Refer a Little

The Big Sisters Big Siblings mentoring program matches Lower Mainland female, transgender, and non-binary youth (ages 7-17) with a volunteer Big Sister or Big Sibling 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. 

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 Big Siblings program (2-4 hours/week for one year)

Little Sisters and Little Siblings 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 we are currently not accepting referrals for Littles in Burnaby or New Westminster 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.

Little Sisters and Little Siblings 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 Burnaby or New Westminster for the Big Sisters program. For all other regions, refer a youth to the Big Sisters Big Siblings program (2-4 hours/week for 1 year) by downloading and completing the referral form:

 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 Sister/Sibling 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 
• Unable to access tutoring through other agencies due to family financial constraints (i.e. low income)

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:

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