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Monthly Archives

January 2022

January Match of the Month

By Match Stories

Meet Little Brother Jacory and Big Sister Jaclyn, who have been matched in our Community Based Mentoring Program since 2017! Jacory’s aunt signed him up for the program as she wanted him to have a stable and consistent role model. This match has built such a strong bond and continues to flourish! Over the years, Little J and Big J have had important discussions and lessons about responsibilities. (Most notably, they worked on taking care of a fish together.) Big J and Little J practice showing perspective, exercising patience, and learning how to identify feelings. If you were to ask Jacory what his favorite moment with his Big is, he wouldn’t be able to choose just one memory.

Jaclyn continues to remind her Little of the importance of making goals, so together they will continue tracking their goal progress, practicing mindfulness, and performing well in school (both socially and academically.) They love to explore the outdoors, participate in yoga in the woods, and walk along Tampa Bay’s beautiful beaches.

Out of the 2,124 matches we served in 2021, approximately 121 were matches comprised of a Big Sister and a Little Brother. This number moves up to 125 matches if we include Big Sisters who are matched with males and youth who identify as non-binary, genderqueer, or gender fluid. While we love our caring Big Sisters who step up to volunteer as a mentor for a Little Brother, we will always welcome more Big Brothers! However, our agency will match boys 10 years of age and younger with Big Sisters if the parent/guardian is open to a cross-gender match.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is proud to serve more than 2,400 youth in 9 counties across the greater Tampa Bay area and beyond. Join us as a defender of potential by becoming a mentor, or what we call a Big. It just takes 4-8 hours a month —  it’s about the time you spend, not the money.  Click here to see the virtual orientation schedule.

Our New Big Board Member is Committed to Increasing Community Literacy

By Match Stories

We are honored to welcome new Board Member (and longtime Big Sister) Abigail StClair! Abigail is an avid library advocate & enthusiast and has been matched with Kaylanie since 2017. Always a voracious reader, Abigail loved visiting the local library as a child and believes that libraries hold an essential place in every community, now more than ever. Thankfully, the breadth of services has expanded to match the unique needs of our ever-growing community. Here are her recommendations for making the best use of your library. You can grab a book and a seat, getting lost in a new page-turning adventure. Feeling a bit peckish? Take a cooking class! Borrow a book….or a science kit. Peruse the options listed by county:

Alachua County has some excellent and educational STEM kits that can be sent to your door.

The Coastal Region branch of Citrus County has a Nintendo Switch! MarioKart, anyone?

Hernando County has a wide array of music to discover, from underground artists to old favorites.

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative offers GoPro checkout if your Little is an aspiring director.

In Marion County, you and your Little can create art from a stone.

Pasco County Libraries offers Makerspaces as a launching pad to explore, learn, design, and experiment.

Pinellas Public Library Cooperative shares museum passes to gain access to Dunedin History Museum, Florida Holocaust Museum, Imagine Museum, The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, Leepa Rattner Museum of Art, Museum and the Tampa Bay History Center, and others.

Polk County Library Cooperative offers a great selection of e-reading options for kids.

Sumter County has a childrens’ catalog that efficiently offers book selections based on topic.

Big Brothers Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is proud to serve more than 2,400 youth in 9 counties across the greater Tampa Bay area and beyond. Join us as a defender of potential by becoming a mentor, or Big. It just takes 4-8 hours a month — consistency is key.  Click here to see the virtual orientation schedule.

January Conversation Starters

By Match Events, Resources

Do you need some ideas for things to talk to your Little about? Check out our January Conversation Starters to help you and your Little learn about new topics and better connect with one another. Plus, we have gathered some free and low-cost activities to participate in. 

