I had a very good experience as a Big Sis. I did it for a couple of years, but I did the less intensive program. That is, at my local branch, they had two programs. One involved spending about 6 hours a week with the kid and you would decide where you were going to meet and hang-out. The one that I did was less time-consuming and independent. I went to the child’s elementary school once a week and spent lunchtime with her. We would chat, eat lunch, and then do something like read together, play on the playground, or work on the computers. I highly recommend the experience. I started doing it at a difficult time in my life, but it felt good to be productive and to see how happy she was to see me each week. I was helping her, but she was also helping me!