Find a Big Buddy
If you’re the female carer of a 7-14 year-old boy whose Dad is not in his life, Big Buddy may be able to help you find a man of good character to spend some time with him. Having a Big Buddy makes a huge positive difference to boys' lives.
Why boys do better with a Big Buddy
When we refer to boys without dads in their lives, we generally mean boys who have no contact at all with their fathers. The reasons why their father is not around doesn’t matter so much; how we can help make his son’s life better does matter.
Mums, aunties and grans do an amazing job of rearing boys without their dads around. But these women often report that their boy needs a male influence. In psychological terms, children learn from watching and being around others they recognise as being 'like them’.
Big Buddy provides this framework by matching boys with a Big Buddy for roughly 2-3 hours a week for at least one year. Recognition and attention from a man is really valuable to a boy growing up. Mum’s tell us their boys are more content, more confident and overall happier people because of it.
Benefits for boys
Studies show that boys in female-only households are less likely to branch out and try new things, or in other words, to take a risk. Research and experience show men are more likely than women to encourage boys to take risks. This is a healthy way to help boys discover their own limits, judge risk better in future and grow confidence.
In a Horizon Research survey commissioned in 2013, 73% of Little Buddies reported feeling more confident to try new things since getting a Big Buddy and 79% of their carers reported that the most positive change was in their boy's self-confidence.
Let's get started
Rest assured that we are consistently recruiting and rigorously screening men from the community to become trusted Big Buddies. We focus on creating matches that bring out the best in boys.
Find out about our Big Buddy Selection Process
Once you contact us, we can establish if Big Buddy is the right fit for your boy, then make time to meet you both. All going well, we can then get started on finding the right Big Buddy for him.
Big Buddy is a charitable trust that is funded by sponsors, grants and donors throughout New Zealand. Because of this generosity, there is no charge of any kind to Big and Little Buddies and their families.
Becoming part of the Big Buddy community would make a huge difference to your boy’s life and one of the amazing things about it is…it’s free!
We help mums, carers, social agencies and even schools find Big Buddies for their boys
Criteria Questions:
1) Is your boy between 7-14 years old? 2) Is your boy willing & available 2-3 hours most weekends? 3) Is your boy's father present?
Would you like to find out more?
Take the first step towards finding a Big Buddy
Please fill out your details below and we'll be in touch with you very soon.
Areas we cover in our 4 regions:
Auckland - Orewa in the north to Papakura in the south, Kumeu in the west to Howick in the east.
Hamilton - Hamilton City to Cambridge and the area in between these towns.
Tauranga - Omokoroa in the north to Te Puke in the south, Tauriko and Pyes Pa in the west.
Wellington - Waikanae in the north to Wellington City in the south & Lower Hutt/Upper Hutt in the east.
What's the next step?
Contact us to take the next step in finding a Big Buddy for your boy.
