At Big Brothers Big Sisters, we know mentoring can impact the mentor as much as the mentee, and that mentoring programs can help families and communities as well. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles (BBBSLA) is launching a new program that is sure to change the lives of Bigs, Littles, and their communities. Beyond School Walls, the workplace mentoring program developed and supported by Comcast NBCUniversal, will launch in its 17th market with a new program in Los Angeles.
The new Beyond School Walls at Universal Studios Hollywood is being called “multi-generational.” The innovative mentoring model matches Universal employees with high school students, and those same high school kids mentor elementary school kids. The high-schoolers are both mentor and mentee, Big and Little. A few times per year, all three participants, the Universal Big, his or her Little, and the elementary school Little, will meet and interact together.
The one-on-one mentoring relationships give the students someone to confide in and trust, someone who gives them an extra sense of support. “This results in the students having an improved outlook on life, improved self-confidence, improved self-esteem and improved behavior and academics,” BBBSLA CEO Tiffany Siart says. “This will, in turn, help create strong 10th-grade leaders in the community who will be able to immediately impact the third-graders they will be mentoring.”
Comcast NBCUniversal’s partnership with BBBSA extends beyond support of Beyond School Walls, as their monetary and in-kind donations also help with media support, local and national Board support, and BBBSA’s National Conference.
