BIG FUTURES PROGRAM

Mentoring Through Young Adulthood

In our Big Futures program, your child maintains an ongoing mentoring relationship with his or her Big after high school graduation or age 18, when the traditional Big Brothers Big Sisters program ends. This extended relationship with a Mentor provides support to older youth as they navigate one of the most pivotal times in their lives – the transition into young adulthood.

Helping students prepare for success doesn’t just mean college-prep work, however. Big Futures focuses on providing guidance and connections to community resources to Mentees as they work toward one of the three “Es” – Education, Enlistment, or Employment – with the goal of ensuring that they are prepared to attend college, enter the workforce, or enlist in military service after high school, and ultimately become self-sustenance by the age of 29.

Match Support Specialists will help program participants increase their awareness of and access to the information, community resources, and training opportunities that help them reach their individual goals. Little Brothers and Sisters find the most useful resources for their individual needs, enabling them to access information on job readiness, resume building, college degree requirements, work and life skills, or enlistment requirements.

By extending the match relationship into the transitional years of young adulthood, Big Futures provides Littles with stability, support, and guidance as they begin to expand their knowledge of the larger world and find their unique place within it.

Read the latest news and updates about our Big Futures program here.

To learn more, please contact Christina Eisenlord, Big Futures Program Manager, at 512-807-3611 or ceisenlord@bigmentoring.org.

Partnerships with the following community colleges, universities, and trade schools offer opportunities and scholarships to our Mentees. Together, we also help participates gain work experience through internships and job shadowing, learn about various career paths, and develop professional skills, career readiness, and financial literacy.

A significant role played by the Big Futures Program is connecting Mentees with resources that address their particular needs and goals. The following nonprofit organizations and professional services can help youth with career and educational readiness as they transition to adulthood.

ACC Ascender – ACC Ascender is an evidence-based college readiness and completion non-profit whose mission is to empower faculty, staff, and institutions to increase the educational attainment of Latinos and other underserved communities in order to close the achievement gap. Ascender has opened their doors to welcome any of our Big Futures Mentees to take advantage of their workshops, informational sessions and events like career days. Ascender also offers mentorship for the student’s first year and if a Big Futures Mentee would like to have their BBBS Mentor in the Ascender program with them, then Ascender will help to make that happen as well.

Park University – Park University is a private, nonprofit, liberal arts institution and they serve as one of our educational partners. Park University offers a tuition discount for any Little/Mentee, Big and BBBS staff member.

SID Centers – SID Centers is a next-generational mentoring program that is available to kids ages 13-17 and young adults ages 18-24 and their mission is to use multiple key areas taught by dedicated mentors to enhance the knowledge of every student they serve. For our Big Futures Mentees, SID Centers has opened their doors to welcome any of our Mentees to take advantage of their curriculum, workshops, text hotline and events as well as any of their additional services.

Your Ticket to College – Your Ticket to College offers individualized private tutoring for SAT and ACT prep and is owned by one of our Big Futures Mentees. Your Ticket to College will be partnering up with our BBBS Big Futures program to offer an employment path for our Big Futures Mentees. YTTC developed a pilot in 2023 to offer free tutoring to any BBBS Little/Mentee. YTTC developed another pilot for 2024-25 to work with BBBS Mentees of all ages on reading and math fundamentals at a heavily discounted rate. Currently, YTTC and BF are working on developing a GED pilot for post-18 mentees and family members.

Foundation Communities – Foundation Communities is a local nonprofit that provides affordable housing and free on-site support services for everyone including families with kids, veterans, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. Foundation Communities will be working with Big Futures to provide and connect Mentees to internships and apprenticeships, college tours, support with post-secondary education enrollment, enrolling in healthcare and tax support.

Skillpoint Alliance – Skillpoint Alliance is a nonprofit workforce development organization that provides workforce training to members of the Central Texas community. Skillpoint Alliance offers free training in the Skilled Trades of HVAC Technician, Pre-Apprentice Electrical and Pre-Apprentice Plumbing and Manufacturing. Each of their programs are 4-5 weeks long and are offered all year round. They offer weekly stipends to their students while they are in training as well. Skillpoint Alliance will be offering any of our Big Futures Mentees with one-on-one information sessions, tours and applications will be given priority status.

College Contact – College Contact is an Austin based edtech platform that matches high school students to current college undergraduates for the purpose of college advising and enrollment. Each student gets matched with a counselor who fits their specific needs and interests. Students can book Zoom meetings with their counselor to build college lists, edit essays, apply for financial aid, fill out their applications, and ask questions. College Contact is currently offering their services for free for BBBS Mentees and are planning to expand their reach to more Littles by the 25-26 academic year. They also serve as an employment partner for our Big Futures Mentees.

Dwyer Workforce Development – Dwyer Workforce Development is a non-profit whose purpose is to provide Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and healthcare job positions in senior care centers to individuals who lack opportunity and who aspire to pursue a career in the healthcare industry. Dwyer Workforce Development provides job training, wraparound services, case management and job placement support in senior healthcare facilities for Dwyer Scholars. Goals are set for a career ladder and after reaching those goals, Scholars are awarded a scholarship to attend nursing school or to pursue additional training for other healthcare careers at no cost to the Scholars. DWD provides a direct referral route for any BBBS mentees and involvement in any Big Futures events. DWD also hopes to sponsor any future BF events.

League of Women Voters – The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. They empower voters and defend democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation, at the local, state, and national levels. LWV will work with Big Futures to address and increase voter registration as well as connect Mentees to employment opportunities during the election cycles.

