The Umoja Project
The Umoja Project will develop and test a community-based home-visiting model to improve and promote positive mental health, resilience, and educational attainment and outcomes for hard-to-engage Black adolescent mothers and their children living in Toronto. These mothers are isolated and struggling to stay in school due to a move to online learning and consequent lack of childcare they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and face many barriers to accessing services. Based on previously successful home visiting models, the Umoja Project will engage professionals and paraprofessionals to support Black families in their own homes and schools by offering the services and support these families need to stay in school, find housing, receive mental health support, and access health care and other critical resources.
Promoting positive mental health outcomes and educational attainment for Black adolescent mothers.
WHO
Hard-to-engage and high-risk Black adolescent mothers and their children living in Toronto.
WHAT
Objectives
To provide supports to hard-to-engage and high-risk Black adolescent mothers that promote:
- Increased educational attainment
- Reduced barriers to accessing support/services
- Positive parenting relationships
HOW
Using a home-visiting, wraparound approach, the Umoja Project offers:
- On-site housing for mothers and their children
- On-site access to childcare, meals/food, school, positive parenting training and support, and mental health services
- Regular visits from community workers in homes, school, and within the community
- Support needed to stay in school and help connecting to local supports such as childcare, housing, health care, tax benefits, tutoring, and mental health programs
WHERE
Settings
- Community
- School
- Family/Home
- Abiona Centre
Implementation sites
- Toronto, Ontario
WHY
- Black adolescent mothers are isolated and struggling to stay in school due to a shift to online learning and consequent lack of childcare they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Black adolescent mothers have an increased need for support but face many barriers to accessing services for themselves and their young children
In the words of the project team members
“I think that out of this project, you’re going to see a difference in these young moms being able to access services that they may not have known about and providing them or removing those barriers that they once had. And if we’re able to improve the lives of these young moms and their children, it would make such a big impact on their lives and our communities’ lives.”
Key protective factors
- Parenting skills
- Nurturing and attachment
- Education
- Equity
- Access to health and support services
Key approaches
- Culturally safe
- Equity-focused
“The name Abiona in and of itself is of African origin. It comes from an African trajectory and African beliefs. We do want to ensure that, particularly for this project, which was funded specifically for the Black community, that the names and the work that we do resonates directly with the African and the Black community.”
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