Mia Landrin and her friend Likem play board games, go to the movies, and race at the playground. Other than that, they don't have an average friendship.
"She's older... and she has a job," eleven-year-old Likem pointed out.
Mia is old enough to be Likem's mom. She's her Big Sister mentor, a volunteer who hangs out with a Little Sister or Brother at least twice a month.
"I have places to go when I go out with her, and I don't just stay home all the time," said Likem, a 6th grader at Highland Oaks Middle School.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in Miami-Dade has more than 1,400 kids on a waiting list for a mentor. Most of them are boys. Programs Vice President Gale Nelson wishes he could recruit more male role models, especially for inner city kids.
"When you think about mentoring that's taking place, the wrong kind of mentoring, kids are being mentored by gang leaders, by folks that are just creating this vicious cycle of delinquency," he said. "Mentoring breaks that cycle."
And the kids aren't the only ones who benefit. Mia has gotten to know Likem for three years.
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"It keeps me joyful, which sometimes can get lost in your everyday routine. It means the world to me," said Landrin.
You can sign up as a Big Brother or Big Sister if you're in high school, or at least 18 years old.
To find out how, go to www.wementor.org.
