In 2020, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri partnered with Washington University in St. Louis to better understand how mentoring services could be improved for young people, particularly a segment of boys who had historically experienced longer wait times to be matched with a mentor.

At the same time, Cape Girardeau Public Schools approached the agency seeking a collaborative mentoring solution that could serve more students within a school setting. Together, both organizations recognized an opportunity to create a new model that would expand access while maintaining meaningful youth development experiences.

Over the following six months, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri and Cape Girardeau Public Schools worked side by side to design and implement what would become the Group Mentoring Program.

Planning officially began in January 2021 at Terry W. Kitchens Junior High School in partnership with Principal Garrett Cook and agency staff. After months of collaboration and preparation, the Group Mentoring Program launched in April 2021.

What started as a single cohort serving one school has grown into a regional initiative that now serves youth across five school districts and eight schools.