Our Supporters

For the past eight months, I have had the privilege of interning at Brooklyn Young Mother’s Collective. In my senior year in college, BYMC has given me the opportunity to share with the community what i’ve learned throughout my four years at Dominican College.  As a Social Work Intern, I realized that my passion remains in working with the community and sharing my knowledge with the young women in our society.  In return, I was able to learn so much from the young women I have worked with.  They taught me the issues they faced battling the stereotypes as young mothers.  They shared with me their frustrations, as society labeled them instead of motivating them into becoming the prosperous young women they believe they still can become and will become for their children.  The young women let me into their worlds, sharing with me their fears, struggles, and, most importantly, their successes.  Their success was a mere indication of my own success.  It was almost a surreal experience, being able to bond with the young mothers at BYMC and support them in becoming better parents and stronger individuals.  May it be continuing their education, graduating from High School, or completing their GED, they have shown me that barriers are meant to be overcome.  Their gratitude combined with their drive to becoming the best parent they can be only inspired me to continue to be the best human being I can possibly be.  Moving forward, I will remember the importance of respect and integrity while working in the community.  If it is one thing I learned through my “Judgement Free” Parenting Classes, we all seek to be respected.  When working with others, subtracting our preconceived perceptions and judgements gives way for bonds to be built.  We all live life with one purpose; to make a difference.  I strongly believe that becoming part of staff at BYMC has allowed me to affect the lives of these young mothers positively.

Irannie Dones BSW

The Human Resources Administration has backed a new campaign  that speaks out against teen pregnancy. You might have seen the ads in the subway and on buses. They all depict a baby crying with a facet about teen pregnancy rates and the costs of raising a child as a single teen parent. The ads are harsh and do nothing to prevent teens from getting pregnant. While they do supply small facts about the actual financial costs, they mention nothing about actually preventing pregnancies. There is no mention of condoms or birth control. One ad even insists that before a girl even gets pregnant she should consider marriage.

These ads aren’t effective in the slightest. Instead what they seem to do is shame teen mothers. The ads are attacking choices that have already been made. Instead of warning all teens to practice safe sex, HRA is pointing fingers at parenting teens. The best way to educate adolescents and keep them from having children is to provide them with viable information. Better sex education and open dialogues about sex is what keeps teens safe and aware. Not shame.

TL

It is obvious that having a child is not equivalent to “til death do us part.”  Working with teen mothers, it is more obvious that fatherly absence is very common.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America, one out of three, live in biological father-absent homes.  Furthermore, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy states that eight of ten teen fathers do not marry the mothers of their first child.  It is fair to say, marriage does not define the father’s presence.  The bigger question is what is fatherly absence?  Teenage parents can live in separate homes, discontinue their relationship, but the father’s involvement should never end.  Fatherly absence is defined by the lack of support they provide for their child throughout the child’s life.  Numerous studies show that girls reach puberty younger, become sexually active earlier and are more likely to get pregnant in their teens if their father was absent from the home when they were young.  These studies prove that fatherly involvement is very important in preventing teen pregnancy and many other emotional and environmental set-backs children may face.  According to the National Center for Fathering, children raised by a single parent are two to three times more likely as children with both parental figures to have emotional and behavioral problems.  As we work towards breaking the teen pregnancy cycle within our communities, maybe we should look closer at the paternal factor.  Incorporating the importance of father involvement while educating our teens can help dent the rate of teen pregnancy.  After all, many of them may have experienced the same lack of fatherly involvement.

Irannie Dones

Abortion has always been a very controversial topic. Just in general. People have varying ideas about what should be deemed to late to consider an abortion to whether or not abortion should even be legal. North Dakota is having several issues right now. Their governor is trying to pass legislation to ban abortions after the six-week mark. The only problem is that most women are not aware they are pregnant until after six weeks This leaves women with little to no options when dealing with an unwanted pregnancy.

In North Dakota there is one abortion clinic in the whole state. They have a staff of three and serves South Dakota and parts of Minnesota. If the legislation that is currently being discussed is past, many women will be denied the right to have an abortion. This could lead to unwanted pregnancies or women could end up taking extreme measures to terminate their pregnancies.

The biggest problem with all the legislation being passed is that men are the ones making decisions. Men are getting to pass laws and control what women are allowed to do with their bodies. Is that okay?

Valentine’s day at BYMC was a day filled with lots of love and treats! Our usual Thursday evening parenting class turned into an extravagant Valentine’s Day celebration with a mix of a mustache themed baby shower! Our parenting class consists of three pregnant females, 4 parenting mothers, and two supportive boyfriends who all came together to celebrate for this special day! Our three pregnant mothers received a variety of baby items from clothing to a Maclaren Stroller!  Moms-to-be wore a heart sash while dad-to-be wore a bib! After all, it isn’t a baby shower without some fun! Many thanks to the support of Sandylicious Parties for the event planning and delivery! As many of the girls stated last night, “It was the best Valentine’s Day ever!”

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