Shine Together empowers young mothers to graduate high school, pursue post-secondary education, and break out of the cycle of poverty for themselves and their children. We know that when young mothers are given the right supports and access to opportunities, their families, neighborhoods, and society at large benefit. Our two-generation approach involves partnering with young mothers through indiv
idual coaching and peer support learning to address and overcome barriers to their family's success including poverty, childhood trauma, housing instability, family and relationship violence, lack of access to affordable childcare, and the stigma of being a young mom. We support young mothers in finding solutions to the challenges they meet in order to achieve the following goals:
• complete high school and post-secondary education,
• nurture their child’s positive development
Without support, only 38% of teen mothers graduate high school, and less than 2% graduate college by age 30. Young women of color from low-income backgrounds are disproportionately affected by teen pregnancy. They face a cycle of poverty and young parenthood that clings on generation after generation. Overcoming barriers to remain engaged in school is hard for young moms. They face shaming from educators, punitive absence policies, and a lack of support for moms who breastfeed. With Shine they have a trusted partner to overcome those barriers to their education and create a path towards achieving their dreams for themselves and their children. Shine empowers young mothers to complete high school and persist through post-secondary education while nurturing their child’s positive development to ensure the success of two generations.
