Wringing your hands over violence in Chicago and other problems among young people? That’s one approach. Here’s a better one: Look for a volunteer organization that does good work in the community and offer to help.
For example: As summer begins, 350 children sit on the waitlist of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago, hoping to find an adult who can give them some extra attention. About 70 percent are boys, many on the South and West sides. The nonprofit recently opened a new office in Englewood. It has recruited mentors through churches, community groups and even barbershops.
Mentors must be willing to give some time: They meet with their “Little” one-on-one twice a month and commit to the program for at least a year, though the average length of service is four years. They might have to overcome nervousness about entering neighborhoods they typically don’t visit, ones where children have to navigate their lives every day.
Bigs might work on a goal like helping the child with reading, but the basic idea is just to hang out and do fun activities together, with guidance and influence happening naturally, during the car ride or the seventh-inning stretch. Plenty of children have loving parents, often a single mother, who sign them up for a mentor because they don’t have the time or money for outings and enrichment activities. Kids may have multiple siblings and not get a lot of individual time with a parent. Visits to restaurants, amusement parks, museums and ballgames might be new to them — not something they take for granted.
The century-old organization has updated its approach to volunteers in recent years. In the rideshare era, Bigs are no longer required to have cars. There are extensive background checks, but contact with the criminal justice system that is unrelated to child safety or well-being is not necessarily a disqualifier. There’s also an increased awareness that some young people experience gender in more fluid ways and need mentors who are on the same wavelength. Parents and children share their preferences for a mentor and ultimately must approve any match.
Organizations can help out too. Law enforcement officers sign up as Bigs, an attempt to improve understanding between police and communities. Corporations or office buildings can host on-site programs. Donations are welcome. It costs about $2,000 to cover the first year of mentoring, primarily to recruit, screen and train Bigs, then monitor the relationship, says Kristine Brown, director of marketing and communications.
There are other ways to support a child, including becoming a licensed Department of Children and Family Services foster parent. The opportunities to help are out there.
Children, Brown points out, are always being influenced by someone. The challenge is to make sure it’s the right person, one who can guide them in the right direction rather than nudge them in the wrong one. Why not you?
