The Older Sibling You Wish You Had

Growing up, I would have loved to have a mentor that was a college student. At that age, being able to talk to someone who wasn’t related to me that still feels like family would have been amazing. Kennesaw State University has many clubs and organizations that deal with being on and off-campus, but I never saw something quite like what I would want to create.

The club that I would create is something that can help the younger generation prepare for their future.

With the way, this organization would work, it would be built around your schedule so that they wouldn’t interfere, but since school takes place during the day, sometimes it may overlap. If meetings do overlap, it will be counted as excused since it is an organized function. Even if you aren’t studying childhood education, you can still be a part of this organization. Or, if you do want to study childhood education, then this program would be a great experience for talking to students.

The purpose of this program would be to be partnered up with no more than two kids, one from elementary school, and another from middle school. You would act as an older sibling in a way, and help with what they need. Whether an elementary schooler or a middle schooler, you can be there for them. For kids who don’t have the best home life, having a good ‘older sibling’ could be good for them, just knowing that someone is going to be there for them even if they aren’t related. If they are going through rough patches at home that young, we can ensure them that it won’t always be that way and that things will eventually get better. Before you are paired up with students, the parents must sign off on a permission slip saying that they are okay with a college student mentoring their child.

All meetings with your little sibling will take place during school hours of either the elementary or middle school. It will take place during lunch breaks where you can just sit with your little sibling and just talk to them about whatever they want. If they want to know about college life, then talk about your experience and encourage them to attend. But, keep in mind that not all students are interested in college and since they are so young, encourage them to do what they are truly interested in. With the middle schoolers, conversations can flow more since they are just about teenagers, but with elementary school be careful with what is said because they may or may not understand what you are saying. If your little sibling suggests meeting outside of school hours, it must have been signed off on the permission slip. Also, it should only be allowed with parental supervision in a public setting.

I thought this would be a good idea for a club because we get to be role models and mentors to kids who are not an incoming freshman or high schoolers. We get to interact with the younger generation and vice versa. We would be able to build a familial relationship with a younger student, and be a possible role model for them.

Requirements to be an older sibling:

• 3.2 GPA
• Patience
• Relatively flexible schedule
• 2 letters of recommendation