ACCESS

ACCESS is a big brother/big sister program matching a male-female pair of volunteers to an at-risk child age 4-12. Activities may include helping with homework, playing games, or watching movies. Read stories from our mentors here, or check out our Instagram page here .

Volunteer Commitment: Volunteers plan weekly activities for the child they mentor with a monthly super-activity for all participants.

Complete an application form here. You will need to fill out a BYU Background check before volunteering. Please follow this link and find the "Background Check Request form" to get started. 

You will be contacted shortly to set up a training meeting with a Program Director.

Please complete this mandatory 20 minute child protection training before you begin working with the children.

If you would like more information or know of a child that would benefit from our program, please email us at access@byu.edu.

Already a mentor? Click here for more resources.

Last year I had the opportunity to volunteer with the Access program and I found it to be a profound experience. Over the year, my partner and I were able to become really close with the children we worked with, learning about their personalities, the things they cared for, their interests, and their dreams. It was thrilling not only to be able to have fun with them each week, but to see how they grew and changed over the year. I know serving with Access will have a permanent impact on my perspective of life and the importance of development of children.

–Calvin Clark

ACCESS is great because it gives me the opportunity to interact with kids from all different types of situations to help them feel recognized and important. Being able to make a difference in their lives is something that is unique from most other experiences at BYU and is a great way to reach outside myself.

–Cade Johnson

I became a mentor for ACCESS in 2014 and have been mentoring the same little girl, Sam, from age 4 till now. At the start it was hard. It was a sacrifice to give up time away from school or studying or even just social activities. And then the family my mentee was a part of was extremely different from any other family I had ever interacted with and I found it difficult to interact with them.

But as I really started giving of my time and working on my relationships with both my partner and my mentee it no longer became a sacrifice. That one to two hours a week became my highlight. I would plan and look forward to the week night I got to spend with my best friend and little sister because that is exactly what my partner and mentee became to me.

My partner and I haven't been working together for almost two years but we are still best friends and have made sure to attend one another's weddings and continue to stay in touch and see one another. I'm also no longer mentoring my little girl, but I still stay in touch with her family as they prepare for great and new life adventures ahead.

I got to be a part of my little girl's life and watch her grow up for four years and gained some of my best and deepest friendships while here at BYU, all thanks to the ACCESS program. This program is a blessing that I will forever hold close to my heart.

–Brooke Tobler