FOR THE "BIGS"

You Can Help Recruit More Bigs!

The best way to recruit quality volunteers is word of mouth. Join us for a FREE lunch or dinner appetizers and share your ideas on how to recruit more Bigs.

For more information, contact Barbie Hallam or Jamie Ward at 210-225-6322.

Links to helpful web sites and reading material about Mentoring.  Enjoy!

Check out the "Match Memories" page!

NEW! Discount Places to Eat!

Click HERE to get a list of a few places in San Antonio with special kids’ deals for dining out. 

Books

The Mentor's Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships   
by Lois J. Zachary  

View on Amazon.com

Review:  Lois Zachary has made a wonderful contribution to the field of mentoring. Her new book is an "easy read" with wonderful metaphors, appropriate emphasis on relationship building, clear distinctions between old style mentoring versus mentoring as a partnership, interesting examples, and useful exercises.

A Mentor's Companion
by Larry Ambrose  

View on Amazon.com

Book Description
A Mentor's Companion is a book written for the active or prospective mentor. Its goal is to be a focused, practical guide into the texture of the mentoring interaction between mentor and protg. Combining a unique recipe of live dialogues between a mentor and her protg, with guidelines that glean the key learning from the dialogues, the book teaches the "moves" the mentor should consider in maximizing the learning possibilities for the protg. Each dialogue and summary is followed by a third... read more

Big Questions, Worthy Dreams : 
Mentoring Young Adults in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Faith 
by Sharon Daloz Parks

View on Amazon.com

Book Description
A smart, compassionate look at the important and often bewildering questions young adults face in their search for purpose, meaning and faith, and a clarion call to concerned adults to actively mentor the next generation.

Parks explores young adulthood as a unique time for reexamining of faith and belief and invites concerned readers to provide thoughtful mentorship and mentoring environments during these "wilderness years." She draws on her own research and insights from developmental... read more

At Risk : Bringing Hope to Hurting Teens
by Scott Larson

View on Amazon.com

Review:  This book is great because it presents a revolutionary approach to reaching today's teens. The author is also very transparent, not just presenting a 1-2-3 easy approach. Highly recommend it

Websites

The Awesome Library
Awesome Library organizes the Web with 16,000 carefully reviewed resources, including the top 5 percent in education.
http://www.awesomelibrary.org

Annie E. Casey Foundation – Funds and presents the latest information on issues affecting America's disadvantaged children. Publish Kids Count data online. Excellent report titled "Evaluating Comprehensive Community Change" available free online. 
http://www.aecf.org

Child Trends - Nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that studies children, youth and families through research, data collection and data analysis.
http://www.childtrends.org

Children Now - Conducts and gathers research on targeted children's issues such as Social and Governmental Structures, Children and the Media, Talking with Kids, and Health. Some focus on California, but also substantial attention to national issues. There are three Children Now newsletters. One relates to Internet issues, and a second on talking with Kids about Tough Issues. A publication section includes research reports. There is an emphasis on working to improve the quality of news and media for children and about children's issues, in their section called Fall Colors.
http://www.childrennow.org

Connect for Kids - Billed as 'guidance for grown-ups', this Benton Foundation site is an encyclopedia of information for adults who want to make their communities better places for kids. The web site, e-mail newsletters, and PSA advertising is intended to help people become more active citizens, from volunteering to voting. Best Bet.
http://www.connectforkids.org/homepage1535/index.htm

Connections - Monthly email bulletin with articles, profiles, interviews, and resources in support of the Benton Foundation's Connect for Kids initiative.
http://www.connectforkids.org/listserve1579/listserv.htm