Big Brothers/Big Sisters provides long-term mentoring partnerships for kids in need. Our dream of a Big Brothers Big Sisters Clubhouse in Jerusalem has become reality and on January 27, 2008, we officially opened our new facility which houses both the Clubhouse and our Jerusalem offices. The Clubhouse provides an acceptable social setting and experience for the pairs. It is open for activities from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm and in the short time that we have been open, 78 pairs have visited both from Jerusalem and Gush Etzion for a total of over 260 visits! Included in the variety of activities available at the Clubhouse are board and card games, lego, table hockey, arts and crafts, a “quiet” room and extracurricular classes – art, gardening, nature study and cooking. Big Brothers and Sisters receive a weekly electronic newsletter regarding Clubhouse activities and local activities that is sent out by our Clubhouse Coordinator who is a social worker with prior experience and outstanding ability in human relations. Other Clubhouse activities include movies, tournaments, and mini “Fun Days.”
Since 2003, Big Brother Big Sisters of Israel (BBBS) has been making a significant contribution to lonely children and teens at-risk from single-parent families for whom short-term mentoring services are inadequate. These “Little Brothers and Sisters” are matched with dedicated, adult volunteer mentors (Big Brothers and Sisters) who meet together weekly in order to achieve a warm, supportive and long-lasting relationship. Presently over 70% of children enrolled in the program are from economically disadvantaged families. Through positive role modeling, a Big Brother or Sister relationship has the capacity to eventually break the cycle of economic distress by exposing children to new experiences and models of living. This past year, BBBS made the leap to become a national organization by opening a branch in the city of Tel Aviv where the rate of single-parent families is well over double the national average. In addition, our new Jerusalem Clubhouse serves as a drop-in center for activities, a facility for small group “Fun Days” and an added attraction to volunteers looking for a more social experience.
Up until this year, when Big Brothers and Sisters met weekly with their Little Brothers and Sisters, they did so either in the child’s home or outside of the home at a place of recreation or culture.
As our pairs are together for years, eventually, after exhausting possibilities for recreation or culture, there came a point when what they wanted most was just a place to “hang out” together. This reality added to the fact that, in our experience, when the pairs were able to meet with each other and feel the camaraderie of being part of a larger group, two phenomena occurred: the Little Sisters and Brothers felt more accepted in that they saw that they were “not the only one with a Big Sister or Brother,” and volunteers were able to network with one another and plan activities in small groups.
In January 2008, we officially opened a Big Brothers Big Sisters Clubhouse in Jerusalem that serves as a support center for the pairs, a drop-in center for activities, a facility for small group “Fun Days” and an added attraction to potential volunteers looking for a more social experience.
Our Clubhouse includes a myriad of attractive activities for pairs that include:
- Community work in the neighborhood
- Gardening
- Renovating fish ponds
- Extracurricular activities such as cooking, chocolate making, jewelry making, movies and popcorn, barbecues and self defense classes.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters Clubhouse also affords the staff an opportunity to observe the pairs in action, and thus they are able to advise and guide more effectively.
Name of Organization:Big Brothers Big Sisters of Israel
Number of Paid Staff:3 f/t, 1 p/t
Number of Volunteers:181
Total Organizational Expenses:$390,000
% of Organizational Overhead Expenses:27%
Israel has many admirable short-term mentoring projects, foremost among them the Perach university student mentoring program. For many children, this short-term experience is satisfying and enriching, but for some, a short-term framework is a painful tease, and the end of the relationship is a bitter reenactment of previous losses. BBBS is unique in its goal of creating relationships that last not for months but for years, with adults who have the ability to commit long-term. Therefore, we are able to make a more long-lasting, significant impact on the lives of children and teens at-risk.
Genia, 12, lives alone with her mother who came to Israel from the Ukraine eight years ago. Genia’s father is in jail because of domestic violence, and Genia’s mother is sick with a chronic disease and clinical depression. We first met them four years ago, when we introduced Genia to her Big Sister, Deborah. Genia and her mother were living in a tiny, dreary apartment, sleeping together on the same broken bed. There was no light at the end of their tunnel because Genia’s mother can’t work and they live on a government subsidy, which is a pittance.
When we realized how desperate Genia’s family situation was, we organized a special campaign to raise the money to move them out of their dark despair and furnish a lovely, bright, airy apartment with all the basic necessities.
Rebecca’s father died two and a half years ago and the family is far from recovering. After waiting for many years to be able to have children, Rebecca’s mother and father were thrilled when Rebecca, 8 and her twin brothers, 6, were born, and spent every minute with them that they possibly could. They were very close.
And then Rebecca’s father passed away suddenly, leaving the family without a breadwinner and with debts in the bank. Rebecca’s mother became quite hysterical, and has not really regained composure. One of the twins has special needs, and the other is quite bright but without any outlets for his energy.
Rebecca has a wonderful Big Sister, Michal, and they love each other dearly. They spend time together going to museums, movies, baking cookies and picnicking in the local park. The two boys are on our long waiting list for a Big Brother. We have helped the family out with a computer, day camps and afternoon enrichment programs and would like to continue to do so in order to give them some quality of life.
Good Deed (commandment) - Mitzvah
Kindness leads to Kindness - Chesed Gorer Chesed
Relationships Between People - Bein Adam L'Chavero
Role Model - Mofet L'assiat Chesed
In Israel: meet the pair, spend time with them, go to a movie or the zoo, etc.
From the USA: “Meet a Match” - Adopt a pair (a big and a little brother/sister) and create a virtual relationship online or via other methods (regular mail!). Use JChoice, Facebook, webcam send pictures, share ideas and activities, send games and activity books, etc.
Name:Libby Reichman
Title:Executive Director
Address:84 Golomb Street Jerusalem Isreal
Telephone:(025) 612-131
Email:libby@bigbrothers.org.il
Website:www.bigbrothers.org.il