Winter 2004-2005

Since 1999, YouthLaunch and partner Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) agencies in Texas have been working to engage selected high school students as “Teen Bigs,” mentoring elementary-aged youth in need of a trusted friend. Now this collaboration has been given a boost with an online training tool, designed with Enspire Learning to improve and standardize the mandatory mentor training to supplement the in-person training the students receive.

In the online application, two fictitious Teen Bigs, Eric and Jaime, guide learners through a series of interactive activities to prepare them for their experiences, with information such as understanding the stages of child development, the importance of confidentiality, and tips for interacting with their “Little.” Students spend between 30 and 45 minutes completing these online exercises, and program staff can track their training.

YouthLaunch hopes that “The Next Big Thing” will establish a new standard for non-profit training. A demonstration can be viewed on the Enspire web site – enter as case-sensitive password the word “pass” and login as any agency and high school in the pull-down menu bars in the log-in box.