Refer a Little

The Big Sisters mentoring program matches Lower Mainland female, transgender, and non-binary youth (ages 7-17) with a volunteer Big Sister in a one-to-one mentoring relationship. For a minimum of 1 year, each Big and Little match meets once a week for 2-4 hours. Matches enjoy doing a wide variety of free and low-cost activities together including crafts, sports, movies and just hanging out and talking!

Our volunteers are age 19 or older and provide us with a criminal record check and references. They are trained in child safety and screened and monitored by our professional staff throughout their involvement with the program. 

All Little Sisters must be:

• Ages 7 – 17
• Live in the Lower Mainland
• Interested in being matched with a caring, adult mentor
• Able to meet the minimum time commitment of  the Big Sisters program (2-4 hours/week for one year)

Little Sisters are female, transgender, and non-binary youth who could benefit from the support and friendship of a mentor. Many Littles face challenges such as low self-esteem, social isolation, and a lack of enriching experiences as a result of challenging life circumstances such as poverty, family distress, abuse, or loss. A mentor can act as a reliable and caring friend who can be there to listen, have fun, and help navigate difficult times.

Please note that the Big Sisters program is not accepting referrals at the moment. However, the Study Buddy program is still accepting referrals. See below.

Please feel free to contact info@bigsisters.bc.ca with any questions.

After we process your referral form, we contact the family/guardian and Little Sister to schedule a mandatory screening interview and pre-match training session with one of our caseworkers. Once accepted into the program, the caseworker will start looking for a mentor to match them with.

Questions? Check out our FAQs

The Study Buddy mentoring program nurtures the self-esteem of female, transgender, and non-binary youth by matching them with volunteers who offers them educational support. Study Buddies work together to set appropriate educational goals for the Little. With the support of a Study Buddy tutor, Littles are encouraged and equipped to improve their educational performance and meet their academic goals, which contributes to their overall self-esteem.

All Little Study Buddies must be:

• Ages 7 – 17
• Live in the Lower Mainland
• Interested in being matched with a caring, adult mentor
• Able to meet the minimum time commitment of  the Study Buddy program (1 hour/week for 6 months)
• In need of academic support 

Little Study Buddies are referred to us by parents, social workers, school counsellors, and other helping professionals. 

Refer a youth to the Study Buddy program (1 hour/week for 6 months) by downloading and completing the referral form:

Please note that due to COVID-19 it may take us longer to process your referral form. Please feel free to contact info@bigsisters.bc.ca with any questions.

Referral Form

To have a Referral Form sent to you by mail or fax, please contact us. 

After we process your referral form, we contact the family/guardian and Little Study Buddy to schedule a mandatory screening interview and pre-match training session with one of our caseworkers. Once accepted into the program, the caseworker will start looking for a Study Buddy tutor to match them with.

Questions? Check out our FAQs

Click here to learn more about this online group mentoring program!