The EMMA program
Are you pregnant or a 1st time mum?
Is your baby under 12 months old?
The Educating, Mentoring, Mothering Adolescents program is a free program meeting twice a week.
The EMMA (Educating, Mentoring, Mothering Adolescents) Program has been developed in response to concern voiced by Regional Hospital staff that there were an alarming number of adolescent girls having babies and being discharged from hospital without family or community supports. Our research has indicated that there were approximately 250 young women under the age of 18 on the Sunshine Coast that were pregnant when the EMMA Program commenced. The EMMA Program has an educational focus to reengage these young mums with education and their community. The benefits of this approach are that these young women are less likely to have further births at a young age, are less likely to become dependent on welfare and social supports, are less likely to be the victims of abuse or domestic violence, and are less likely to participate in risky health behaviors for themselves and their child. The EMMA Program provides support to young mothers in four crucial ways, by:
- providing practical support to young mothers in the critical life event of preparing for the birth of a child and becoming a parent.
- linking the mother to a Mentoring Program where trained volunteer mentors provide support and guidance to the mother after the birth of her child.
- providing a case management service to the mother and child for two years.
- facilitating participation in a repertoire of educational options with a core of Life Skills (literacy & numeracy) and options to do Certificate courses in areas of interest.
This Program is all about educating and empowering young women to provide a better future for their children and themselves.
The EMMA Program is provided within a partnership framework with major partner Life Bridge, the developer of the EMMA Model, delivering and Managing the EMMA Program with our community partners.
