Stable Moments Mentorship Program for At-Risk Foster Youth on Maui

Haku Baldwin Center seeks $45,000 to launch Stable Moments®, a nationally scaled program to develop life skills in Maui’s foster youth through equine-assisted learning to support healthy transitions into adulthood.

Evidence suggests that the single most effective way to build resilience in children with complex trauma needs is one consistent, long-term relationship with a healthy adult. Ending the foster care crisis begins with each individual child - meeting them where they are, understanding their experience, and developing their self-worth, sense of purpose, decision-making, executive functioning, and self-regulation skills. Stable Moments® is a 10-month, weekly mentorship program where long-lasting, healthy relationships are formed, and life skills are developed that foster healthy transitions into adulthood.

The Stable Moments® program offers each child their own mentor and their own horse to work with. As Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, a leading expert in the field of trauma and resilience, suggests, "Children who experience consistent and caring relationships with adults are more likely to have positive developmental outcomes and to develop resilience in the face of adversity" (Van der Kolk, 2014, p. 213).

Through the Stable Moments® one-on-one, trauma-informed mentorship approach, youth who have lived in survival mode can develop trust with a healthy adult. Once trust is established, activities focus on showing kids they are inherently valuable, increasing their self-worth and emotional awareness. The farm environment and interaction with horses help them develop self-regulation skills and independence.

Learning these valuable skills in sessions at the farm, with their mentor, gives them a reference point for when they’re struggling outside of sessions. Participants can translate their new skills to home, school, and community settings. This allows them to have better social relationships, improve their academic performance, and feel a greater sense of belonging and responsibility to their community.

Ending the treacherous cycle of kids in foster care who have kids that also go into foster care starts with investing in the individual child. Complex trauma in young children impacts brain development, and only a consistent, trauma-informed approach can help heal underdeveloped parts of the brain we need for social, emotional, and cognitive functioning. It seems simple, but helping kids believe they matter is the first step in creating adults who care about who they become and how they contribute. We show
them they matter by showing up for them, time and time again, with a structured, proven model.

CLIENT OUTCOMES:
-Building skills such as trust, effective communication, and appropriate decision-making.
-Increasing engagement in the outdoor environment through physical activity.
-Improving the ability to establish connections with oneself and others.
-Enhancing verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
-Developing patience and problem-solving abilities.
-Building confidence, resiliency, and self-esteem through self-regulation.

OBJECTIVES:
- Complete Stable Moments® certification training to ensure staff are appropriately trained to manage mentors and offer participants the best experience and trauma-informed care.
-Become a Stable Moments® location to access ongoing support and online mentor training.
-Recruit participants and launch the program.
-Recruit 10 mentors to give one hour per week in a structured program model, offering an opportunity for Maui residents to play an active role in the lives of children in foster care.

TRACKING:
Enrollment in the program starts with an Intake Assessment where unique history, strengths, and challenges are discussed. This information is used to develop an individualized plan of care that assigns life skill goals for the mentor and mentee to work toward. The Stable Moments® model is built on six Life Skill Categories (self-worth, emotional awareness, self-regulation, independence, healthy relationship, and responsibility) that are color-coded so mentors can choose activities that match colors from the plan of care without understanding the therapeutic nature of each activity. This engages kids actively in sessions rather than feeling like they’re in therapy.

Each participant also gets a brush bag and a personalized water bottle, vital for developing feelings of belonging for foster kids who often need to carry their belongings in a trash bag. Each mentor session follows a three-part plan that kids help develop to promote further engagement.

Mentors write activity logs to ensure they’re working toward their plan of care goals, and pre- and post-tests evaluate life skill development in youth.

EVALUATION & REPORTING:
Mentors and mentees will meet weekly for one hour, preferably at the same time of day. They will follow a three-part plan to address the plan of care goals, utilizing color-coded life skill activities. Mentors will complete activity logs to document progress toward the plan of care goals. At the midpoint (5 months) and end of the program (10 months), the Program Director will develop progress summaries, summarizing activity logs and highlighting overall progress in the program as well as recommendations for future program engagement. A post-test will be collected at the last session. This data will be compared to pre-test data to determine growth in the six different life skill category areas.

SUSTAINABILITY:
Although Haku Baldwin Center is requesting full program scholarships for 10 kids, the program is intended to be sustained through program fees paid by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). We intend to work with children under scholarship for the first year while cultivating the relationships needed to gain credibility and become a DCF vendor. The successful piloting of this program will determine future goals for sustainability.