This program is for children who have at least one parent in the military.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters Military Mentoring Program (BBBS MMP) is designed to support military families by providing children of military personnel with a long-term, one-to-one friendship with an adult volunteer mentor. BBBS also provides Community-Based* and School-Based* mentoring programs.

*Separate fact sheets are available for these programs

No peer-reviewed publications evaluating the effectiveness of this program could be located. However, the BBBS MMP is based on the BBBS Community-Based Mentoring program, which is placed as Promising on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence.

BBBS MMP is intended to help children cope with the unique experiences and possible difficulties associated with military life, which includes separation and loss. Staff in BBBS agencies carefully pair youth with adult volunteer mentors and supervise matches for their duration. Mentors may be active duty, reserve, or retired/separated military personnel or civilians. Program activities include the following:

• Support the parent-child relationship and the child's connection to the community;
• Appreciate the role of military values in the child's life and development; and
• Promote academic achievement and skills development.

The BBBS MMP operates in multiple, but not all, BBBS agencies across the United States and has served over 1,000 children of military families.

Information on training specific to the BBBS MMP was unavailable. Standard training for BBBS mentors includes presentations on the developmental stages of youth, relationship building, communication skills, values clarification, child abuse, sexuality, substance abuse, and problem-solving.

Considerations for implementing the BBBS MMP include assessing the availability of a local BBBS agency that already implements MMP or may be able to add MMP to agency services; obtaining buy-in from members of the local military community, participants, and participants’ parents; recruiting adult volunteers with the potential to be positive and committed mentors to children; and understanding the importance of careful selection and proactive supervision of mentor-youth matches to maximize the potential for long-term mentorships.

The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

If you are interested in implementing the BBBS MMP, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

BBBS mentors are typically expected to meet with youth 3 to 5 hours per week for at least 12 months.

Implementation cost information was not located; however, the BBBS MMP receives funding from foundations, which enables program operations in 25 BBBS agencies.

To move BBBS MMP to the Promising category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one evaluation should be performed demonstrating positive results sustained one year from the beginning of the program or six months from program completion.

The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu

You may also contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of America by mail 2502 N. Rocky Point Drive, Suite 550, Tampa, FL 33607, phone 1-813-720-8778, fax 1-813-749-9446, or visit www.bbbs.org/contact-us/

https://www.bbbs.org/military/; Grossman and Rhodes (2002); and Rhodes, Reddy, and Grossman (2005).