How does Big Brothers Big Sisters work?
We match volunteer mentors with local children aged 7-11. The mentor and young person spend time together once a week, going on trips, helping them with homework or doing fun activities together – whether that's learning guitar, perfecting their front crawl, planning a day trip to London or learning how to cook.
Launched in 2017, Big Brothers Big Sisters Oxford is based on the US mentoring programme, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. It is a local project, run in partnership between Oxfordshire County Council Children's Services and Oxford Hub. You can read more about what volunteering is like below, on our blog here and here, or by reading the roundup of our Year 5 Evaluation.
Meet some of our members!
Our volunteers come from all around Oxfordshire, and are different ages and come from different backgrounds. They all have one thing in common, an enthusiasm for building a relationship with a child in Oxfordshire and having lots of fun together!
Miles
Miles is Big Brother to an 11 year old boy in Oxford. Their favourite outings include trips to the zoo and playing football in the park.
Stacey
Stacey has been big sister to a girl in Oxford for over 3 years. She works at Oxford University Press. Her little sister has an amazing imagination so they are always making up games and stories.
Georgie
Georgie is Big Sister to a girl in Oxfordshire. Her Little Sibling is very active so they do lots of outdoor adventures.
Lucy
Lucy is Big Sibling to a girl who used to live in Oxford but has now moved away. They have been going on outings for 2+ years and they are continuing to stay in touch even though she has moved further away.
Get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters!
Are you over 18? Do you love spending time with young people? Could you commit 4 hours a week? If the answer to these is 'yes', we'd love to hear from you – whatever your age or background.
Big Brothers and Sisters commit their time to build lasting relationships with a young person. You'll quickly get to know your Little Sibling and what they like. As a volunteer mentor you will experience Oxfordshire through the eyes of a child. You'll be able to support them to achieve their goals and have the opportunity to introduce them to new interests and experiences.
Find out more and apply to be a Big Brother or Big Sister here!
Contact [email protected] if you have any questions before applying. We look forward to hearing from you!
“I enjoy the feeling of helping my Little Brother and giving him something to look forward to each week. I enjoy giving him challenges which he often doesn’t think he’ll be able to do but always managed to push himself to achieve. I love seeing him excited to to see me when I arrive to pick him up and I know we’re going to have a great time trying new things.”
