Refer a Little
“Without my Big , I would not be confident individual that I am today.” – Little Sister Mariah
Mentored youth are 2x more likely to have high academic achievement than youth who didn’t receive a mentor.
“The best thing about having a mentor is knowing that there is always someone there to help.” – Little Sister Talia
Refer a Little Sister
Step 1: General Information
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.
Step 2: Requirements
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.
Step 3: Refer a Little Now!
Little Sisters are referred to us by parents, social workers, school counsellors, and other helping professionals.
Refer a youth to the Big Sisters program (2-4 hours/week for 1 year) 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.
To have a Referral Form sent to you by mail or fax, please contact us.
Step 4: Next Steps
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
Refer a Little Study Buddy
Step 1: General Information
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.
Step 2: Requirements
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
Step 3: Refer a Little Study Buddy Now!
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.
To have a Referral Form sent to you by mail or fax, please contact us.
Step 4: Next Steps
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.