Big Brother Program

[tater]

Has anyone here actually participated in this? I've said I wanted to do something like it for years and never do. So I'm going to send in an application by the end of the week.

I want to mentor a little girl I know it's not just for boys. I always just think they won't listen to me because I haven't necessarily had a hard life and I'm also not as successful as I'd like to be.

I just remember when I moved to Chicago I met this guy my age and he was trying to go out and I suggested a festival up north. He told me he had never even been up there and the farthest north he's gone is downtown. I was flabbergasted! I just don't want kids thinking they only can achieve what's on tv or the internet. I always remember him saying that and thinking how difficult it must be as a child to only know your surroundings especially if they're not positive. Anyhoo...what has been your experience if you've participated? Positive or negative. Do you feel you helped out the child?

TIA

 

[Heafcliffe]

Yeah, few years ago....

Though the child had a background that involved an unstable household, an incarcerated parent and multiple siblings with different fathers, he became a great kid after some time. Mentored him for 2 school years and I can genuinely say I miss him.

Taught me alot in the areas of patience and personal influence on a growing mind.

I definitely recommend it.....

 

[Piff Perkins]

I recommend it 100%. There's also a Big Sister program in most states.

There are all types of things you can do in the program, you don't have to mentor if you don't want to. You can simply come through and for instance teach kids how to play chess, build computers, etc. I started out by participating in a "class" that was basically a bunch of mentors speaking about their jobs to the kids. Just to show them the importance of taking school/learning seriously. You'll see first hand that a lot of inner city and rural kids have no concept of things beyond their city or block.

I built a computer with the first kid I mentored, who was 14. He was into computers and liked to do various shyt on them, but he didn't have his own computer. So I bought the parts and we spent a weekend just slowly putting it together. I had built one before so I knew what I was doing, but as much as I could I let him connect and place the various items (tho I made sure to put the heatsink on lmao, not trusting a kid to do that).

After we finished I downloaded a couple of his favorite games. He also really liked Microsoft Excel, and I showed him how I use it at work, how to use it to do various things, etc. So I made sure to get that on the computer too. When it was time to go he started getting ready and I was like "ayo hold on, aren't you going to help me pack this for you?" His face lit up and he was almost cried.




I tend to work with quiet black kids who are bullied or belittled. I remember when I was a kid and kids used to make fun of me for liking to read, watch the History Channel, etc. I hate seeing that shyt. You can participate in stuff like a book club, where you all get together and read something. One of the books I love introducing kids to:

Everyone is getting on Jamal's case. The kids at school are bugging him, his teachers won't leave him alone, and the principal's always giving him a hard time. Even his mama yells at him, upset because Jamal's brother, Randy, is in jail. The only person he can count on now is his best friend, Tito.

But Crazy Mack wants Jamal to take over as the Scorpions' leader and run crack. Jamal doesn't want anything to do with gang life, but he doesn't have a choice—it's the only way to get money for Randy's appeal. And as long as he's got Tito on his side, Jamal knows everything will be okay. . . .

 

[Tflasha]

I was in it as a kid ... Guy name was david, "would come to the projects and pick a young breh up and spend time with the kid. and he was a cool young white dude - would take me to the park, bought me a soccer ball, and a power ranger action figure, hell he even bought me a book it was "lion witch and the wardrobe"the "only book I ever read in my 30years of life...........................JKhe was dope as hell.. then all of a sudden he disappeared, heard he moved to Israel or some shyt probably look like this now