Spina Bifida Association of America: Mentoring Program Training Manual
Selected from a group of ten applicants nationally, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles was charged with developing a mentor/teen mentee training manual for the Spina Bifida Association of America’s (SBAA) new mentoring program, slated for launching in the spring of 2005. The purpose of this program is to connect teenagers who have spina bifida with caring adults for the development of individual and/or group mentoring relationships. Mentors will provide support to mentees through the challenges of transitioning into adulthood, while encouraging a spirit of self-reliance and pride.
This project, pursuant to the SBAA Quality of Life Campaign and funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was a special collaborative effort between three CHLA departments: the Spina Bifida Center, Adolescent Medicine and the USC UCEDD. Building upon existing local and national training resources/curricula, previous work of the SBAA Mentoring Advisory Committee and mentoring programs at CHLA, project staff also relied heavily on consumer input to identify and meet the specific needs and preferences regarding content and desired format by conducting a focus group and subsequent review of developed materials with teenagers receiving care at the Spina Bifida Center. Additionally, this project encouraged participation and collaboration across the UCEDD network and from regional SBA affiliates, adult consumers and other spina bifida clinics.