Leval All –  Level All provides comprehensive multimedia content for every type of learner. They help guide students (age 13+) and families through high school, post-secondary planning & alternatives to college, college (Dual Enrollment, 2yr, 4yr) success, career discovery & professional skills development, financial literacy, leadership development & life skills and support before, during, and after the programs. Level All and BBBS Big Futures are building a partnership to provide access to their platform for all of this content for free 

Outwellness – Outwellness is health and wellness care designed for Austin’s LGBTQ+ community. They provide expert guidance, diverse classes, and a welcoming environment where personal growth is prioritized. Outwellness and Big Futures hope to provide access to physical activities for Mentees as well as avenues for social connection.

Skinny’s Barber Shop – Skinny’s Barber Shop is a local barber shop who has been partnering with BBBS for many years now. Skinny’s hopes to work with Big Futures to help sponsor Mentees for needed resources or access to career development, job shadowing opportunities and to sponsor any BF events.

Finish More Music – Keith Mills, founder of Finish More Music, reveals the creative strategies and mindsets he teaches to thousands of music producers so they can write more and better music and get it ready to release. Keith offers one to one, tailor-made courses for students and producers worldwide and is opening his doors to a small pilot group of post-18 BBBS Mentees to benefit from his expertise at no cost. FMM and BF Mentees will be developing a podcast where mentees can learn the following:

• Scripting Episodes/ Shaping the Story Arc.
• Practicing speaking on the microphone to gain confidence.
• Sourcing guests.
• Researching and preparing interview questions.
• Setting up the software and microphones.
• Audio editing to create the final episodes.
• Designing the podcast graphics for each episode.
• Uploading, writing the show notes and marketing each episode.
• This can offer great experience to add to a resume and to prepare young adults for job interviews.

Continental Automotive Group-Austin Infiniti, Austin Subaru, First Texas Honda – CAG provides car maintenance workshops on an annual basis for our high school and post-18 mentees. CAG also provides 6 driving school scholarships to post-18 mentees so that they can have access to driver’s training at no cost.

What type of communication will we have with BBBS in the Big Futures Program?

• Match updates will continue with the Big and the Mentee on a quarterly basis.
• Match updates will not be required from Parent/Guardian, unless Mentee:
  • Is under age 18
  • Specifically requests that we remain in contact with Parent/Guardian
• We will share information about the program with Parent/Guardian at the time the Match transitions to Big Futures, but we will no longer be reaching out for updates from them.
• Match updates and our communication will focus more on the Mentee’s future – employment, education, goals/plans, etc. and less on their match activities and outings.
• The match relationship may look different – it will likely be less about the match relationship, how much time is spent and the activities you do together and more about how we’re supporting our Mentees toward their future plans and goals.

Will Big Futures matches have to abide by the same agency policies/guidelines as matches in BBBS general mentoring programs?

Matches in Big Futures will be required to communicate with each other, continue building their relationship and maintaining communication with BBBS.  Beyond that, BBBS will be reviewing current program standards/rules and adjusting for Big Futures matches. Some examples of areas to address:

• Overnight visits
• May be allowed in certain instances for BF matches. Must check with your MSS before any take place.
• Drinking/Smoking
• Rules may be adjusted for Mentees who have reached legal age.

These are simply examples of the areas we need to explore, and opportunities to adjust our guidelines for matches in which mentee is now an adult.

How do we motivate matches to continue developing their relationship when they’re not meeting as consistently or live in different areas (ex. Mentee is in college out of state)? 

Our hope for these Matches is to continue supporting and building a mentoring relationship toward success.  For these Matches, this relationship may look very different, so we will focus on maintaining consistent communication, as well as coaching/guiding toward future aspirations and goals.  In-person meetings may be less frequent, but match participants should maintain regular communication to keep their relationship strong.

Will matches be required to continue with Grant Reporting or BBBS Surveys?

Once officially in Big Futures, Matches will no longer be required to report for grants (specific number of meetings or hours) or complete regular BBBS surveys (Strength of Relationship, Youth Outcomes Survey, RPI, etc.).  However, we will be developing an outcomes survey specific to Matches in the Big Futures program and Matches will be asked to complete this, as well as keep Big Futures staff updated on their relationship, Mentee’s status in relation to the 3 E’s, etc.

What types of outcomes will we be tracking?

BBBS will be developing various methods of supporting and tracking progress of Mentees, including development of an Outcome Survey as well as various outcome metrics, that may include:

• Is Mentee “on track” with:
  • Education: enrolled or enrolling in post-secondary education (2yr, 4yr, trade school, certification program, etc.)
  • Employment: setting career goals, building job skills, resume-building, etc.
  • Enlistment: considering or enlisting in military service
• Living Situation
• Who does the Mentee live with, number of people at home, household income, etc.
• “Risk Factors” previously tracked with pre-18 matches: Involvement with law enforcement, unplanned pregnancy, etc.

What additional resources will be provided?

Our goal is to grow our ability to share resources and opportunities with Mentees/Matches while developing partnerships in each of the 3 E’s.  This may be through e-news blasts, social media groups, in-person trainings, resource fairs, etc.:

• Education – Connect Mentees/Matches with BBBS Scholarship Program, financial aid resources, college access groups, 1^st generation college student resources, etc.
• Employment – Workplace partners, job readiness training, resume-building skills, interviewing skills, etc.
• Enlistment – Connections with recruiters, those currently enlisted and/or veterans to provide guidance for Mentees considering military service.

Our goal is not to be experts in any of these specific areas, but to be connected to and able to guide/direct our Matches toward experts in each of these fields.

What are the benefits to Matches remaining open in Big Futures?

In order to help Mentees make progress toward one of our 3 E’s: Enrollment, Employment or Enlistment, the Big Futures program provides guidance, information, and workshops related to: