Waiting lists for Local Big Brothers Big Sisters programs, which have twice as many boys as girls, shows the need for more male volunteers.
"There's just not enough males to meet the need right now," Taryn Poti, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware County, said. "That would probably be the case at any Big Brothers Big Sisters organization you would call."
As the largest and oldest youth mentoring program in the United States, the program cites impressive statistics about how the mostly one-on-one mentoring relationships positively affect children's lives. But there are large gaps in the number of boys that can be helped.
Waiting lists for boys who want a Big Brother are significantly larger than waiting lists for girls in Delaware County. Poti has a list of 50 boys who are waiting for a mentor, while only 23 girls are still waiting. Not only are the lists longer but also boys remain on the lists longer +â-óGé¼" usually about a year compared to a girl, who waits three to six months.
Matching mentors to children isn't easy though, Poti said. The next man that applies to be a Big Brother isn't paired up with the next boy on the list. The organization looks at similarities, personalities, interests and preferences so the pair can form a strong relationship.
"We never want to force a match for the sake of getting a match," Poti said. Delaware County has 115 one-on-one matches with almost an equal number of boys paired as girls, she said.
The trend extends through the larger Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations as well. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, which serves eight counties, feels the strain of the Big Brother shortage.
"We've found ourselves in various places within other organizations to try to attract more men," Mark Fisher, enrollment and matching team leader for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, said.
Of the 246 children on the Central Indiana chapter's waiting list, 66 percent are males, Fisher said.
"I don't know 100 percent the exact reason why we have a standstill of men," he said.
Poti suspects men take more time thinking about becoming a mentor before they actually sign up. When male volunteers in Delaware County are asked why they decided to become a Big Brother, they usually say they thought long and hard before making up their minds.
Some men could be afraid of what society thinks of their having a one-on-one relationship with a younger boy, Fisher said.
While fewer men volunteer, they stay with the program longer than women, a phenomenon Poti attributes to the longer decision-making process involved when men decide to mentor.
Volunteering with the program requires a one-year commitment. Big Sisters in both areas are mentors for about one to one and a half years. Men stay an average of two years or more.
But the key is bringing males in.
"I wish we could clone a couple Big Brothers," Poti said. "We would be in good shape."
Big Brothers Big Sisters tries to market toward males through its several yearly campaigns. The Central Indiana chapter sends recruiters to certain zip codes, but the organization relies mostly on word of mouth.
"Your best marketing is those people that are already out there involved in the program and having a positive experience," Poti said.
Many people also don't want to become a Big Brother or Sister because they are weary of the time commitment, but Poti said once volunteers are matched with a child, it doesn't seem to take up that much time. The schedules for one-on-one time are flexible as well, she said.
"It's a great program," Poti said. "We just need people to step forward."
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