Big Buddy-Little Buddy

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​Inspired by Matilda Cuomo’s mentor program for youth ages 7 to 21, North Shore Youth Council was the first agency on Long Island to implement a one-on-one school-based mentoring service for at-risk youth.

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Big Buddy-Little Buddy is our cross-age peer mentoring program that matches up a high school student with a younger student for support and guidance. In the beginning of the school year, high school volunteers, or “Big Buddies,” are trained under the guidelines of the Long Island Mentoring Partnership and paired up with younger students, or “Little Buddies,” to become their positive, responsible role models. Big Buddies motivate their Little Buddies to perform well at school, they encourage them to engage in recreational activities, and they help them overcome social fears. Our buddies gain meaningful experiences by spending time together each week in a structured, fun, and safe environment that is supervised by our counseling team.