Big Brothers Big Sisters Celebrates National Mentoring Month with Game Night

January is National Mentoring Month, and this year Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands (BBBS; bbbsomaha.org) is celebrating with a game night! The event will be held on Thursday, January 23, 5:30–8:30 p.m., at Spielbound in Midtown, 3229 Harney St.

For the second year, BBBS will use this game night as a way to thank their Big Brothers and Sisters for being mentors, and also to invite more potential Bigs to get involved. Game Night Part 2 will include a large variety of different board games, drinks, food, and door prizes. There will also be staff on site to give you more information about becoming a Big Brother, Big Sister, or Big Couple, and join the ranks of thousands of mentors in Nebraska.

National Mentoring Month is aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of our community’s young people with caring adults. Research shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to strive and thrive, to attend and engage in school, and to reduce or avoid risky behavior like drug use. In turn, these young people are:

  • 55% more likely to be enrolled in college
  • 81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities
  • 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities
  • More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team

Yet, the same research shows that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor. Today in Omaha, there are over 120 youth in the BBBS program on the waiting list who could benefit from having a mentor outside their family.

National Mentoring Month is the time of year where engagement from community members interested in becoming a mentor is highest. With the support of the mentoring community, BBBS is encouraging the public to go beyond just digital engagement and become involved in real life.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands is here to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally-supported one-to-one relationships that ignite their dormant potential and change their lives for the better. To learn more or get involved, go to bbbsomaha.org or call (402) 330-2449.