Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i

Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai'i supports youth ages 6-16 years old who have faced one of more adverse childhood experiences in their young lives. We have been serving the islands by offering one-to-one mentoring programs for under-resourced youth since 1963. We currently offer programs on O'ahu, Maui (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui) and Kaua'i (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kaua'i). 

​Each year we create and support more than 1,500 life-changing friendships for youth and volunteers through one-to-one mentoring programs. Our goal? To create a brighter future for keiki on O'ahu, Maui, and Kaua'i one friendship at a time. Today's youth face a variety of challenges, and being matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister can help them navigate life's obstacles and reach their fullest potential.

Every child we serve is unique, and most come from low-income and single-parent households. We serve those who have been involved with the juvenile justice system, or who have a history of abuse and neglect. We also give priority to the socially and economically underprivileged, including children living at or below the poverty line, or who’ve lost the valuable connection of a parent from separation, divorce, death, incarceration, or deployment. All families in our program struggle to make ends meet or face some form of hardship that puts their children at a disadvantage. Nearly 100% of the children we serve have experienced one or more types of serious trauma. Therefore, our mentoring programs are designed to offset the negative impacts of trauma. Through positive, healthy and supported relationships, we create measurable outcomes for youth. By matching vulnerable youth with positive role models, we increase their protective factors and resiliency.

In our typical mentoring program, Case Managers will work with parents, guardians, therapists, counselors, schools, and youth serving organizations to identify and enroll under-resourced youth ages 6 to 18 years old. Staff will also identify, recruit, enroll, screen and train appropriate volunteer mentors. Once youth and volunteers are accepted into the program, our staff will make an appropriate pairing based on personality, interests and other evidence based factors that increase the likelihood that the mentoring relationship will last and result in positive outcomes for youth.

After youth and mentors are paired, Case Managers create an outcome development plan in collaboration with the parent/guardian, child and volunteer. The outcome development plan incorporates the strengths, interests and needs of the child, and parent/guardian, and support the child’s social/emotional growth, skills, access to opportunities and overall development. This plan is evaluated and updated on an annual basis by the assigned Case Manager. 

Our timeline of activities is ongoing. Youth and their mentors meet 2-3 times per month for a few hours each outing. Mentors pick-up their mentees and are responsible for transportation and other costs they incur. We offset some of the costs by sponsoring activities, or partnering with companies to offer discounts. We ask that outings be selected by the youth and we work with mentors to incorporate goals from the outcome plan. Together, the consistent meetings, intentional mentoring, and our professional support help to achieve positive measurable outcomes for each youth.

We invite you to join us to volunteer your time as a mentor or to enroll your child today! Learn more at bbbshawaii.org

VOLUNTEERS: Click here to schedule a volunteer inquiry call with one of our staff members: http://www.bbbshawaii.org/volunteer-inquiry-call.html

YOUTH / GUARDIANS: Click here to schedule an enrollment call with one of our staff members: http://www.bbbshawaii.org/child-inquiry-call.html