultures, the saying roughly translates from one of many dialectical and linguistic variations to phrases like regardless of a child’s biological parents, its upbringing belongs to the community, or a child does not grow up only in a single home, and a child belongs not to one parent or home.
Though not explicit, this is the core philosophy underlying the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a nationwide non-profit organization serving over two million children through 235 agencies and 400,000 volunteers by creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Through a variety of free programs, Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) pairs a child, or a “Little”, with an adult or adolescent mentor, a “Big”, to create connections with transformative potential for individuals, families, and communities.
BBBS got its start during the early 20th century in New York City, commencing with 39 volunteers committed to mentoring young boys with a penchant for mischief. These pioneers were recruited by a court clerk who observed the basic notion that troubled boys from broken homes could benefit from a little guidance. In only eight years it spread like wildfire to 26 cities across the United States and held its first national conference in 1917, 13 years following its inauguration.
Subsequently, it would be the subject of a film released by Paramount Pictures in 1923, receive chartership by congress in 1958, and garner bipartisan support from several United States presidents, including Calvin Coolidge, F.D.R., Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama. Initially formed to serve young boys, the organization would eventually merge with Catholic Big Sisters in 1977, a similar movement with early 20th century origins erected by a faction of the New York City Catholic church called the Ladies of Charity, whose intention was to support young girls from the children’s court.
Today, they operate in all 50 states and 12 countries worldwide, including southwest Montana. Lydia Islas has been the Livingston program manager since 2022 and has three and half years of experience volunteering with the program as a Big Sister. Before joining the cause Lydia worked in community nutrition until she came across a posting for her current position. She’s now responsible for recruiting, enrolling, and matching Bigs and Littles, an intricate process part investigation, part intuition— standardized but with
a subjective twist.
Lydia conducts interviews with Bigs, Littles and parents alike to form matches based on personality, life experiences, preferences, and interests. Interviews are deeply personal for all parties involved, resembling a therapy intake, wherein a plethora of information is collected to inform matching decisions. She shared, “We try to be really thorough with our process because the goal is to have these matches last as many years as possible, and the better Bigs and Littles connect, the more likely that’s going to be the case.” Lydia then uses her insights to make decisions about pairing Bigs and Littles with life changing potential in hand.
Beginning in 1995, the national office has contracted with Public/Private Ventures, an independent national research organization, to conduct studies demonstrating the positive effects of community-based mentoring on youth who have a Big Brother or Sister. The original study included a group of children from eight geographically diverse agencies throughout the United States. An experimental group containing approximately 950 children were matched with a Big Brother or Sister with whom they met three times monthly for one year. Children who had been placed on a waiting list comprised the control group. Researchers surveyed children and parents from both groups at enrollment and again 18 months later.
Results revealed that those who participated were 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27% less likely to begin using alcohol, 52% less likely to skip school, 37% less likely to skip a class and 33% less likely to hit someone. The results from these studies have since been replicated and BBBS now releases an annual impact report available online. Additional research shows that mentorship has a positive impact on self-confidence, educational performance, and avoidance of risky behaviors. Results from all studies can be found on the Big Brothers Big Sisters website. What’s evident is that the program is tremendously effective for leveraging childhood and adolescent development.
Lydia has personally witnessed and experienced these success stories, and her devotion to the program is a testament to her belief in its potential. Unfortunately, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Big Sky Country has suffered a recent blow to enrollment numbers and is now seeking children, adolescents, and adults for both community and site-based mentorship programs. The agency currently serves 19 community-based and 9 site-based matches in Park County, yet Lydia is staunch about expanding both programs to children who want a positive role model in their life, including Littles who have enrolled during the current drought and are yet to be matched.
