Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a non-profit organization that through mentoring they help children realize their potential and build their futures. They make meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers and children ages 3–18, in communities across the country. Once matched, Bigs commit to meeting with their Little two to four times a month for at least one year. There are four main roles in each journey, a Coordinate Specialist, the Guardian(s), the Little (the child), and the Big (adult volunteer).
The Coordinate Specialist recruits, screens, matches and supports the mentoring relationship between the Bigs and Littles.
The Guardian(s) provide information about their child’s strengths and needs as
well as approving the matched Big Brother or Big Sister.
The Littles are boys and girls ages 3-18, from all different backgrounds and developmental levels.
Bigs are men and women, 21+ who volunteer their time to help shape a child’s future by empowering them to achieve.
So why would Big Brother Big Sisters (BBBS) need an app? What role would it play? I'm glad you asked. Currently there are existing BBBS apps for certain regions and not one that could pertain to the organization as a whole. This is where my challenge came in, to find the solution to an existing problem. So what was the problem? I had a few ideas but without asking the right people the right questions I'd have nothing.
I interviewed existing and past guardians from the organization as well as Bigs, Littles, and people within the organization to get a better understanding of what the program is like and to see if my initial ideas were on point. From our conversations many ideas began to surface and with key insight I began to see an answer to a problem.
Together we gathered that perhaps this app could be used as a tool for the Bigs for the following: Direct communication with the Coordinate Specialist, Scheduling, access to child development milestones, resources for age specific (low-budget) and location based activities, on-the-go tips specifically for their Little, track your progress, and connect with other existing Bigs. Once I gathered all my information I narrowed it down to the specifics of what this app will do.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters App will:
1. Facilitate communication between the Match Coordinate Specialist and the Big Brother or Sister
2. Enable the Big to track their Little's progress and view areas of opportunity
3. Engage in Little Challenges where Bigs and Littles work together to complete fun activities and see how other Bigs and their Littles did.
4. Connect with other Bigs within the organization to create a sense of community.
Mentor: Dave Bullock