Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona (BBBSAZ) has been awarded funding from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in partnership with The National Football League Foundation. This funding, under the NFL Inspires Change program, will further BBBSAZ youth mentoring initiatives. This grant will immediately impact the Phoenix metro community, where the NFL has a presence while helping to lay the groundwork for meaningful change in the future.
With the support of the NFL, this grant will support BBBSAZ in three areas. It will assist us in enriching the quality and expanding the reach of our mentoring programs and their impact on youth facing adversity, including but not limited to those from underserved and underrepresented communities, those youth with higher ACE’s scores, and those with a family member experiencing incarceration. The second focus of this grant is to inspire more men, specifically men of color, to volunteer and increase the number of youth who are able to be matched with a mentor who more closely reflects their personal experiences. The third focus area is building the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) skills and capabilities of staff and volunteers supporting the recruitment of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) mentors, and engaging youth more equitably.
Across the Phoenix metro area, thousands of youth struggle to achieve their full potential. The need for additional resources and intervention is abundant. Fortunately, we know that 1-to-1 mentoring has proved to be a successful method for reducing the harmful effects of these experiences for children. Since 1955, BBBSAZ has led the way in establishing and measuring best practices in mentoring, with decades of success to show for it.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona would like to sincerely thank Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the NFL Foundation for their continued support of mentoring in Arizona.
