Volunteer mentors will be matched with youth in grades 9-12 at 2 local high schools: Interlake High School in Bellevue and West Seattle High School

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound is looking for 60 adult volunteers to mentor 9^th through 12^th graders once a month at 2 local high schools in a program called “MentorU”.

One in three kids in America are growing up without a sustained, positive adult mentor in their lives. Over 500 youth are on Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound’s waitlist for a mentor. The gap between mentorship and youth who need it most continues to widen due to adult volunteers’ perceived barriers of the time and expertise needed to become a mentor. Understanding the critical need, BBBSPS seeks to engage and galvanize community members in West Seattle & Bellevue to help bridge the gap between people and possibility.

Contrary to what potential volunteers might assume, no special qualifications are needed to be a great mentor.

The MentorU program engages local adult volunteers in West Seattle & Bellevue. These adults are matched with 9^th through 12^th graders in 1:1 mentoring relationships with 90-minute meetings once each month during the school year. Mentors meet with their mentee to provide insights into the professional world and support mentees’ social-emotional development.  BBBSPS provides a facilitator who guides mentors & mentees through a curriculum that prepares mentees for post-secondary education, employment, enlistment, and entrepreneurship. The program uses a cohort-based approach, working with incoming 9^th graders, with the goal of ongoing student participation throughout high school.

Mentoring has a long track record of proven positive outcomes. In particular, 100% of young people matched with mentors through BBBSPS graduate high school.

A staggering 79% of youth with a mentor experienced improvement in or reported no worsening of depressive symptoms. MentorU’s social-emotional programming directly supports this positive outcome.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound is looking for 60 volunteers of all gender identities, ethnicities, nationalities, and backgrounds. Volunteers should be willing to volunteer for 90 minutes once a month in West Seattle or Bellevue. Volunteers will help teens in MentorU achieve their BIGGEST, brightest futures. Are YOU ready to #BEBIG?