Big Brothers and Sisters of Canada

Big Brothers and Sisters of Canada

Big Brothers and Sisters of Canada (BBSC) is a national mentoring organization that provides support to more than 300 Canadian communities, comprising 160 local member agencies. Its mandate is to provide high-quality, volunteer-based mentoring programs to children and youth. Member agencies serve approximately 10 000 young people through a variety of programs, including the traditional Big Brother/Big Sister program, In-School Mentoring, Life Skills Mentoring, Couples for Kids, and Big Bunch. Central to all Big Brother/Big Sister programs is the belief that all children need to feel valued and important.

The Big Brother/Big Sister program traces its roots to the United States in the early 1900s. It spread to Canada in the 1920s, where it grew until in 1964 "Big Brothers of Canada Incorporated" was born. By the mid 1980s the majority of member agencies were serving both girls and boys in their programs, and in 1990 the name "Big Brothers and Sisters of Canada" was adopted.