Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern MA Launches Big Futures Mentoring

QUINCY, Mass. – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts, (BBBSEM), the state’s leading one-to-one mentoring program for youth, is teaming up with Quincy High School to launch Big Futures Mentoring. The new high school mentoring program to begin at the top of the 2024-2025 school year will match Quincy High School freshman with adult volunteers who will build mentoring relationships and leverage experiential learning to prepare them for post-secondary success over the course of their high school experience.

"Quincy High School is putting the immediate needs of its students first by allowing our organization to establish a deep partnership within the school community,” says Terrance McCarron, BBBSEM’s Chief Program Officer. “Students with a mentor have been shown to have improved attendance, improved academic performance, stronger peer relationships and healthier attitudes and behaviors. One more dedicated support can be the difference. The Big Futures Mentoring program offers high schools the power of mentorship, packaged for teens and designed to complement class time, not compete with it, to help youth reach their fullest potential.”

Big Futures Mentoring, a spinoff of BBBSEM’s former technology-enriched Mentor 2.0, program, will take a more hybrid approach. Each grade level will concentrate on different skill sets. Freshman and sophomores will focus on relationship building and experiential learning through weekly online communication and monthly in-person meetings with additional game nights, panel discussions and other fun events throughout the school year. Juniors will hone in on college and career readiness and post-secondary pathways, participating in workshops, competitions, and job shadowing experiences with select corporate partners coupled with structured reflection activities on different pathways. In their final year, seniors will meet in cohorts based on their pathway of choice, to review key milestones to succeed in each path, such as resume writing and FAFSA completion, and participate in group college tours and internship opportunities.

“Quincy High School is super excited to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts’s Big Futures Mentoring Program,” says Keith Ford, Quincy High School Principal. “This program is a wonderful opportunity for our incoming 9th graders to establish meaningful connections that will stay with them through their high school experience. Our partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters reinforces our commitment in creating positive relationships that both encourage and challenge our students to maximize their full learning potential, in order to prepare them to be impactful citizens to society.”

As for the adults who volunteer for BBBSEM, mentors often report getting just as much or more out of their mentoring relationships. The Big Futures Mentoring Program offers busier adults a more flexible commitment with the ability to build relationships conveniently and sustainably while still making an impact. The program also offers local employers more opportunities for employees to get more entrenched in their community while building pipelines of young talent in their industries.

“The Big Futures Mentoring program gives local employers and their employees the opportunity to invest in their communities,” says Rosemary Sheehan, current BBBSEM Board Chair. “Through youth mentoring, professionals can provide the knowledge, skills and supports to help high school students thrive and advance on their educational and career pathway.”

Not only is the program designed to give students the support they need to pursue jobs they love and earn a livable wage, but the structure works toward diversifying the workforce, creating greater access to jobs for BIPOC communities and women. Each mentor will offer accountability for their mentee, so they thrive in high school, graduate, and confidently make post-secondary plans.

In its 75th year, the largest Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate in New England has created and served more than 25,000 matches and will serve nearly 4,000 matches this year. For more information, to become a volunteer, or to register your children, visit: www.emassbigs.org.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts is an innovative, energetic organization that is making a real difference in the lives of nearly 4,000 youth annually by providing them with an invested, caring adult mentor in long-term, professionally supported relationships. With research and proven outcomes at its core, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts is working to defend the potential of children facing adversity and ensure every child has the support from caring adults that they need for healthy development and success in life. The organization’s vision is to inspire, engage and transform communities in Eastern Massachusetts by helping youth achieve their full potential, contributing to healthier families, better schools, more confident futures and stronger communities. Throughout its 75 years, the largest Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate in New England has created and served more than 25,000 youth. For more information about the agency and its mission, visit www.emassbigs.org.

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