Anthony Santoro preferred playing video games to learning science. The fifteen-year-old boy’s attitude changed about six months ago when Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts paired him with a mentor, Daniel Harari, 28, from Waltham.
The two bonded instantaneously.
“It feels like [we’ve] known each other for a few years,” Santoro said.
They both liked listening to hard rock music, such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, and AC/DC. Harari helped Santoro discover new interests, like going to museums. He took Santoro to the Museum of Science, where Santoro developed an interest in the subject, specifically anything to do with electricity.
Santoro said he would never have gone to the museum on his own. Now he’s investing more time in his studies, especially in science class. Santoro’s father said his son now talks enthusiastically about school and classes, which he used to never do.
For 75 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts has been providing mentorship for young people with various challenges in their lives. The program helps with academic and socio-emotional support for the students. And if it weren’t for a recent expansion, students like Santoro may not be benefitting from the program.
The organization will be expanding out of the city to schools in the suburbs to support families who have been pushed out because of the lack of affordable housing.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts reached out to high schools in areas where there are large populations of young people living in poverty who could benefit from the extra support. One such school was Revere High, which Santoro attends. The principal, Chris Bowen, advocated for the partnership.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America originated in 1904 when a New York City court clerk, Ernest Kent Coulter, noticed many young boys were appearing in court and realized they could benefit from having supportive adult figures in their lives. It expanded to serve girls in the late 1990s.
The nonprofit came to Boston in 1949 to serve boys without fathers. First known as the “Big Brother Association of Boston,” it matched 10 boys with adult volunteers. Now, it’s the largest youth mentoring organization in New England.
“It went from being this can keep kids out of trouble to can we help these kids to unlock the talent from within, with the help of one person in their life that is dedicated and spends time just for them,” said Mark O’Donnell, president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts.
The organization focuses on pairing one mentee with one mentor to allow more time to form a real connection.
“A big problem is parents, coaches, teachers, counselors, and school doctors, they all have multiple kids that they’re dealing with and there might not be one person that shows up for a young person,” said O’Donnell. The program places a mentor into the mentee’s life who will be there for them and is a “tremendous confidence booster,” said O’Donnell.
The community mentorship program has traditionally accepted mentees between the ages of seven and 13. A few years ago, it started the Big Futures Mentoring program, which matches high school students with a volunteer mentor from their school to support them directly.
Students attend a weekly class taught by one of the organization’s program coordinators.
Those who want to stay in the program can do so up until age 25.
“We’re trying to make sure that we get people on their pathway of choice and thriving as adults before we end our formal support,” said Terrence McCarron, chief program officer at the organization.
The program now works with Revere High School, Quincy High School, the Edward Kennedy Academy of Health Careers in Fenway, and Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in the South End.
Santoro and his family moved from Boston to Revere in 2020 to find more affordable housing. When Santoro’s mother registered him for the mentorship program, he felt indifferent. Then, to his and his family’s surprise, he connected with Harari instantaneously. During the past six months, Harari took Santoro to the record store, museums, movies, and a Red Sox game. They bonded and learned from each other.
“He gives me advice about school, and what to do, and life in general, because he was my age once,” said Santoro. “So he’s just helping me and guiding me along.”
Harari said he learns from Anthony too.
“It reminds me how you gotta enjoy some of these things for the first time through through his eyes, which is a rewarding part of the experience as well,” he said.
The two text frequently, which Anthony’s mother, Ivette Ortiz, 41, appreciates. She says she’s seen her son grow, gaining a sense of independence and confidence.
“I truly believe that the matches become that bridge between the parents,” said Ortiz.
At a young age, children are known to be hesitant before opening up to their parents, Ortiz said. A mentor fills that gap.
Ortiz trusts Harari will guide her son to make the right decisions, and she is very grateful for the program.
According to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Mass., 77 percent of mentees reported doing better in school because of the program.
These matches not only impact each child’s current state, but can have lasting effects.
Alex Bell, a postdoctoral scholar at California Policy Lab at UCLA, completed a study about the long-term impacts of mentors, especially the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts. Someone with a big brother and big sister in their life from the program saw over 15 percent to 20 percent greater lifetime earnings and over 20 percent higher college attendance.
As for Santoro, he’s thinking about applying to a trade school, learning electricity and HVAC plumbing, but college is still a few years away.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly described who high school students in the Big Futures Mentoring program are matched up with. Students in the program have volunteer mentors.
Rachel Umansky-Castro can be reached at rachel.umanskycastro@globe.com.