InSight Mentoring Program
What is InSight?
InSight is an outreach program where mentors provide intensive support to people who are pregnant or have recently had a baby and use substances. This is a voluntary program for people who aren't well connected to community support services.
How does InSight work?
InSight focuses on personalized, caring support over a long period of time to help make gradual, enduring changes.
Each participant is assigned a mentor who works intensively on a one-to-one basis with them and their family for up to three years. Mentors support participants to set and work towards their own goals in a supportive, non-judgmental way, using trauma-informed and harm-reduction practices. Mentors are responsive to the participant’s needs and build on their strengths.
Mentors help participants:
- identify personal goals;
- learn about birth control options;
- access alcohol/drug treatment;
- get prenatal care and health care for themselves and their children;
- connect with community services such as housing, gender-based violence, mental health, and/or parenting supports, depending on the needs and goals of the participant;
- get transportation to appointments;
- overcome barriers to service.
Mentors believe that change is always possible and never give up on the individuals they support. Participants are not asked to leave the program if they experience setbacks. InSight can support parents regardless of their child’s care or custody status.
The Power of Mentorship
Participants have shared the following quotes about the impacts of the InSight Mentoring Program:
- "My mentor was always there for me when I needed her."
- "I liked the goal setting because it helped me to look back and see how I had been successful, step by step."
- "I learned to talk for myself with other agencies."
- "My mentor said things like . .. 'if you can't do it now, you can work on it and it will come'."