Big Brothers Big Sisters began in the USA in the early 1900's after a Children's Court judge identified the need for a mentor program for the young people coming through his court. The first ‘Big Brothers’ were predominantly businessmen who volunteered to befriend a ‘boy in trouble.’ The emphasis, at the time, was on reforming boys by encouraging them into education and the workforce.

Big Brothers Big Sisters was first established in Melbourne as a pilot program in 1980.  The Program was modelled on its American forerunner and successfully adapted to meet the needs of young people in Australia.

In 2005, Big Brothers Big Sisters was set up in the Outer South East region of Melbourne. This was made possible through a two year grant from the Helen MacPherson Smith Trust and a partnership with YMCA Victoria. The demand for Big Brothers Big Sisters, in this region, has been proven with more than 300 young people referred to the program for a Big Brother or Big Sister. (At least 2/3 of these referrals have been from boys.) Over the past five years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Outer South East Melbourne has been able to match over 100 of these young people with an adult volunteer mentor and provide group mentoring activity days for many of the other young people still waiting for a long-term 'Big'. At present, there are still more than 100 young people waiting to be matched and this number grows every day. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters is bringing BIG changes to LITTLE lives! We are committed to matching adult mentors with vulnerable young people in need of additional adult support. We aim to empower young people to reach their potential, make positive changes in their behaviour, and build self-worth, trust and relationships at home and at school.