Men matter. Their health, wellbeing, and involvement in the lives of their children and partner are essential to child development, healthy families, and strong communities. That’s why Vida Medical Clinic and Support Services continues to expand programming and offerings to men in our clinic and support services center.
Vida aims to support, encourage, equip, and mentor fathers as they experience the joys and challenges of parenting, as well as make wise, healthy, and life-affirming decisions throughout life. Through the Vida Male Mentoring Program, dads are matched up with a mentor (a seasoned parent) who supports them and serves as a judgment-free, empowering teacher. Mentors meet their mentee where they are at in their journey through parenting, whether their child was planned, unplanned, or they are facing other parenting or relationship challenges. One-on-one lessons include topics such as single parenting, co-parenting, healthy partner or spousal relationships, toddler tantrums, balancing work and parenting, child development milestones, sleep strategies, and more.
Vida mentors foster a positive relationship with the men they mentor, many of whom never had, or had very few, positive male role models growing up. It is an opportunity for mentees to break a cycle of darkness that may have plagued their families for generations and transform it toward a brighter future, with God’s grace, for themselves and their children, to be the fathers, partners, and men they have hoped to be.
Women some times cite a lack of support from their partners for continuing their pregnancy or parenting as a reason for abortion. This men’s mentoring program is critical to helping develop healthy relationships, decreasing abortions, and providing men, women, and couples the support they need to continue pregnancies, parent, or place for adoption.
Through Vida mentoring and educational programs, dads also earn credit which can be spent in our store, Little Dear Boutique, to help relieve some of the financial and material needs of parenting. The Little Dear Boutique has items including diapers, wipes, clothing, baby shampoo, formula, and other hygiene items. Vida also has community resources and connections to assist these men with transportation, food, housing, job training, and more.
Since beginning the program in 2021, more than a half dozen men have completed Vida mentor training and are either actively mentoring dads or in the process of being matched with dads interested in being in the Vida program. The Vida Male Mentoring Program has the opportunity to be life-changing for men, their children, and their families.
If you or a male you know is interested in applying to be a Vida mentor, learn more and complete an application here. Help empower and equip the next generation of men be the fathers, partners, and men they are called to be.
