The mentoring program we offer for young mums is called Bump, and it is a fun way for young mums to meet other young mums as well as have some much needed "me" time. Bump includes weekly mentoring and monthly workshops either on a Monday at Dee Why or on a Thursday at Hornsby. To view a brochure for young mums in Dee Why, please click here, or to view a brochure for young mums in Hornsby, please click here. You are welcome to come to our next Bump workshop and check it out, details as below.
In 2009 we conducted our inaugural Bump mentoring program for young pregnant and parenting girls aged between 14 and 23, and 13 young mums graduated from the program. We are conducting Bump again in 2010 in Dee Why, and now also in Hornsby, and to view an outline of how Bump works, please click here. Young mums can meet with their mentor for an hour a week for a chat, a coffee, a visit to the playground, or to get jobs done together. Our mentors are people that young mums can chat to about anything at all, have some time out with, and ask questions about being a mum.
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We also run monthly workshops for all our mentors and young mums to attend together, which provides a great support network, as the girls can meet other young mums in their area. To view an outline of our workshop activities for Dee Why please click here, and for Hornsby please click here. We held our information sessions in March, and mentoring commenced from April, and we still have a couple of places in each program. We celebrate the conclusion of the program with a fantastic graduation celebration party in late November.
All of our mentors complete accredited training in Mentoring in the Community through TAFE Outreach in Crows Nest, and they complete Working With Children Checks, as well as providing personal and employment references.
Young mums can refer themselves to the program, or they can be invited to attend the program by community workers who feel they might benefit from having a mentor or a positive role model in their lives. The young mums choose whether they would like to be involved, and then an application form is completed. Young Love works closely with social workers, midwives, youth workers and community organisations who make referrals to our program. We are particularly grateful for the relationship we have built with the Women's Resource Centre in Dee Why and the Young Parents Support Group in Hornsby.
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If you would like to come and be a part of the Bump mentoring program, or would like to refer a young mum to us, please contact us at info@younglove.org.au
To receive more information about our young mum's mentoring program, please email us at vicki.condon@bigpond.com or call us on (0419) 633 881