Big Buddy recruits men from the community to be mentors to boys who do not have a father in their lives. Screened and supported mentors spend 2-3 hrs/wk with a Little Buddy (aged 7-14) doing ordinary things like exploring, informal sport, fishing, or fixing a car. A weekly phone call adds continuity to the relationship. The idea is simple yet profound in its reach. It hinges on the concept that young boys grow to be good men through the modelling of older men. It simply involves a good man showing up regularly into a boy’s life, caring for him and modelling positive manhood. The programme has run successfully in Auckland since 1997 and now covers greater Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Wellington regions of NZ.
