Beyond School Walls
Beyond School Walls: Workplace Mentoring Program
- High school students (Littles) are matched with corporate volunteers (Bigs)
- Matches meet as a group for two hours/month at the mentor’s workplace and engage in sessions facilitated by BBBSMA staff.
- The curriculum focuses on career and college readiness, along with relational skill development. Sessions allow a Big and Little to participate in a shared activity while building relationship and conversation.
- Each year of the curriculum correlates to the next but is designed so that a Little can enter the program at any year within the cycle. This allows us to continue engaging the Littles throughout all four years of their high school career and as part of a cohort.
- Mentoring relationships are created and supported adhering to the same evidence-based best practices as those in our traditional 1:1 mentoring program.
Click on a Partner Company below to reach the appropriate Site-Based Coordinator with any questions about your organization's program.
Current Partner Companies:
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (North Atlanta High School)
Cox Enterprises (Chamblee High School)
Google (Benjamin Mays High School)
Insight Global (Cross Keys High School)
UPS (Therrell High School)
Who are the Littles in the Beyond School Walls Program?
The Beyond School Walls program is uniquely designed for high school Littles who are interested in learning about career and future readiness while being mentored by Bigs from the partner company.
When and where do Bigs and Littles see each other?
This program is designed to give Littles real life exposure to corporate life by being mentored at the corporate campus, once or twice per month.
Learn more about the impact of the Beyond School Walls program by watching this video produced by Cox Enterprises honoring the dedicated volunteerism of Roger Turner -- "a pillar of the BBBSMA Beyond School Walls Program since it was piloted at Cox in 2019."
What will we do when we meet each time?
We’ve created a fun and creative social-emotional learning curriculum that our Beyond School Walls matches follow. The curriculum is designed to fit the needs of High School students, directing them towards career and post-secondary education readiness. Each year correlates to the next, but is designed dynamically enough that a Little can enter the program at any year within the cycle. This allows us to continue engaging the Littles all 4 years of their high school career while still serving the larger cohort-model. The curriculum provides structure to the visits and allows a Big and Little to have a shared activity between them, all the while, building relationship and conversation.
Are Bigs and Littles allowed to spend time together outside of schools?
Bigs and Littles in the Beyond School Walls program may only spend time together at the designated site at the specified time. Fostering a sense of consistency and structure by keeping your commitment to visit regularly at the school builds trust. However, if a Big would like to visit a Little for a school-related activity, such as a basketball game or chorus concert, that is allowable.