Four Ways to Make Stronger Connections with Littles, Backed by Research (Adapted from article by Jean Rhodes)

Make sure to mess up – People rarely show their blunders on Facebook but they certainly post pictures of vacations and updates about achievements. Doing things to represent your life as perfectly as possible may be less beneficial in a mentoring relationship. Research shows that people who inspire the most trust are those who exhibit two important traits: warmth and competence. It may seem counter-intuitive but it’s ok to mess up, show your mistakes, and how you learned, which demonstrates competence. In a study, researchers had people evaluate three candidates. One had poor scores, the other had almost perfect scores, and the third had high scores as well but during the interview spilled coffee all over their clothes. The fumbler was thought of more highly as they appeared more approachable and human. Sometimes sharing a laugh with your Little at your own expense is a great way to show an authentic and truthful quality of yourself to build your relationship.

The apology that shows you care – A Harvard researcher had an assistant approach people at a train station on a rainy day. Half the time they asked people, “May I borrow your phone? I need to make an important call.” Only 9% of those people agreed to help. But the other times the assistant said, “I’m sorry about the rain! May I borrow your phone? I need to make an important call.” They apologized for the rain . . . something they did not cause and had no control over but 47% of people helped them out. That’s a 400% increase. Similar results were achieved in several different situations. The apology conveyed care and concern, it boosted perceptions of warmth and increased trust. Little things that show you care matter — even if they seem silly.

Be empathetic – Mimicry can help you increase perspective-taking which research backs up. Sitting like they do, folding your hands like they do, etc. Mimicry facilitates perspective-taking: It helps us truly understand what another person is experiencing. Try a little bit of subtle mimicry next time you are with your Little to see what happens.

Ask for advice – Using perspective-taking strategies can certainly be helpful. Ask another person for advice to help them be open to understanding your perspective. When we ask others for advice, they put themselves in our shoes and look at the world from our vantage point. Asking for advice also signals respect and asking advice from your Little will send a message that you value and acknowledge their opinions and help them build self-confidence.

 

No cost and low cost activities: 

Dunedin Art Festival— Jan. 8th-9th Dunedin is one of the oldest towns on the west coast of Florida, just a short drive from Tampa and home to the Downtown Dunedin Art Festival. The Downtown Dunedin Art Festival runs down Main Street and showcases award-winning fine artists. Meet the artists and explore an array of mediums including sculpture, photography, glass, paintings, ceramics, jewelry, mixed media and more! Click here for more details.

36th Annual Plant City Dr. MLK Cultural Arts Festival — Jan. 7—17th MLK Parade 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Battle of the Bands (Drumline) 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. I Impact PC Make Some Noise 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Click here for more details.

Treasure island kite festival—Jan. 15th & 16th Come be amazed by talented kite flyers from all over the U.S. on Treasure Island Beach. Representatives from Revolution Kites and Prism Kites will be giving flying demonstrations and allowing people a chance to learn how to fly. The free event runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. both days behind the Thunderbird Beach Resort

 

Find more activities in our Monthly Match Newsletter!

Be a Role Model this National Mentoring Month

By In The News

Did you know that January is National Mentoring Month? National Mentoring Month focuses national attention on the need for mentors and how each of us can work together to ensure positive outcomes for our young people, such as educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships.

To celebrate the importance of mentoring this January, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is highlighting our Big & Little matches to show how being a friend and role model to a child can transform their life. With more than 900 youth across our nine counties waiting to be matched with a Big, our need for positive adults to step up and volunteer is greater than ever before. BBBS Tampa Bay asks people in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, Citrus, Hernando, Sumter, Maron, and Alachua counties to defend the potential of our youth through one-to-one mentoring relationships and consider being a consistent and trusted friend to a kid.

Here’s how you can get involved this National Mentoring Month:

  • Get out there and make a difference by becoming a volunteer mentor. The first step is to attend a Virtual Big Orientation & Training to learn more about our programs and how you can become a volunteer. View the full schedule of Big Orientation & Trainings here.
  • Follow Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay on FacebookInstagramLinkedIn, and Twitter and use our social media toolkit to spread the word about our need for mentors!
  • Throughout the month, we encourage everyone to tag a friend who would be a great Big using the hashtag #BBBSMentoringMonth and tell them to visit bbbstampabay.org/be-a-big to learn more.
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