BBBSMA & Cox Enterprises Partner for “Beyond School Walls” Mentoring Program
After a nearly 20-year relationship, Big Brothers Big Sister of Metro Atlanta (BBBSMA) has partnered with Cox Enterprises for its first “Beyond School Walls” site-based mentoring program. The program, which will pair 20 Chamblee Charter High School students (“Littles”) with Cox Enterprises employees (“Bigs”) this spring, is the first of its kind for BBBSMA.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta is very excited to launch Atlanta’s first ever Beyond School Walls program,” said Kwame Johnson, President and CEO of BBBSMA. “We’ve seen the importance of meeting children where they are in life, and this program gives us the unique opportunity to serve students during their school day. The curriculum mixed with the experience of interacting with Cox Enterprises employees in such an impressive corporate workplace creates such an exceptional mentoring experience that we are honored to facilitate.”
The partnership will involve the pairs meeting twice a month at the Cox headquarters. Each outing will include two sections: a group curriculum presentation and a time for the “Bigs and Littles” to reflect on the curriculum together. The curriculum focus of this semester is professional development and together the pairs will review pertinent information for high school students: goals, time management, and interview preparation, among much more. The partnership’s goal is to expand the program to serve 35 students during the 2019-20 school year.
“At Cox, we have a purpose: Empower People Today to Build a Better Future for the Next Generation. These words tell us why we come to work every day, and Beyond School Walls is a great example of how we plan to get to this better future. We’re proud to pilot this Atlanta program with our long-time partners Big Brothers Big Sisters and Chamblee Charter High School,” said Brien Faucett, Cox Corporate Social Responsibility.
BBBSMA has two major mentoring programs: site based and community based. In the site- based programs, BBBSMA connects professionals and collegiate students with elementary, middle, and high school students for one-on-one mentoring during the school day. This arrangement allows students to access mentoring when it might not otherwise have been possible. Many Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates have built very successful corporate partnerships for Beyond School Walls programs, including BBBS Miami and BBBS Independence Region.
If your company is interested in a Beyond School Walls partnership, please contact Zach Nikonovich-Kahn, Director of Volunteer Recruitment, at 404.601.7153 or Zach@bbbsatl.org.
Photos by JM Photographics
