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 volunteer Bigs 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.
Please note that we are currently not accepting referrals for Littles in Surrey, Delta, White Rock, or Tsawwassen in the Big Sisters program. This is due to a high volume and long waitlist in these regions. We still welcome referrals in these regions for the Study Buddy program. Please check out the program requirements below to see if the youth is eligible for our Study Buddy 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.
As above, we are not currently accepting referrals for Littles in Surrey, Delta, White Rock, or Tsawwassen for the Big Sisters program. For all other regions, refer a youth to the Big Sisters program (2-4 hours/week for 1 year) by downloading and completing the referral form:
We are still accepting referrals, but due to COVID-19 it will take us longer to process the referral form and match the Little Sister in our program. 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
- Unable to access tutoring through other agencies due to family financial constraints (i.e. low income)
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:
We are still accepting referrals, but due to COVID-19 it will take us longer to process the referral form and match the Little Sister in our program. 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.