Local Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter looks to rebuild from pandemic

WORCESTER – After spending unwelcome time apart because of the pandemic, the local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters, a mentoring organization that matches kids and young people with adults, is looking to rebuild.

Prior to the pandemic, they were serving 600 kids in Worcester County but that number has dropped to about 250.

"Now we have a waitlist of over a 100 kids so the need for mentors is pretty dramatic," said CEO Connie Askin.

For a mentorship program like theirs, meeting face to face was a critical aspect, and sustaining the mentor-mentee relationships has been challenging through the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Lindsay McCarthy, director of development at the agency.

Staying inside encouraged innovative means of engagement with the kids — as part of their MYSTEAM program which encourages youth mentoring in science, technology, engineering, arts and math, they were able to offer virtual sessions with professional scientists, neurobiologists and engineers. 

Earlier this year, they launched the GEM (Girls E-Steam Mentoring) program to match girls in middle school with professionals and students in STEM fields.

"It helps them foster that interest and excitement for the STEM field, and help them choose that as they go into high school," said Courtney Evans, director of operations.

Shannon Moffat, a Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduate and now an engineer at a robotics company in Bedford, was matched with 12-year-old Ava from Connecticut through the GEM program. The young girl aspires to be an astronaut and Moffat says despite never having met in person, they have created a really nice connection.

On Wednesday, 14 kids in the program went all the way to the red planet in a virtual mission to retrieve samples from Mars. The event was organized in collaboration with the McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning at Framingham State University.

"It's not only for kids who are definitely interested in STEM, it's also good for kids who think it might be challenging because it's a really low pressure introduction to help them learn," said Moffat, encouraging more participation from local kids.

The folks at Big Brothers Big Sisters say that the program is fulfilling not just for the kids but also for the adults, who have to pass a rigorous screening process.

"The most important thing is the desire to make an impact on somebody's life simply by showing up and being a positive consistent adult in their life," said Askin.