‘Go pour into the life of a child’: A Q&A with Ryan Scott of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Indiana
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In June, Ryan Scott became the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Indiana, a one-to-one mentoring program that serves Vanderburgh, Posey, Spencer, Gibson, Warrick and Henderson (Kentucky) counties.
The Henderson resident replaced Andrew Backes who joined the Boys & Girls Club of Evansville as the director of major gifts and strategic planning.
Scott’s background includes serving as dean of students at the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corp. and assistant principal at Webster County High School. The Chrisney, Indiana, native received his undergraduate degree from Murray State University and two master’s degrees from The University of the Cumberlands.
Scott is passionate about working with children who could benefit from a broader network of support. He explained what drew him to the not-for-profit and why he wants to expand the organization’s footprint in rural areas during an interview with Inside INdiana Business.
What brought you to Big Brothers Big Sisters?
I spent the last 16 years of my professional career in education. I’ve always had a heart for kids that were doing the best that they could but maybe didn’t have the connections that some of our other kids had to be successful in the classroom. I grew to believe it wasn’t an achievement gap but a connection gap, and the kids that did really well with navigating life were the kids who had a strong support system around them.
Life is the hardest thing anybody ever has to do. Some of us, me included, are fortunate enough to have coaches, pastors and family members. When you look at the fact that 25% of kids under the age of 18 live in a house without a father, many of our kids don’t have a web of support. The more connections you have, the more likely you are to be successful.
When I was approached with this opportunity, I thought, OK, now I can get in front of the things that I’m seeing in the classroom. My last six years were spent as a school administrator. The last year was with EVSC schools in our alternative school. I firmly believe there are no bad kids, and there are no bad parents. People are doing the best they can with the skills they have.
The opportunity to help kids connect with a positive role model who can walk alongside them or show them something that other people can’t was just too good to pass up.
How has your educational background prepared you for this role?
I’ve always been a fan of working with marginalized kids coming from poverty. Prior to COVID, I really thought our low-income schools were struggling because of poverty. While I do think poverty plays a part in it, there’s also this underlying trauma that we know now is a much bigger deal.
Kids living in poverty are more susceptible or more likely to have higher ACE [adverse childhood experiences] scores. What the research has shown us is that with a kid or an adult, the higher the ACE score, the more mental and physical health challenges they’re going to have.
They’ve also found that the single biggest mitigating factor for an adverse childhood experience is a positive childhood experience. The kids who do the best at overcoming trauma are the kids who are connected with somebody that can show them a different way or can provide positive experiences.
I’m a big believer in hope theory. Hope is something you teach kids, and you can teach kids through goal setting, but that takes a nurturing, positive relationship. The more positive relationships kids have, the higher their hope and the more likely they are to be able to overcome challenges.
What are some of the challenges you face coming into the organization?
The nonprofit world is a bit different than the school system world. It seems like I’m juggling five things at once while I’m running a race. I have an amazing staff, but honestly, their pay isn’t where I want it to be. I wish it could be higher. The challenge is we have a mission-driven organization. Our vision effectively is to connect every kid in our area with a one-to-one mentor. That takes a lot of work.
Secondary trauma is a real thing, especially for my workers who are reaching out to these families asking for help. Inevitably, my people take on some of that trauma, and it’s tough. It’s the same secondary trauma that we talk a lot about teachers going through. So one challenge has been moving us forward while also trying to make sure that my people are supported. That they feel valued, seen and heard.
Then there’s always that fundraising cloud that follows you, because at the end of the day, our entire work is based on what we fundraise. We have to make sure we’re telling a compelling story for our community that makes them excited, want to get involved and work alongside us. A lot of this job is storytelling and motivating the public.
What are some ways you hope to improve Big Brothers Big Sisters?
When COVID happened, the organization had some financial issues and retreated to mainly serving Vanderburgh County. We definitely need to get back to serving our outlying counties much more than we have been.
My personal goal for these first two years is to increase our foothold in Henderson County. That’s where I live. That’s where my kids go to school. That’s where I taught for 10 years. I also want to see more action in Spencer County because that’s where I spent the first 20 years of my life.
Urban poverty and rural poverty are very different. We spend a lot of our brain power as systems and organizations focusing on the urban poor and not a lot on the rural poor. Sometimes, being rural poor is even more traumatic to kids and families because they have fewer resources and things are spread out.
What kind of person should mentor a child?
Anybody! If you can pass a background check, you would make a great Big [Brother/Sister]. Kids need to hear that we’ve all struggled. That there were periods when we had no idea what we wanted to do with our lives and times when we felt like giving up.
Anybody makes a good Big because you can relate to a kid who has struggles that you may have also gone through. If you are willing to walk alongside a kid and be someone the kid can trust, you would make a wonderful Big.
We also have a support team that checks in with the Big, the Little [Brother/Sister], and the parents. I want to be clear: We’re not doing this because parents aren’t doing their jobs. We’re doing this because parents are doing the best that they know how, and they just need help.
Why are mentoring relationships important to children?
Kids need to be nurtured. They need structure, routine and positive relationships. We are social creatures who thrive on connection. The more connections our kids have, the more likely they are to be successful.
Also, showing kids something different that they’re not used to. I didn’t get to where I’m at without connections in my life. Knowing professional, successful people outside of my circle helped me get to the next level. A lot of people get stuck in a social class because they don’t know what it’s like to be in another social class.
Being able to connect with these kids, showing them they’re loved and worthy and that somebody is going to walk with them through the tough times is extremely powerful.
What would you say to someone who wants to be a mentor but doesn’t think they have time in their schedule?
It’s just three hours a month. That’s our minimum time commitment. If you can commit three hours a month for a year, you’d make a good Big. The average person spends two hours a day on social media. Get off your phone. Go pour into the life of a child. I can promise you as much as you’re giving to that child, you’re going to get just as much out of it.
We have site-based programs where you can go to school and eat lunch with the kid. You can go to their after-school program. We also have communitywide programs where you pick up the kid and take them out into the community. We’ve had Bigs take their Littles prom shopping. We’ve had Bigs who taught their Littles how to drive. One area we’re trying to ramp up is Bigs With Badges, getting more police officers to connect with our Littles.
What are some misconceptions about being a Big Brother or Big Sister?
Number one is that it takes tons of time, which we just talked about. Another misconception is these are bad kids. These are not bad kids! These are kids that need more connection in their lives.
Another misconception might be that it’s a hard process. There’s a background check, some interviews and training. But we work with you on that.
What events are coming up for Big Brothers Big Sisters?
Golf for Kids’ Sake is at Oak Meadow Country Club in Evansville on Sept. 18. It’s a golf scramble. We’re still looking for sponsors and teams.
Big Night Out is Oct. 19 at The Crescent Room at Milestones in Evansville. That’s a night of celebrating mentoring, storytelling and community impact.
Big Night Out has an online auction, so we’re looking for donations. People can donate items or experiences. I’m donating a two-day hike with me in southern Illinois. We’ve had people donate tickets to games like the St. Louis Cardinals, University of Kentucky, Indiana University and Indianapolis Colts.
The more successful these events can be, the more successful my organization can be. The money we raise is what gets us through the next year.