Mobility Mentoring™
Mobility Mentoring is the long-term developmental partnership between trained staff and program participants through which participants acquire the resources, knowledge, and skills necessary to attain and preserve their economic independence.
Grounded in CWU's theory of change, the Bridge to Self-Sufficiency™, Mobility Mentoring supports a person's progress through each of the Bridge's five pillars—family stability, well-being, education and training, financial management, and employment and career management—to become fully economically self-sufficient.
Bridge to SElf-Sufficiency Assessment
Working together, the Mobility Mentor and program participant complete an initial assessment determining the participant's current stage in each of the five pillars. The Bridge assessment helps identify strengths that will support a particpant's long-term self-sufficiency goals and obstacles that might inhibit her success.
personalized action plan
Because each person will bring a unique set of experiences and needs to every situation, she must take charge of driving her own progress along the Bridge to Self-Sufficiency. Together with her Mobility Mentor, she develops a personalized action plan, setting short- and long-term goals related to each pillar of the Bridge.
Incentives
Program participants receive pre-determined incentives—both monetary and non-monetary—for accomplishing shor-term goals. These rewards provide encouragement and help build and sustain motivation throughout a long-term process. Periodically, the Mobility Mentor and participant will reassess personalized plans, reviewing accomplishments, setting new goals, and maintaining focus on long-range objectives.
community-building
In addition, Mobility Mentoring encourages participants to develop strong social, educational, and professinoal networks. To facilitate networking, Mobility Mentors establish community groups among participants with similar goals. Often, smaller groups may form within community groups among those focused on a specific interest or concern.
Today, overcoming poverty and moving up the economic ladder has become increasingly more complex. It requires not only access to up-to-date information and resources, but also the skills to navigate the journey. A woman will often improve her chances of success through the multi-faceted and sustained approach offeredy by Mobility Mentoring.
The Mobility Mentoring approach was developed and pioneered by CWU staff in 2009. CWU's Career Family Opportunity program is based on a comprehensive Mobility Mentoring model.
