In this, the first nationwide impact study of a mentoring organization, P/PV researchers provide scientifically reliable evidence that one-to-one adult mentoring "works" as a strategy for supporting children at risk.

In 1992 and 1993, some 959 boys and girls in eight states, ages 10 through 16, entered into an historic experiment. Half the children were matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister, while the other half were assigned to a waiting list, or control group. On average, the matched children met with their Big Brothers or Big Sisters about three times a month for at least a year.

And the results? Researchers found that 18 months later, the Little Brothers and Little Sisters were:
 

• 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs
• 27 percent less likely to begin using alcohol
• 53 percent less likely to skip school
• 37 percent less likely to skip a class

The children also showed a marked increase in their ability to be more confident of their performance in schoolwork ;less likely to hit someone and they began getting along better with their families.

"These dramatic findings are very good news, particularly at a time when many people contend that ‘nothing works' in reaching teenagers," said Gary Walker, president of Public/Private Ventures (P/PV), the group which conducted the study. "This program suggests a strategy the country can build on to make a difference, especially for youth in single-parent families."

Public/Private Ventures, based in Philadelphia, is a national research organization with 15 years of experience in studying child development and social service issues. This independent research study by P/PV was funded by a $2 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc.; an anonymous donor; The Commonwealth Fund, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

* BB/BS offers a positive, broad-based program "that focuses less on specific problems after they occur, and more on meeting youth's most basic developmental needs," in P/PV's words. Aside from their participation in the study, the Big/Little matches monitored by P/PV were no different from the others. They did the usual things together: eating out, hanging out, playing sports or attending sports events, going to movies, sightseeing, chores and the like.

In the eyes of these children, what mattered was that they had a caring adult in their lives, someone to confide in, relax with and look up to. But as a result, they were doing better in school and at home, and avoiding violence and substance abuse - this at a pivotal time in their lives when even small changes in behavior, or choices made, can change the course of their future.

For more information about this study, refer to the entire document at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.