What we do
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa (BBBSO) enables life-changing mentoring relationships to ignite the power and potential of young people facing adversity. We carefully and intentionally place an additional, consistent, and supportive mentor in these young people’s lives.
Volunteer mentors are thoughtfully recruited based on the needs of local youth and are professionally screened. The mentor, the mentee, and family receive training and are monitored and supported by a designated professional caseworker.
An incredible transformation takes place when a mentee is matched with a mentor who expresses care, challenges their growth, provides support, and expands their possibilities. These mentees build the life skills they need to be successful. We also see positive changes in their mental health, well-being, educational engagement, and employment readiness.
BBBSO has been creating youth mentorship matches in Ottawa for 54 years and in Renfrew County for eight years. We offer our traditional 1:1 Bigs mentorship program (youth ages 6-14), MPower (youth ages 15-24), PRISM for mentors and mentees who identify as 2SLGBTQ+ and programs in local schools.
How you can help
Give
Young people need your help now. When you donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa, you invest in a young person’s potential and shape the future of the Ottawa community. Your donation is an investment in our collective future. An official research study has confirmed that every $1 donated has a social return on investment of $23 as our young people grow up to be happy, successful adults who give back by volunteering or donating themselves.
To learn more about our options to give and engage with BBBSO, please visit www.bbbso.ca.
Volunteer
We depend on volunteers for all of our mentoring programs. You can make a meaningful difference in a child’s life for as little as one hour per week. There are corporate volunteer opportunities through events, speed mentoring workshops, and with our social enterprise, Thrive Select Thrift. There is also the opportunity to join our board of directors or one of our committees.
Shop and volunteer
Thrive is a social enterprise by Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa. Thrive is a boutique-style thrift store of high-quality, well-priced products for resale. 100% of the proceeds are donated back to BBBSO to support the transformative work of our full spectrum of mentorship programs. The boutique is at 1547 Merivale Rd. in the Emerald Plaza. Interested in doing a clothing drive? Want to learn how your team can have a volunteer experience? We are always looking for new partners. Email Hope at Thrive TODAY!
hope.wood@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca.
To learn more about this charity, please visit the latest issue of the Giving Guide here:
