Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri
Bridging Boys from Risk to Resiliency
Project Date
Mar 2019 – Nov 2021
Type of Evaluation
Outcomes, Process
Setting
Community-based
Overview
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri creates trusting and enduring relationships between young people and adult role models to encourage and support youth health and well-being and academic success.
The Evaluation Center partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri on a three-year project which aimed to examine circumstances that foster strong and enduring mentoring relationships to improve and expand the agency’s one-to-one mentoring model, specifically to African American boys.
Project Description
Background
In order to improve and expand the agency’s one-to-one mentoring model for African American boys, the Evaluation Center initially analyzed data on prior matches of volunteers and African American boys and conducted focus groups among volunteers, parents, staff and youth to understand how dynamic factors impact mentoring relationships and the overall health and well-being of Little Brothers. Informed by these findings, the second phase of the project aimed to enhance the agency’s service delivery model to provide more and better services to African American boys immersed in risk and living in the 26 ZIP codes identified by the St. Louis Regional Youth Violence Prevention Taskforce.
Evaluation Center Activities
- Analyzed pre-existing data to identify the relationships between volunteer and youth/family demographic characteristics and the strength and endurance of mentoring relationships, as well as academic and social outcomes.
- Conducted focus groups with volunteers, parents, staff and youth to identify circumstances necessary to produce strong and enduring mentoring relationships.
- Informed the development of new tools and service delivery model.
- Analyzed data after implementation of a new service delivery model.
Our Products
- Preliminary quantitative summary
- Comprehensive baseline report
- Focus group summary
- Final report
Project Funder
Big Brother Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri (through Missouri Foundation for Health)
