Big Brothers and Sisters: the charity

It has transformed the lives of thousands of children in 26 countries around the world. Now the Big Brothers and Sisters charity has arrived in the UK. Lauren Booth wonders if it can first overcome a very British problem?

There's a new import fast winging its way across the Atlantic and it has nothing to do with rock music or fast food. Big Brothers and Sisters (BB and S) is a charity that brings together volunteers and children from one-parent families. The volunteers act as friend, mentor and confidante.

It is a simple concept and one that works well. First established in the US in 1904 with Canada quickly following suit in 1913, the charity owes its existence to the forward-thinking of its founder, a Cincinnati man named Irving Westheimer. When he caught a young boy stealing from his business, rather than turning him over to the police, he made enquiries and discovered that the boy had no father.

Generous Westheimer wanted to help, so he gave the boy his time, encouragement and friendship. Very quickly the young boy grew in confidence, improved his self-esteem and seemed far happier. Not only did the boy benefit but the kindly gentleman found the experience rewarding too and founded BB and S on the same principles.

The charity has made a huge difference to the lives of both mentor and child ever since and has an impressive track record.A recent survey of 959 boys and girls in eight US states (half were assigned a mentor, the other half served as a control group) had impressive results. After 15 months, those with a mentor were 52 per cent less likely to truant, 46 per cent less likely to experiment with drugs and 33 per cent less likely to hit someone. There were also reported improvements in self-esteem and better marks at school.

Over the page: Who can the charity help?