Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Mexico - Los Alamos and Rio Arriba Counties

For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters' Mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters' Vision is that all youth achieve their full potential.

Accountability: We partner with parents/guardians, volunteers and others in the community to hold ourselves accountable for each child in our program achieving:

• Higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships
• Avoidance of risky behaviors
• Educational Success   

The Community-Based program is highly flexible and allows for endless possibilities for mentors to connect with their mentees. Matches get to know each other by having fun doing activities out in the community. One-to-one outings are often low cost or no cost activities, like: Taking a walk in the park, Going to museum, Attending a BBBS monthly event, Listening to music, Hanging out and talking.

Some mentors meet their mentees on the weekends. Others get together with their Littles on weekday afternoons or evenings. Each match is unique and develops a schedule that works for them. Matches meet 4-6 hours a month.

In our Site-Based, or "Lunch Buddy", program, mentors meet with a child at the child's school during their lunch/recess period. These matches meet once a week and they enjoy talking, playing games, making crafts, and playing on the playground together. This program is a great option for mentors who want to make a difference in a child's life but who don't have a lot of free time. 

In Rio Arriba, we currently have a High School Bigs program that utilizes high school students as mentors and matches them with elementary-aged children. This program is monitored by our staff each week and it fosters leadership skills for the high school students while also providing a sense of community for both the Bigs and the Littles. We are hoping to expand this program so keep an eye out for more High School Bigs programs in Rio Arriba and in Los Alamos!