Thanks for sharing your story with us. I was really moved by your personal experiences and your commitment to finding community solutions to support young women and their children.
I was wondering if you had any suggestions for how organizations like Brooklyn Young Mothers' Collective can increase their impact in their communities. While much of your work seems very personnel intensive, are there any small steps organizations can take to increase their own impact? Or, to put it another way, knowing that so many organizations have limited resources, what aspects of your program have had the best return on investment?
This is such important work you are doing and I agree that so many services and organizations focus on children while overlooking the health/happiness of the mother. It reminds me of a saying I often have heard: "happy mommy, happy baby."
Seems like one of the big needs for young mothers seeking to continue their education would be child care. How do you address this need?
Also I was wondering if you could tell me what you are doing to track/measure impact on the lives of the young women you touch?
While it isn't perfect, in New York City, young mothers benefit from a network of school- and community- based child care options and our job at BYMC is to educate young mothers and assist them in securing child care slots. The social supports needed by young mothers are really influenced by what services and supports that are available to all poor mothers - no matter the age. We remember that young mothers are adolescents and that they still need the support and guidance of caring adults. It is hard enough for older mothers to navigate multiple systems so it is often daunting for young mothers.
So, BYMC's work is really individualized and we strive to identify the particular barriers faced by individul young mothers that might compromise school completion.
After doing this work for so long, I now know that there are a few critical areas (including child care) that must be addressed to make it easier for young mothers to participate in school life, but its how you prioritize your advocacy efforts that matters. The other supports that matter include stable housing, strengthening kin/social networks, emergency funds and help with transportation.
I recently visited young mothers in Detroit and they identified their primary barrier to school completion as adequate transportation and while that's a problem for all poor mothers in Detroit this lack of transportation sets young mothers apart from their peers. We know with a high level of certainty that if we don't address barriers such as a lack of transportation or child care destines young mothers to a lifetime of poverty.
As an advocate, working with young mothers you must be creative, daring and optimistic otherwise the challenges that they face might overwhelm both you and the young women!
There was no data system "out of the box" that tracked young mothers so this year we developed a system with input from staff, board members, advocates and young women in our programs.
Comments
Hi Benita,
Thanks for sharing your story with us. I was really moved by your personal experiences and your commitment to finding community solutions to support young women and their children.
I was wondering if you had any suggestions for how organizations like Brooklyn Young Mothers' Collective can increase their impact in their communities. While much of your work seems very personnel intensive, are there any small steps organizations can take to increase their own impact? Or, to put it another way, knowing that so many organizations have limited resources, what aspects of your program have had the best return on investment?
Thanks!
Alexis
Hi Benita,
This is such important work you are doing and I agree that so many services and organizations focus on children while overlooking the health/happiness of the mother. It reminds me of a saying I often have heard: "happy mommy, happy baby."
Seems like one of the big needs for young mothers seeking to continue their education would be child care. How do you address this need?
Also I was wondering if you could tell me what you are doing to track/measure impact on the lives of the young women you touch?
Thanks and good luck!
Cynthia
While it isn't perfect, in New York City, young mothers benefit from a network of school- and community- based child care options and our job at BYMC is to educate young mothers and assist them in securing child care slots. The social supports needed by young mothers are really influenced by what services and supports that are available to all poor mothers - no matter the age. We remember that young mothers are adolescents and that they still need the support and guidance of caring adults. It is hard enough for older mothers to navigate multiple systems so it is often daunting for young mothers.
So, BYMC's work is really individualized and we strive to identify the particular barriers faced by individul young mothers that might compromise school completion.
After doing this work for so long, I now know that there are a few critical areas (including child care) that must be addressed to make it easier for young mothers to participate in school life, but its how you prioritize your advocacy efforts that matters. The other supports that matter include stable housing, strengthening kin/social networks, emergency funds and help with transportation.
I recently visited young mothers in Detroit and they identified their primary barrier to school completion as adequate transportation and while that's a problem for all poor mothers in Detroit this lack of transportation sets young mothers apart from their peers. We know with a high level of certainty that if we don't address barriers such as a lack of transportation or child care destines young mothers to a lifetime of poverty.
As an advocate, working with young mothers you must be creative, daring and optimistic otherwise the challenges that they face might overwhelm both you and the young women!
There was no data system "out of the box" that tracked young mothers so this year we developed a system with input from staff, board members, advocates and young women in our programs.
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