Big Brothers Big Sisters Launches mentor2.0 to Focus on North Texas High School Students

Aug. 31, 2012 - PRLog -- As school gets underway, Big Brothers Big Sisters is introducing mentor2.0 – a technology-driven, email supported one-to-one youth mentoring program that directly focuses on local high school students, and in its pilot year will pair 600+ students with a mentor. Through partnerships with schools, companies and individuals, mentor2.0 will provide students with the support and guidance they need to graduate high school and succeed in college and the workforce. Big Brothers Big Sisters is offering this alternative to traditional mentoring for Dallas-Fort Worth companies that want to do more than only make a donation.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is pleased to announce that Ernst & Young, Comerica, Allstate, Dallas Independent School District, Irving Independent School District and Uplift Education have agreed to participate.

“Mentor2.0 maintains the fundamentals of quality mentoring Big Brothers Big Sisters is known for, but by using technology for much of the interaction between the mentee and mentor, the in-person time commitment is reduced to once every four to six weeks,” says April Klics, Associate Vice President of Program. “This is an ideal way for companies and their employees to support Big Brothers Big Sisters, but without having to commit the time that’s required for a traditional mentoring relationship.”

Over the next 30 days, students will be given the opportunity to request a mentor to help them navigate high school and develop the motivation, problem-solving and leadership skills that can assist in being more prepared for college or the workforce. Big Brothers Big Sisters will begin matching students with mentors on October 1, with the first meeting between mentors and mentees occurring on October 15 at schools across the city. We are enrolling mentors now and invite any companies that wish to make Big Brothers Big Sisters and mentor2.0 a part of their charitable giving program to visit bbbstx.org/mentor2.0 or call 1-866-796-3682 for more information.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a donor-supported volunteer organization that places caring adults in the lives of children in one-to-one mentoring relationships. Through the positive impact of those friendships, children with a Big Brother or Big Sister are more likely to graduate from high school and are less likely to begin using drugs, begin using alcohol or engage in negative conflict. For more information, contact 888.887.BIGS or www.bbbstx.org.