EMPath’s newest pilot program, the Young Parent Success Program (YPSP), brings the organization’s economic mobility coaching (Mobility Mentoring®) to young parents in Greater Boston.

Launched in early 2019, the program is a collaboration between EMPath and the Stronger Generations Initiative at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Stronger Generations works to address racial health disparities among infants, with a special focus on babies born to Black women.

The program offers 18 to 24 months of mentoring. While participants do not have to be patients of Brigham & Women’s, many first heard about the program through their involvement in other Brigham & Women’s programs or health centers.

To qualify for YPSP, participants must be a parent between the ages of 18 and 25, either living with a child or expecting, and willing to get services in Boston. There are no income, housing, or other requirements.

In the program, each participant is paired with an EMPath mentor, who acts as a partner and coach. Using EMPath’s Bridge to Self-Sufficiency® as a visual tool, participants identify what they would like to work on and set goals with the guidance of their mentor. Goals can be anything from budgeting or building credit to exploring education options or getting a driver’s license.

“I always tell participants it’s their goals, it’s what they want to achieve,” says Shannon Fuller, the program’s mentor. “I really just coach them on setting those goals and mapping out action steps. Rather than setting goals for participants, I think it’s important to let them set goals, do the steps, and build skills along the way.

“The brain is still developing into your mid- to late-twenties, so it’s a really nice opportunity to be working with people at that age.”

Brigham & Women’s (a member of the Economic Mobility Exchange™) first approached EMPath because they saw an opportunity for the young parents in their programs to benefit from having a long-term relationship with a mentor. In the first year of YPSP, eight participants have enrolled. The goal is to get to 25.

“The program is very helpful for me,” says Erika, YPSP’s first-ever participant. “Shannon does as much as she can to find resources and help me reach my goals. I feel like we are accommodated according to our schedule – our time is valued.”

Since joining the program, Erika has completed her goals of creating and following a monthly budget, writing a resume, and attending physical activity classes. She also enrolled in school and is currently working towards her B.A. in business management.

“It’s been really great working with participants, seeing them map out their goals, work through them, and communicate challenges and successes,” Shannon says. “Mobility Mentoring is such a beautiful framework for working with people. I love the Bridge. I love that we look at a participant’s whole life rather than just focusing on how to get a better job and then [being] done. I love that we partner with our participants and let them be the experts in their own lives.”

The Young Parent Success Program is recruiting! Contact Shannon Fuller at sfuller@empathways.org or 617.817.5955 if interested in participating or referring participants.

To be eligible, participants must be 18-25 years old, be expecting or have child(ren) under the age of 18 who live with them, be willing to get services in Boston, and be interested in setting goals.

CONTACT SHANNON