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Teen
Parent Mentoring
RHL’s Teen Parent Mentoring project helps to integrate marginalised
teenage parents back into society; it also the local community to provide
support by pairing the teenagers with trained volunteer mentors, who are
parents themselves.
The scheme works with teenage parents at a transitional point in their
lives when they need to take on the responsibilities of adulthood and
parenthood.
Volunteer mentors who are parents themselves are recruited and trained
by The Source. The mentors are trained carefully to a very high standard
and then matched with a teenage mum to provide friendship and practical
support.
The project is delivered as a partnership between RHL and The Source.
Benefits
• By increasing the self-confidence, self-esteem and knowledge of
the teenage parents, they are empowered to ‘survive and thrive’
within society.
• Some of the young parents have gained the confidence to leave
an abusive relationship or find better accommodation; others have engaged
in training that will help them to re-enter and engage in education or
employment.
• Strong relationships are developed between two different community
groups - the mentors and teenage parents.
• This in turns increases Increases understanding and respect within
different sections of the community.
• Helps give the young parents a meaningful voice so that they can
participate more fully in society.
Plans for the Future
We hope to develop the project further by:
• Having an average of between 20 to 25 being mentored at any
one time, and approximately 25 trained mentors.
• Working with the Hampshire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership to disseminate
information about the project and the lessons learned.
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