#OneOfMANY: Thoughts On Youth Services from Tucson, AZ

#OneOfMANY: Thoughts On Youth Services from Tucson, AZ

MANY is traveling all across the country, meeting with member organizations, talking about their programs, and identifying trends and issues that are happening in the youth services field across the U.S. We had the privilege of sitting down with Program Director David Simpson – who works at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson in Arizona – about what drives them to continue their commitment to the work and to the community. This is what they had to say:

Q: What would the youth in your program say is the biggest strength they have? The biggest challenge they face?

The biggest strength of youth in our program is family support and involvement. Taking the initiative to enroll their children in the program shows a strong sense of parent involvement. Families that continue to support their children throughout the match results in positive, long-lasting relationships. The biggest challenge children in Tucson face is not being able to succeed academically because of the lack of support in school. We have noticed that many children have the desire to succeed academically but many of their schools have very limited resources for their students who need extra help.

Q: What do you look for in staff and mentors who work with youth?

We are always looking for individuals who have a strong desire and passion to work with our youth. It is important to have a team member or a mentor that is looking to make a difference in a child’s life. This work can sometimes be draining and intense. Someone who is passionate, focused, driven, and goal-oriented is often times the best person for the job.

Q: What is interesting/challenging/unique about your work in Tucson?

A unique challenge Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson faces is that although we have a large Hispanic and Spanish-speaking community, we often do not have many Spanish-speaking volunteers interested in mentoring a child. Although we recruit volunteers from different local businesses who employ people from many different backgrounds, our Spanish-speaking children, on average, take much longer to be matched. The majority of our program staff are Spanish-English bilinguals and are equipped to work with diverse cultures. Therefore, our goal is to bridge this gap so that more of our Spanish-speaking youth have a better opportunity to gain a mentor.

Q: What are some intentional activities that you do to foster a sense of community? How do you talk with your community about the work you do?

Some intentional activities we provide in our program are geared towards our families and are meant to create a sense of community amongst our organization. For example, every year we hold events where we invite families and Bigs. We recognize all parties of the match at our Big Celebration and host quarterly family events where they can meet other participants in the program. We also promote opportunities where families can attend community events to foster a sense of pride in the city they live in.

Q: Where do you find your energy to continue your commitment to this work?

Learning about the achievements of the children in our program gives us the energy to continue our commitment to this work. We also love to hear about the connections Bigs make with not only their Littles but the families as well. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson takes pride in the connections we help made amongst Bigs, families and Littles.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson "Our vision is that all children achieve success in life. To that end, our mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. We partner with parents and guardians, volunteers, and others in the community and hold ourselves accountable for each child in our program achieving higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships, avoidance of risky behaviors and educational success." You can follow their work on Facebook and Twitter.   

To follow the rest of MANY's road trip around the country, follow the hashtag on Twitter #MANYRoadTrip here and follow the hashtag on Facebook #MANYRoadTrip here.