Community-based programs pair children and adolescents ages 5 to 18 with an adult. Matches typically spend four to six hours together per month engaged in activities on a personalized schedule. “It’s truly like two friends hanging out. If you are someone who is thinking about enrolling and what you like to do is hike or fish or go grab coffee and play a board game with a friend, sign up to be a Big and bring a Little along on those excursions,” Lydia says. Site-based programs pair elementary LINKS students with high school-aged adolescents. Bigs and Littles spend one hour per week together during the academic year in a supervised setting, typically at the child’s school. Both programs require children and adult participants to commit to at least a full year of mentorship to ensure abundant time for building a connection.
For community-based programs, ideal mentors “don’t have to be perfect, they just need to be present,” according to Lydia. Bigs come from all walks of life but should be settled, communicative, flexible, patient, and excited to learn. Adult participants must submit at least three references and are subject to an extensive background check. Except crimes involving children, not all infractions are immediate disqualifiers; minor offenses are evaluated according to severity and time elapsed. Rest assured child safety is of the highest priority.
Children from all backgrounds are encouraged to enroll though at minimum they must want to participate. She shared, “We have Littles that come from relatively stable home lives, and we have Littles that are currently living with foster parents and have had traumatic childhoods. So yes, we will take any child that wants to be in the program and has a parent or guardian that’s willing to be in contact with us regularly so that we can make each match successful.”
Participants can expect to receive ample support from their local agency. “I think one of the things that really set our program apart is the support that Bigs, Littles and parents receive to make each match as successful as it can be,” says Lydia. Bigs, Littles, and parents must first complete a pre-match training to review program basics and child safety. Lydia also has two Match Support Specialists on staff who periodically connect with every match to monitor progress, answer questions, provide guidance, and address any issues or concerns. Just like any relationship in life, Bigs and Littles may sometimes struggle to relate, or, in rare cases, fail altogether at forming a meaningful long-term connection. Often times mentorships are salvaged with a dose of mediation, but not always. Even the best Big-Little combinations on paper may need to be closed and rematched.
Lydia also plans monthly match activities, free of cost opportunities for Bigs and Littles to partake in unique experiences like horseback riding at West Creek Ranch—this past month’s featured activity—and white-water rafting—next month’s upcoming expedition, otherwise expensive outings turned accessible through agency funding or sponsorships. The events are meant to foster connections between Bigs and Littles, as well as build community amongst matches. Matches who click with other duos at these events may make future plans together.
If you’re interested in supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Big Sky Country without pursuing a mentorship, the program accepts monetary donations from both individuals and businesses. If you are a business owner, invite Lydia to speak at a staff meeting to recruit employees who may be interested in volunteering. If your business provides a match activity worthy service like those described above, offering free or reduced cost opportunities could also be helpful. Or become a dedicated partner by discounting goods and services for matches. Tru North Café in Livingston provides a free drink for Littles whose Bigs purchase a beverage. These special offers help alleviate costs, thereby removing barriers to and encouraging community engagement. In return, Lydia promotes partners through the agency’s social media accounts.
Lydia is currently recruiting from within the community and is interested in tabling at events or hosting lunch and learns at local businesses. Local artist Brett Ozmentis, a volunteer Big with the program, hosts recruitment-related art exhibitions at his studio on Main Street. These events aim to increase public awareness and educate families about programming using art mediums like painting.
So, whether you want to enroll or mentor a child, organize a recruiting event with Lydia, or partner with the program as a business, there are many ways to defend the potential of youth in our community through BBBS. And sure, this is an opportunity to give back to your community and make it a better place to live, but don’t forget about yourself. I asked Lydia how Bigs can expect to benefit and received answers like, “meeting with my little is the highlight of my week, they’re so cool” and “I learned so much from them and learned so much about myself through this program.” But it’s how Lydia described her own journey that sums it up for me: “In my experiences as a Big, it’s just so cool to watch a kid become who they are and such an honor and a privilege to watch that happen.”
If you’d like to learn more, please reach out to Lydia at 406-823-0012 or lydia@bbbs-bigskycountry.org. You can also visit their website https://bbbs-bigskycountry.org/ to apply.
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