BBBS Community-Based Mentoring (OJJDP Model Program Guide)

Office of Justice Programs, Innovation - Partnerships – Safer Neighborhoods

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Serving Children, Families and Communities

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BBBS Community-Based Mentoring

Intervention:

Headquartered in Philadelphia, with a network of nearly 400 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 250,000 children in mentoring programs. The Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Community-Based Mentoring (CBM) program is a one-to-one mentoring program that takes place in a community setting. BBBS provides local agencies with mentoring program guidelines about screening, matching, training, supervising, and monitoring. Local BBBS affiliates recruit and screen volunteer applicants for matches; they screen youths, who usually come from single-parent households and who must (along with their parents) desire to enter into a match; and they carefully match adult volunteers with youngsters based on backgrounds, on the stated preferences of adult volunteers, parents, and youths, and on geographic proximity.

The goal of virtually all mentoring programs is to support the development of healthy youth by addressing the need for positive adult contact, thereby reducing risk factors for negative behavior and enhancing protective factors for positive behavior. As with other mentoring programs, CBM is based on the theory that, when a supportive adult consistently spends time with a youth, a mutually trusting relationship will form and the child can begin to feel more socially accepted and supported. The increased level of support allows youths to view themselves more positively and to engage in more constructive behavior.

Compared with the BBBS School-Based Mentoring program, mentors in CBM programs spend more time together (about 4 hours a week, two to four times a month, for at least 1 year). Most mentors in the BBBS CBM programs are adults between 22 and 49 years old. Matches tend to engage in developmentally appropriate social activities such as going to a movie, shopping, attending a sports event, going to a restaurant, or just hanging out and sharing thoughts. According to Grossman and Garry (1997), “Such activities enhance communication skills, develop relationship skills, and support positive decision-making.”

Although individual agencies may customize their programs to fit specific needs, the integrity of the program is protected through the national infrastructure that oversees recruitment, screening, matching, and supervision. The screening and matching process provides an opportunity to select adults who are most likely to be successful mentors and match them with adolescents who share a common belief system. Staff supervision and support are critical to ensuring that the mentor and mentee meet regularly to build positive relationships.

Evaluation Methodology:

Study 1
Tierney, Grossman, and Resch (2000) used a randomized design to conduct an extensive, 18-month evaluation of the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Community-Based Mentoring (CBM) program from 1991 through 1993. Eight local BBBS CBM sites were enrolled because they had large caseloads (to ensure an adequate number of youths for the sample) and were geographically dispersed. The 1,138 adolescents enrolled in the study were randomly assigned to be immediately eligible for a mentor (n= 571) or put on a waiting list (n= 567). They were ages 10 to 16. Slightly more than 60 percent were boys, and 56 percent were minorities. Many lived with one parent and were from low-income households with a history of family violence, substance abuse, or both. Statistical analysis indicated that groups were equivalent at baseline.

Youths in the intervention group received, on average, almost 12 months of mentoring, which consisted of meetings about three times a month, with each meeting lasting about 4 hours. Parent/guardian and youth surveys were administered at baseline and 18 months later. Case manager data collection forms were collected at baseline, at the time of a match, and 18 months later and included information on the child, the family, and the mentor. A key informant interview provided background information on the agency and its program practices. The major outcomes of the study were alcohol and drug initiation, antisocial activities, academic performance, and relationships with family. The researchers used items from numerous instruments to measure results, including Self-Perception Profile for Children, School Value Scale, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, Features of Children’s Friendship Scale, and Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents.

A multivariate analysis model was used to estimate effects on BBBS participants. The model used baseline and 18-month data and controlled for a number of baseline variables, including age, gender, and race/ethnicity; the agency providing the program; household characteristics; and whether the youth had repeated a grade or was a victim of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. The effect of the mentoring program on gender and racial/ethnic subgroups were estimated using a series of subgroup-treatment interaction variables.

Evaluation Outcome:

Study 1
Substance Abuse
Accordnig to results from the Tierney, Grossman, and Resch (2000) study, mentored youths in the CBM program were 46 percent significantly less likely to initiate drug use and 27 percent less likely to initiate alcohol use, compared to control group participants.

Antisocial Behavior
Compared with the control group, mentored youths were 32 percent less likely to have struck someone during the previous 12 months.

Academic Performance
Compared with the control group, the mentored youths earned higher grades, skipped fewer classes and fewer days of school, and felt more competent about doing their schoolwork. For these school-related outcomes, the changes were larger for girls. None of these results were statistically significant, however.

Prosocial Behavior
Researchers also found that mentored youths, compared with their control counterparts, displayed significantly better relationships with parents. They also had significantly greater trust of parents, a result that was especially true for male mentees. Emotional support among peers was higher than controls, especially for minority male mentees who also scored higher than their control counterparts on intimacy in peer communication. Youths receiving mentoring did not score significantly higher than youths in the control group on scales measuring global self-worth, social acceptance, or self-confidence, nor was there a difference between the groups in frequency of participation in social and cultural enrichment activities

Other Information:

References:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. 2010. “Home Page.” Accessed May 19, 2011. http://www.bbbs.org

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. 2003. BBBS Standards and Required Procedures for One-to-One Services: Big Brothers Big Sister of America. Philadelphia, Pa.: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Grossman, Jean Baldwin, and Eileen M. Garry. 1997. Mentoring—A Proven Delinquency Prevention Strategy. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

McGill, Dagmar E., Sharon F. Mihalic, and Jennifer K. Grotpeter. 1998. Blueprints for Violence Prevention, Book 2: Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of America. Boulder, Colo.: Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.

Tierney, Joseph P., Jean Baldwin Grossman, and Nancy L. Resch. 2000. Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Philadelphia, Pa.: Public/Private Ventures

Program Specification:

New Rating:

Effective

Re-reviewed Date:

June 2011

Program Type:

Alcohol and Drug Therapy / Education

Mentoring

Truancy Prevention

Ethnicity:

American Indian or Alaska Native

African American

Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

White

Gender:

Both

Age:

10 - 16

Target Settings:

Rural

Suburban

Urban

Problem Behaviors:

Academic Problems

Aggression/Violence

Alcohol,Tobacco and Other Drug Use

Delinquency

Family Functioning

Risk & Protective Factors:

Risk

Individual

Antisocial behavior and alienation / Delinquent beliefs / General delinquency involvement / Drug dealing

Early onset of aggression and/or violence

Favorable attitudes toward drug use/Early onset of AOD use/Alcohol and/or drug use

School

Dropping out of school

Low academic achievement

Negative attitude toward school / Low bonding / Low school attachment / Commitment to school

Protective

Community

Presence and involvement of caring, supportive adults in the community

Prosocial opportunities for participation / Availability of neighborhood resources

Family

Good relationship with parents / Bonding or attachment to family

Individual

Perception of social support from adults and peers

Positive / Resilient temperament

Positive expectations / Optimism for the future

Social competencies and problem solving skills

Additional Information:

OJJDP: Blueprints

SAMHSA: NREPP

NIJ: What Works

Status:

Program is in operation at this time.

Performance Measures:

Suggested OJJDP Performance Measures for the Program Types(s):

Mentoring
Mentoring
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
School Programs
Truancy Prevention
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF

Contact Information:

Program Developer:
Sandra Louk LaFleur
Senior Director, Youth Outcomes Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
230 North 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 1.305.386.6772
Fax: 1.215.567.0394
Email: Click Here
Website: Click Here