WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
THERE ARE MANY NON-PROFITS DOING GREAT WORK.
HERES WHAT SETS US APART:
The Big Brother Project is NOT trying to be like a father to the boys. Rather, we aim to be like a big brother.
We get college aged men & young adults to volunteer and work directly with younger boys.
This creates a brotherly bond, stronger sense of relatability, and closeness between the student and the mentor
Young boys are more receptive to figures they can relate to and that they admire.
They are especially influenced by people they perceive to be cool.
This is why they are so easily influenced by celebrities (i.e. rappers & athletes)
This is also why having younger mentors and volunteers is effective and differentiates us from other non-profits
• We are preventative, not just reactive.
Many non-profits provide support to "troubled youth" which presumes that the young men they help are already on the wrong path.
While we DO help so-called "troubled" young men, we also care deeply about supporting young men BEFORE they start following the wrong path.
This is a mistake many parents make! You don't want to wait until the child is too far gone before you start to take initiative.
Our programs are not only for "bad" children and teenagers. We want to take good children/teens and make them BETTER!
We invest in children early - while guidance has the best change of making a lasting difference.
• Our programs are free!
Our in person and online programs are 100% free!
We don't charge for 1-on-1 big brothers NOR for our online programs because we believe that access to guidance and support should NOT depend on income.
We also create online programs because we don't want to limit our impact to just Michigan. We want to help young men all over the country!
• We lead with mentorship, not just programming
Though we do create programs in order to maximize the scale of our impact, our focus remains on personal relationships and direct mentorship.
Our approach is built on relationships, consistency, access to real men & mentors, authenticity, and intentionality.
We don't believe change occurs through curriculum alone...
We believe change occurs through genuine relationships!