Mentoring a Child Takes a Village

For a child,  a mentor can be a steady and objective voice amid uncertainty—someone who listens, encourages, and supports them, but also creates new pathways to help them discover and fulfill their potential. 

Yet mentorship is not a one-sided exchange: Mentors themselves gain just as much from the relationship. It sharpens patience, stretches empathy, and reminds adults that they’re still learning, too. Mentors’ lives are often changed for the better as they find new purpose and do their part to make the world a better place for the future by nurturing better people.

No organization is more passionate about youth mentorship than Big Brothers Big Sister (BBBS), a national non-profit with a mission laser-focused on fostering one-on-one relationships between Bigs (mentors) and Littles (mentees) to give these children the best chance of success in life. 

At Home

In Miami, BBBS is the Swiss army knife of nonprofits: Signature programs include community-based School to Work, which provides high school Littles with on-the-job once a month mentoring with Bigs at the workplace. Littles are bused to corporations to meet with their Bigs and job shadow, engage in mentoring, and participate in skill-based workshops. Bigs in Blue, meanwhile, pairs Littles with police officers to encourage positive relationships with law enforcement.

“We all have a little in common because all of us can relate to having somebody outside your family who says, ‘You can do it,’” Big Brothers Big Sisters Miami President and CEO Gale Nelson, a passionate advocate for the life-changing power of mentorship, tells AQUA Miami. “Mentorship is not just nice—it’s necessary.” 

In a world obsessed with shortcuts and self-promotion, mentorship is gloriously old-school. It’s about time, attention, and an intentional act of care. It’s understanding that experience should be shared, not hoarded, and that success is more meaningful when it is passed on. It’s choosing to invest in someone else’s future, while simultaneously investing in yours—without needing applause or a cute Instagram post. 

Somewhere between homework assistance, hard conversations, and small wins, mentors remember that impact doesn’t always come from big moments, it comes from real relationships with real people. 

Ready to become a Big? Visit bbbsmiami.org.