Success Outcomes

Search Institute Study

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is a mentoring program with proven results. The Search Institute has identified certain assets as building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. BBBS measures the percentage of children matched in the program who improve or maintain in the following asset areas:

Year of Study: 2005
Self-confidence	87.34%
Able to express feelings	90.19%
Can make decisions	80.38%
Has interests or hobbies	83.54%
Hygiene, appearance	80.06%
Sense of the future	66.77%
Attitude toward school	80.70%
School preparedness (homework)	58.23%
Class participation	50.32%
Classroom behavior	50.32%
Uses school resources	64.24%
Uses community resources	55.38%
Academic performance	71.84%
Able to avoid delinquency	75.95%
Able to avoid substance abuse	75.63%
Able to avoid early parenting	72.78%
Shows trust toward you	97.15%
Respects other cultures	81.96%
Relationship with family	68.35%
Relationship with peers	86.71%
Relationship with other adults	72.78%

Nationwide Independent Study

Big Brothers Big Sisters' mentoring programs were the focus of a nationwide study of the benefits to young people by having a Big Brother or Big Sister. A Philadelphia-based independent research firm, Public/Private Ventures, studied children in Big Brother Big Sister mentoring relationships and compared them to a group of their peers without mentors. The study concluded that Little Brothers and Little Sisters were:

46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
27% less likely to begin using alcohol
52% less likely to skip a day of school
37% less likely to skip a class
one-third less likely to hit someone
increased their confidence in schoolwork performance
showed better relationships with their family members and peers

The San Antonio agency was one of eight sites across the nation to participate in this study. "These dramatic findings are very good news, particularly at a time when many people contend that 'nothing works' in reaching teenagers," said Gary Walker, president of Public/Private Ventures.