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Thousands of youth in Southern California looking for mentors in Big Brothers Big Sisters program
Thousands of children and teens in Southern California are at-risk of going down the wrong path. Big Brothers and Big Sisters is an organization that has been helping our youth for a century, and mentors are needed now more than ever because of the pandemic.
There are over 250,000 disconnected youth – teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither working nor in school – in Southern California. Another alarming fact? While the rate of disconnected youth has gradually decreased since 2010, experts expect the COVID-19 pandemic to erase the progress made over the past ten years.
Without access to education resources, technology and opportunities that build career skills, many young people may be left behind.
Sloane Keane, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, has dedicated her life to mitigating these negative outcomes.
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"Successful people all have someone in their corner," said Keane.
According to BBBS, the need for mentors has increased by 30% during the pandemic.
There are more than 700 children and teens in Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties who need a mentor especially boys and young men.
If you want to become a Big Brother or Big Sister, go to OCBigs.org.