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BWH Young Parent Ambassador Jasmin Colon takes a photo of herself and 2-year-old son, Xavier.
"I learned there were organizations and people out there who wanted to help empower young parents," said Colon, whose son, Xavier, is 2 years old. "Now, as a young parent ambassador, I get to help other young parents have a second chance at a career."As a 19-year-old mother, Jasmin Colon didn't realize she still had a chance at a successful career. Then, she discovered BWH's Young Parent Ambassador Program.
Colon is one of 10 dedicated and inspiring young mothers who joined the BWH community as a young parent ambassador, as part of a pilot program in BWH's Center for Community Heath and Health Equity (CCHHE). The Young Parent Ambassador Program, which began in April, provides participants with opportunities for education and training related to advocacy, leadership and public health with a focus on improving birth outcomes and eliminating health disparities.
Each year, more than 500 teens give birth in Boston. They face a higher risk of poverty, community violence, poor school performance, substandard housing and other poor health outcomes. But many of these young parents want more for their families and themselves.
Colon and her fellow young parent ambassadors, all of whom are African-American and Latina women ages 17 to 23, recently helped to educate and empower hundreds of other young parents at the annual Summit for Teen Empowerment, Progress, and Parenting Success (STEPS Boston). Sponsored by the CCHHE, STEPS Boston is an annual event that brings young families and community agencies together to provide a safe forum for teen parents to expand their knowledge and gain resources to help them accomplish their parenting and life goals. This year, more than 100 young parents and 25 community agencies participated.
Educational agencies, career exploration programs and other organizations that work with pregnant and parenting teens and young adults attend the yearly summit. In addition to leading the STEPS summit, the 10 young parent ambassadors spend a year at BWH, learning about leadership, public health issues, educational and career planning, goal development, self-empowerment, personal advocacy and financial literacy. These topics will help these young women build life-long skills.
When she's not at BWH, Colon works part-time for the Mass Alliance on Teen Pregnancy and at a local Walgreens. Determined to become a social worker, she has also enrolled in college for the fall.
"It's not easy being a young parent, but it's not impossible either," she said. "Right now, my main goal is to help other young parents see their own potential and achieve their goals."
To learn more about the program, email birthequity@partners.org.