Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa (BBBSO) facilitates, manages and guides meaningful one-to-one mentoring relationships between caring adult volunteers and youth, fostering positive role models and empowering young individuals to reach their full potential.

What is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa (BBBSO) all about?
Big Brothers Big Sisters has a diverse 105-year history in Canada and has been making a BIG impact in the lives of young people right here at home in Ottawa since 1970. The BBBSO mission is to create life-changing mentoring relationships that ignite the power and potential of young people.

Youth mentorship is a relationship in which an experienced, trusted, and knowledgeable adult guides, supports, and provides meaningful advice to a young person. At BBBSO we provide traditional community based mentorship, in-school mentorship, MPower mentorship (special support for our mentees ages 15-24) and PRISM which is designed to uniquely support 2SLGBTQ+ young people in our community.

Youth Mentorship:

  • develops critical life skills
  • helps young people explore interests and career options
  • and sets them on the right path for a brighter future!

Research has shown that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with valuable tools to make:

  • responsible choices
  • attend and engage in school,
  • and reduce or avoid risky behaviours.

But the best part is these mentored young people are:

  • twice as likely to have high academic achievement.
  • 43% less likely to have conduct problems at school.
  • 34% less likely to allow themselves to be victimized or bullied by peers.
  • 17% more likely to be gainfully employed as adults.
  • overall, leading healthier, happier, and more secure lives.

How can you be part of the mentorship movement and become a BBBSO Believer? Join us as a Mentor or support one of our many matches with a charitable gift. It costs $1,000 per year to create, guide, train and safely manage a match. To donate today click HERE.

BBBSO Annual Report for 2022

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Whether you want to become a mentor or get involved and make an impact in your community, it all starts here!

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Make an impact and help young people realize their full potential! Learn more about our mentoring programs and make a difference in your community.

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No matter how little or how big, every donation helps. Every dollar invested in mentoring returns $18 to your community!

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa (BBBSO) is supported by the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund and Ottawa Community Foundation.