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In 2020, we all witnessed and experienced the widespread closures brought about by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses closed, recreational activities ended, and schools were shuttered. In the midst of the closures, children never stopped by children –– or needing people to look up to.
In September 2020, Big Brothers Big Sisters, one of the nation’s oldest and largest mentoring organizations, launched its first-ever month to celebrate, support, and highlight youth and ways others can pitch in to support them through this unprecedented time.
Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO Artis Stevens noted that the work to be done to care for children whose now three school years of interrupted learning requires a “village" approach.
“Communities are grappling with preexisting conditions exacerbated by the pandemic and social unrest in our country –– inequitable access to broadband, food, shelter, and social-emotional support services,” Stevens wrote in an op-ed last month.
“The unfortunate reality is that there is no singular vaccination or antidote that can fix or mitigate these challenges all at once, but there are solutions that can be found in the lessons and values we’ve learned as a community over time,” Stevens added.
Part of the organization’s plan to actionize the values Stevens describes includes a month-long celebration of the essential work that is mentoring youth.
Throughout the month of September, you can help out by sharing the hashtag #BBBSMonth on social media to get others on board to volunteer and support the mission of BBBS –– to ignite the power and promise of youth.
Sharing ways to get involved with the organization with friends and family members who you think would be a good fit to mentor is another way to help out. Check out nearby local chapters for details on virtual information sessions, application processes, and more.
Donations also go a long way to support the one-to-one relationships between Bigs and Littles throughout the school year.
Find out more about how you can help Big Brothers Big Sisters add to the “village” of a youth’s life by clicking here.
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