Sharron Norton: Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Teens

For my Senior Capstone project, I decided to volunteer at a Family Emergency Center in West Philadelphia and work with an Organization in Texas called Human Coalition. If you don’t already know I grew up in a single mothers homes where everyday I saw the struggles my mom undertook just to provide for my sisters and I.  This factor in my life has been deeply rooted in me and has shaped the person I am today. So my mission was to bring awareness to Teen pregnancy, for there is a lot of controversy to this topic. At the Emergency center, I got to work closely with the young mom that lived there. I was able to connect with these women while offering support.  My mother who was a former residence of the women’s home came in and talk to them as well. She told her life stories, challenges of being in their shoes and how she overcame her obstacles. The whole meaning of my project is to really just bring awareness to these women. I wanna be able to take their stories and be the messengers that they trust that will convey their message into something positive. I wanna be that person to let them know that their life choices don’t define them. Me and my mother will be that embodiment of this.

“Building Character: Strengthening the Heart of Good Leadership.” Center for Creative Leadership, ww.ccl.org/multimedia/podcast/building-character-strengthening-the-heart-of-good-leadership/.

• My Capstone will require me to have certain leadership skills. This website sets certain expectations to what they believe a leadership role looks like. It includes traits to follows. This could be a good guide to my success in my mentorship.

Great Valley Publishing Company, Inc. What Every Social Worker Should Know About Immigration Law, www.socialworktoday.com/archive/031912p24.shtml.

• Being the daughter of a teen mom, I noticed the struggle my mother  had when balancing working a job, taking care of 2 kids one her own and  trying to pursue an education for us all to have a better life. A lot of times mothers don’t have opportunity to go to school simply because of money. Their main focus isn’t just school now, it’s making sure their kids  have a roof over their head and something to eat. This sources talks about how some organizations help young mothers who want to continue an education.

Harden, Angela, et al. “Teenage Pregnancy and Social Disadvantage: Systematic Review Integrating Controlled Trials and Qualitative Studies.” The BMJ, British Medical Journal Publishing Group, 13 Nov. 2009, www.bmj.com/content/339/bmj.b4254.

• This source will be used to bring awareness on the impact on Teen Pregnancy. It also includes social disadvantages that come along with being a young mother. Counties such as the UK and the United States have high rates of teenage pregnancies. Social disadvantage can be seen in  unemployment, poverty, discrimination, and educational level, and place of residence.

“Helping Pregnant and Parenting Teens Find Housing.” Healthy Teen Network, 9 May 2018, www.healthyteennetwork.org/blog/helping-pregnant-parenting-teens-find-housing/.

• While doing extensive research, I found that there are different types of housing programs for young women all over the city. This website presents and explains the different types of programs.

HHS Office. “Grants.” HHS.gov, US Department of Health and Human Services, 19 May 2016, www.hhs.gov/programs/social-services/homelessness/grants/index.html.

• The place in which my mentorship course will take place is a financially assisted housing facility, but where do places like these gain funds to provide homes, food, and clothing for these women and their children? This source provides information on different grants that allow places like these to stay open and running.

National Research Council (US) Panel on Adolescent Pregnancy and Childbearing. “SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF TEENAGE CHILDBEARING.” Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1987, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK219229/.

• This website focusing on the active changes teen parenting has on not just a mother but father as well. Being brought to the attention of the reader are long term consequences of early childbearing for the mother, the father, and other family members. Following behind are Labor Force Participation, Occupational Status and many more. This source is a great insight to people aren't aware of how teen pregnancy contracts from others.

“Pregnant and Parenting Youth.” Job Training | Covenant House, www.covenanthouse.org/homeless-youth-programs/mother-child-teenage-pregnancy-help.

• Here I have found a Local foundation Covenant House that  has sheltered and cared for young people. It presents data on young parents who have/ still face homelessness in the U.S. A list of services this foundation included are as well listed. Such as food, clothings, Jobs, and health care.

Reynolds, Tammi. “Pregnant Teenagers Abandoned by Their Parents.” LoveToKnow, LoveToKnow Corp, https://pregnancy.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Pregnant_Teenagers_Abandoned_by_Their_Parents.

• This article informs me of the subject of abandonment, which has an affect on the teenagers overall experience during pregnancy and drives the lack of support throughout the process. This is a very useful topic, that shares an important perspective showing correlations to the abandonment of pregnant teens.

“What Teen Moms Want You to Know.” Seleni Institute, www.seleni.org/advice-support/2018/3/15/what-teen-moms-want-you-to-know.

• I had access to read over an interview that took place between a young mother and her mentor. I gained insight on the mother’s life story along with important context into what mothers in her situation would like outsiders to know.

Wolf, Jennifer. “HUD Programs Available to Single Mothers and Their Families.” Verywell Family, Very well family, www.verywellfamily.com/housing-assistance-programs-for-single-mothers-2997420.

• My mother, sister, and I left the housing facility because after being on the waitlist for a couple months she had been accepted into Section 8. Section 8 isa housing assistance program run by the federal government. It was created to help low- income families afford decent safe and sanitary housing. To get into Section 8 an HA determines your eligibility based on : your annual gross income, whether you qualify in their requirements, and U.S citizenship or eligible immigration status.