Who Becomes a Little Brother or Sister?
Any child can become a Little Brother or Sister. The only requirements are that a child be between seven and 13 years of age at the time their application is received, live in our service area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties) and be willing to commit to the program for one year.
**Please note, because our agency has an extensive list of children waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister, we have had to make the difficult decision of not taking the names of new children in certain areas (Chisago, Isanti, McLeod and Wright counties). While we regret this decision, we want to make sure that we are able to promptly match the children that come to us for service. Within the next couple of years, we hope to get our waiting list to a reasonable size, rebuild our recruitment efforts and then reopen enrollment in these counties. In the meantime, we are referring youth from these areas to other youth serving organizations. Please contact us if you have any questions on this matter.
Our Impact
For 88 years, children in the Twin Cities have had their lives positively impacted through their relationship with their Big Brother or Sister and we continue to change lives through the power of mentoring.
Children matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister:
- Are more confident
- Are more likely to steer clear of drugs and alcohol
- Do better in school
- Get along better with their family and friends
- Feel better about themselves. 1
More about our impact »
Parents are our Partners
As the person who knows your child best, we value your input in the matching process. Before your child is matched with a Big Brother or Sister, our Match Coordinators will meet with you and your child to learn about their needs, interests and personality. Your Match Coordinator will also interview you to find out what your hopes and expectations are for a match relationship.
More about your role »
Being a Little is safe
We understand you wouldn’t trust your child with just anyone. That’s why you’ll be glad to know that every Big Brother and Big Sister goes through a thorough background check and every match is regularly reviewed by a professional Match Support Coordinator.
More about child safety »
1 Tierney, J.P., Grossman, J.B., and Resch, N.L. (1995) Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures
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