How can we train the mentors in the APRC Returning Mother’s Mentorship Program? The APRC has a high population of returning mother’s (as in mothers with more than one unexpected pregnancy) in its midst. This means that while they are successfully giving resources to mothers in need of them, they are not effectively teaching them how to gather here resources on their own and get back on their feet. It is not a display of responsibility on the mother’s part to depend on a resource center instead of providing for herself. Not providing for oneself is a problem because it means the mother is being helped with the physical needs, but she has only filled those needs. While meeting a physical need is good, the goal of the Austin Pregnancy Resource Center is to help mother’s acquire the resources they need and also to get back on their feet. If they are relying on the APRC for resources for more than one pregnancy they have not gotten back on their feet.
The vision of success for our mentors at Austin Pregnancy Resource Center is to make sure that the information that’s going to be distributed to the returning mothers is relevant to them, meaning that mentors are meeting the returning mothers’ needs. Another vision, is that mentors are making sure that the information being distributed is realistic for mothers and making sure that the goals that mentors are creating for returning mothers is realistic, and catered personally to that specific mother. Also that the information that is being handed out is reliable to the mentors, because we want to make sure that we are giving them everything that’s going to be useful for them and make sure they can use that information for the future. The vision of success for the patients (returning mothers) is that we are getting feedback/ratings for the mentorship program, so that the Austin Pregnancy Resource Center can use that information to better the mentorship program and making sure we are helping the community by meeting their needs in the future. Also another thing, is that the statistics of returning mothers coming to the mentorship program will demonstrate that the mothers are returning because that means our mentorship program is benefiting them and their needs. It will also teach us that if mothers are not returning to the program, then that’s because we have met their needs and solved out their problem but it could also mean that the mentorship program is not benefitting them at all.
The solution to our problem is a Menu of Resources that is well organized into categories from bigger to smaller problems. For example: education, economy, shelter, health care, foods, transportation, domestic problem, relationship and other necessities like clothing, and house items. This Menu of Resources will be given to the mentors at Austin Pregnancy Resources Center so that during the mentorship session they have with the mothers, they will be able navigate through the problem and find the solution/resource to give to the mother. The Menu will be colorful, attractive, navigable, neat, and detailed but to not too overwhelming. Each resource on the Menu will have a short description of its purpose, contact information, and address. After the mentor is able to navigate the problem and the solution, then she/he will able to bring the right more detailed informations (example: pamphlet) to the mother, and they will able to further explain the solutions. We also figured that the one of the main reasons why mothers are returning is because they are not economically stable, and they are not able to afford items for the their kids. That would then come down to not having a stable job. The Menu will also include a section with information on process of job applications, building a resume, and a cover page about you. After we finish with the Menu, we will have a training day, where we will show the mentors how to use the Menu, and locate the information that will be organized for them. Finally, if we have time will also advertise this mentorship program for Austin Pregnancy Resource Center.
StarPathDesign 
Truc, Angelica, Melanie and Bumie this blog post was really great! I got a clear idea of what it is you are going to do and it sounds like it is going to be effective. I love the idea of a menu because it allows the mentors and women in need to really navigate through what they need. I think that it is great that you will not make the menu overwhelming because I know when I see a paper with a lot of words I just zone out. I also think it is amazing that y’all will add the section on job applications because I think that that is a useful thing for a lot of women wanting to find a stable job for themselves and their baby. This was a really great blog you guys, I got a clear view on your solution, and I think your innovative thinking will help a lot of women who go to the Austin Pregnancy Resource Center.
-Celeste O.
Truc, Angelica, Melanie and Bunmi, I really enjoyed reading this blog post! I think the idea of using a menu is ingenious and will definitely solve many problems that might come up with the pamphlets. For instance, some mothers may feel self-conscious about finding pamphlets for them, and the menu is a more discreet way of expressing a mother’s health issue and giving her possible solutions. It’s a very smart idea to use the menu to advertise things like work, because the menu has many different applications for solving so many different problems. You could even add coupons or baby-sitter ads! You might even consider a digital version that could be updated easily and accessed online, so the APRC can have an easier time updating the menu, and mothers who live far from the resource center can have some guidance without having to go the distance. Overall, I think your idea is really smart, your post is clearly written, and it will definitely make an impact in the lives of many women.
-Isabella V.