If you’ve ever thought of yourself as a role model for kids, now is the perfect time to make it official.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC on Tuesday, Jan. 23, announced the kickoff of the “Be Bronx, Be Big” campaign to increase youth mentorship in the Bronx.
The campaign joins a push for more youth programming in the borough, as concerns over youth crime and lack of positive opportunities have grown.
While Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC is an organization with huge reach, serving over 2,500 young people over the 2021 fiscal year, only 21 percent were from the Bronx — second to last behind Staten Island.
Gibson wants those numbers to be much higher. She said that her office will take the “Be Bronx, Be Big” initiative to every corner of the borough “from Community Board 1 to Community Board 12,” engaging both youth and adults.
“We are going to occupy the high schools,” Gibson said, noting the many young leaders she meets on a regular basis who would thrive under mentorship of a caring adult.
“They may not be our biological children, but they are our babies,” Gibson said.
She also expressed concern that Bronx youth are often paired with mentors who do not share their background. “We want to make sure that Bronx kids, Bronx scholars, have leaders and mentors that look just like them and represent the same communities and that they are a reflection of our diversity,” said Gibson.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC CEO Alicia Guevara — a Bronx native who grew up in Fordham and now lives in Riverdale — said that the initiative is “not just a call for more volunteers, it’s a call for community action.”
She told the Bronx Times that it can be hard to convince potential mentors that the time commitment is workable — four hours per month, over two weekends.
With this campaign, the organization aims to “meet mentors where they are” to show Bronxites that their experience is valuable and will have a “reciprocal impact” on both the mentor and mentee.
Guevara explained that the New York Community Trust has provided some seed funding for the initiative, but acknowledged it will take more capital — as well as a strong commitment to young people — to increase mentorship levels in the Bronx.
But if anyone could testify as to the benefits, it was the duo named by Big Brothers Big Sisters as “Bronx Borough Match of the Year,” who forged a “lifelong connection” after being paired up four years ago.
Samara Rush, 19, and her “Big Sister” Leandra Grinage are both Bronx natives who bonded over shared experiences and many coffee chats.
“Transitioning from high school to college, I couldn’t have done it without her,” Rush said.
Think you’re interested in volunteering? Big Brothers or Big Sisters must be 18 years old, complete an application and pass through a screening process and background check.
Guevara said all types of people with different life experiences are welcomed, since mentees range in age from 7 to mid-20s and are paired with adults that match their interests.
For leaders in the borough, “Be Big, Be Bronx” is about getting more people to feel the mutual benefits of building a relationship with a young person and making a difference in the larger community.
As Grinage put it, “For me, it’s been a journey of personal growth, teaching me the value of patience, understanding and the profound impact of simply being present.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
