Community is a key value for New Beginnings, so we would like to see more doulas in the community they serve. One of the great advantages of the New Beginnings approach to doula training is the required assignments that send our students out into the communities where they live. One of our first assignments that requires community outreach is the doula presentation found in Unit One of the Main Course.
This assignment very quickly pushes our students into the role of becoming a local authority on the topics of doulas and birth, which can then prove to be a valuable marketing tool for future work opportunities. Time and again, we’ve heard students rave about the success of these assignments at creating more opportunities for them to network with expectant mothers and birthing professionals alike, as well as serve in their community.
Below is a Q & A between us and one of our students, Jessica B. of Texas, after her presentation. Jessica resides in a relatively small town (est. pop: 23,000), so we appreciated the creativity in the selection of the venue to make it work for her:
Question 1: Where was the venue for your presentation? It looks like a hair salon?
Answer 1: Yes it was a hair salon, not where I work but my mother owns the salon and it has plenty of room.
Question 2: How many did you have in attendance?
Answer 2: I think there was about 5-6 ladies that showed up.
Question 3: Did this presentation help you to find any new or potential clients?
Answer 3: Yes, the presentation did help earn a new client who had just found out she was pregnant at the time.
Question 4: Any thing else that you care to share about the experience? Anything that you wish you had done differently?
Answer 4: I do wish I could have made better information packets for them to take home with them.
Question 5: What were the positives? What did you like about the experience?
Answer 5: I loved sharing about child birth and my desire to help moms in labor and afterwards.
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