The Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS) Programme run by Foróige is a youth mentoring programme that forms supportive friendships between a young person and an adult volunteer.

The BBBS programme is based on the idea that having a caring adult friend can help build positive assets in young people, such as a commitment to learning, social skills, and resisting negative behaviours, in order to enable the young people to have a positive sense of self and of their future.

The programme matches a young person with an adult volunteer with a view to developing a supportive mentoring friendship for the young person. They meet once per week and spend time together engaging in any activities they chose, such as playing football, going for a walk, getting a cup of tea or doing some arts and crafts. These activities can be done when suits all participants, be it after school in the evenings or on weekends.

Once this relationship is established the BBBS programme can then address the needs of the young person that have been identified in the referral process.

Eligibility: Young people aged 10 – 18 years from a variety of backgrounds who would benefit from developing a friendship with a caring adult outside of their family.

Referrals: Referrals can be made by statutory, community and voluntary agencies or by parents/guardians and young people themselves. The link can be provided by email, please contact below staff to request the same.

Contact details:
Sarah Fitzpatrick, Tel. 0861366790, E-mail: sarah.fitzpatrick@foroige.ie