We share our gratitude for those who have given time, talent, and treasure; find out what pizza toppings have to do with confidence; and get to know BFAD No images? Click here NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE From the President & CEODear friends, As adults, we are all informal mentors. Children and young adults are listening to what we say and paying attention to the actions that we take. You may have heard that as students return to schools, there have been a number of incidents demonstrating a lack of empathy and compassion among them. What happens in the locker room of a sports team, is written on the wall of a school bathroom, or said in the hallways of a school building, reflects what our youth are hearing from us as adults. It is not something that is confined to a single community or school; it is not on the other side of the tracks. They are our tracks. It is our community. They are our children. It’s time for all of us to be the adults we want our children to grow up to be. As a youth mentoring organization, we know that the more positive adults in a young person’s life, the better equipped they are to become empathetic, confident, and competent adults themselves. Adding a formal mentor to the mix of positive adults in a child’s life is integral to their healthy development: particularly for girls who often base their self-worth on peer relationships. In our recent survey, 90% of people agreed we need girls-only spaces to develop confidence. Together we must insist on this advantage for every girl. Yet, less than 2% of philanthropic dollars in this country are directed towards girl- and women-serving organizations. Many of these organizations, like Big Sister Boston, are focused on uplifting girls during a critical time in their development and building the confidence needed to make healthy decisions. That is why we want to thank you, especially during this time when we share our blessings. If you are reading this, you have made an investment in girls: whether it be through your time, talent, or treasure. You have insisted that girls have the space and resources to thrive. We hope that during this season of giving, you encourage others to make that same investment, to be insisters alongside you. Together we can ensure that every girl can have the advantage of a positive mentoring relationship and to grow up to be kind, empathic, compassionate adults. In gratitude, Deborah Re Big Sister Boston's Vice President of Community Relations, Mia Roberts, has been with our organization for 19 years. Mia Roberts on the Link Between Public Health and Loss of VoiceThe following article appeared in Boston University's Public Health Post on November 2. When I asked Mia Roberts what she believes is the biggest issue young girls face, she responded immediately, like a reflex to stimuli, or recalling a familiar childhood story of a mermaid who longed to be human: “Loss of voice.” “You ask a girl when she’s seven or eight what kind of pizza do you want? She’ll tell you, ‘I want pepperoni’ or ‘I want pineapple,’” Roberts explains. “But when she hits middle school, she responds, ‘I don’t know, what do you want?’ In that period of growth between elementary school and middle school, there’s a loss of agency, a loss of voice.”
Sportsmen's Tennis Boston Budo One of our Little Sisters who is waiting to be matched does a virtual painting activity with a volunteer from the Harvard Women's Law Association Program Corner: Big for a DayBig for a Day is our twice-monthly program for Little Sisters who are on our wait list to be matched. Our staff pair Little Sisters with a volunteer for the day to engage in a staff-supervised, partner-hosted activity. This program allows us to engage our Little Sisters from the time they are enrolled with us. During the pandemic shut-down, all of our Big for a Day activities were virtual, which enabled us to keep Little Sisters connected during a time when fewer long-term matches were being made. Over the past two months, we were excited to offer virtual and in-person activities for our Big for a Day program participants! These activities included a wide range of fun and skill-building: tennis lessons along with a barbeque with our long-time partner, Sportsmen's Tennis in Dorchester; self-defense and safety lessons with Boston Budo; and virtual activity kits--a choice of painting, science, or construction--with the Harvard Women's Law Association. To learn more about Big for a Day and how you can volunteer or partner with us for an activity, contact Brenna Barrett at bbarrett@bigsister.org MARK YOUR CALENDARFlip the Switch at the Pru Join us as we light up the Prudential Center in Boston during their 31 Nights of Light celebration! Come do your holiday shopping and stop by the Big Sister table (and giant light switch) in the Center Court of the Pru at 5:00 PM to watch as our Big Sisters of the Year and their Little Sisters light up the top of the building in Big Sister Boston purple. New Girls Network: Mentor Matching Launch The New Girls Network turns the old boys club on its head. This benefit is offered to our current Big Sisters, staff, and Auxiliary Board members. Young professional women have the opportunity to choose a mentor from a group of seasoned professionals from a variety of sectors to aid in their own personal or career growth. This is #womensupportingwomen at its best! If you are interested in participating as a mentee or a mentor in the New Girls Network, contact Melissa Trottier at mtrottier@bigsister.org Meanwhile, stay tuned for more details! Project Role Model Boston's role models, including our Big and Little Sisters, hit the runway in the latest fashions from up-and-coming local designers. Join us at our first in-person event of 2022 for an evening of fashion, fun, and fundraising in support of Big Sister Boston's mission! Check your inbox for the save the date in January. Support Our Partner: Harvard Kennedy School You are invited to share your experiences with work-life issues! Researchers from Harvard Kennedy School are designing educational materials to help Bostonians resolve work-life issues, and they are looking to interview women and unpaid caregivers about the work-life conflicts that they face and their experience attempting to resolving those issues with their employers. Participants will have the opportunity to select their preferred $20 gift card as compensation for their time. Things the researchers want you to know:
Please click here to sign up for an interview or if you would like more information about the study: https://bit.ly/30A0XbI
Give & GetShop Global, Give LocalAmazonSmile customers can support Big Sister Association of Greater Boston in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations.
If you do not have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app, update your app. Click here for instructions. |