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COVID 19: Response | Resources | Bigs & Parents/Guardians Toolkit

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COVID-19 TOOLKIT FOR BIGS AND PARENT/GUARDIANS

COVID-19 TOOLKIT:

To all our Big Brothers Big Sisters Lincoln Bigs and Families - we hope this finds you and your family doing well during these unprecedented times.

As you know, in response to the public health crisis posed by COVID-19 (Coronavirus) we have made the difficult decision to suspend all face-to-face contacts between Bigs, Littles, Families, and Program Staff.  

While we have not determined how long this suspension will last, we can say this will be our policy until federal and state policies on social distancing are relaxed or ended.

During this time of change and uncertainty however, our agency remains committed to supporting our Families, Bigs and our Big/Little matches by responding to the unmet needs of the youth and families we serve.

While we all understand the crucial importance in continuing to provide mentoring services, how we do this will look significantly different in the days, weeks, and months to come. 

What follows is a comprehensive list of resources for Bigs to engage in Virtual Mentoring with your Little, so that you can continue to check in with your Little by meeting virtually rather than in person. We encourage you to review these resources and chat with your Program Specialist to help develop a plan on how best to approach your relationship with your Little. We have also included a list of helpful resources for Parents/Guardians that can be found at the end of this message.

OUR APPROACH TO COVID-19

As we said above, our approach to our work will not change, however, as we move forward together, that work will look very different.

With face-to-face contacts suspended, here's how we anticipate the program will be shifting: 

  • All mentoring will be done virtually via telephone, smart phone, social platforms, and/or video conferencing solutions. 
  • Matches will be no longer required to see each other weekly/3-4 times per month, but Bigs will be encouraged to make weekly contacts with their Littles throughout the duration of the public health crisis. 
  • Our Program Specialists will be providing ongoing case management support just as they always have, but will also be focused on providing a vast array of digital resources to help all Bigs continue to have fun supporting the needs of their Little. 
  • Monthly contact with your assigned Program Specialist will continue to take place.

Amidst the disruption, one thing is clear: Our Littles need us now more than ever. Big Brothers Big Sisters Lincoln will continue to operate remotely to make sure we are able to provide you with the tools and resources you need to continue to provide critical support and guidance in your match relationship.  

TIPS FOR STAYING CONNECTED

Not being able to see your Little face-to-face will present some new challenges to your relationship, but following the tips below will help you navigate through these difficulties while continuing to help your Little reach their highest potential.

VIRTUAL MATCH ACTIVITY IDEAS

There will be a many more of these to come over the coming days and weeks, but we wanted to get you started with a few Match Activity ideas that you can dive into this weekend with your Little!

EDUCATION RESOURCES

With school's closed across the area, we know many Bigs will be focused on helping stem the tide of learning loss while their Littles are spending time at home.  Check out the resources below to help your Little stay sharp and continue to focus on their academics from home. 

RESOURCES FOR PARENT/GUARDIANS

We know many of our parents will be feeling the stress of supporting and providing for their children over the weeks and months to come.  We wanted to share specific resources that might to parents during this time:

We continue to develop ideas for how to support our Bigs, Littles and Families throughout the COVID-19 crisis, as well as bolster program supports to respond to immediate academic/social/emotional needs as soon as we're able to return to face-to-face mentoring.

We want to thank our Parent/Guardians for staying in communication with our Program Specialists to maintain that important connection and we want you to know that we are here for you!

We also want to thank our Bigs for your commitment to helping a child in need during this challenging time. For children who are isolated, fearful and maybe just plain bored right now, your constancy and support can be the difference between regression and growth. 

Thank you and remember - we are Bigger Together and we are in this together!

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