Through the end of April, BBBSSEM is also participating in the Big Draft Campaign and our goal is to recruit 60 Bigs in 60 days!
The campaign is inspired by the NFL Draft– as the NFL drafts its next class of players, BBBSSEM will draft its next class of “Bigs” to reach more youth on the waiting list for a mentor in Southeast Michigan], with a goal of recruiting 60 Bigs in 60 days. Today, one in three kids in America are growing up without a sustained, positive adult mentor in their lives. The gap between mentorship and youth who need it most continues to widen due to perceived barriers of the time and expertise needed to become a mentor. The need for youth mentorship is critical in Southeast Michigan. Through the Big Draft, BBBSSEM is shifting perceptions of mentorship and redefining the everyday moments that can make a big impact on the lives of young people in our region.
We will be working with local community organizations and partners for this initiative. We will be hosting social events, recruitment activities and outreach events to raise awareness about the need to provide youth in our community with mentos. Detroit PAL, Alpha Phi Alpha and our Ambassador Board will be our initial partners. We will branch out from those partners and community organizations to more BIPOC led groups. We have over 200 Littles on our waitlist and our goal is to get 60 of them matched through the aforementioned partners and other community organizations. BBBSSEM is looking to recruit Bigs for the following Littles on the waitlist running in ages from 7-17 in all 4 of our service county areas:
Washtenaw County
- 92 Littles waiting to be matched
- Male 68, Female 34
- African American 73, Hispanic 3, Other 19, Asian 3, Caucasian 4
Macomb, Oakland, Wayne
- 116 Littles waiting to be matched
- Male 104, Female 11, Trans Female 1
- African American 84, Hispanic 3, Other 2, Asian 1, Pacific Islander/Native American 1, Caucasian 25
