Kiwanians empower teen mothers
ALTHOUGH adolescent pregnancy rates have been trending down, according to statistics from the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF), this issue remains a contributing factor to the disruption of teenage girls’ educational pursuits. As such, with this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrated under the theme, ‘Pledge for Parity’, the Kiwanis Club of Young Professionals, Kingston, staged a panel discussion to empower adolescent mothers to achieve their dreams and to provide positive role models.
The event featured panellists Dr Donna Hope-Marquis, author and lecturer at UWI, Mona, Natalie Lue-Fung, entrepreneur, and Althea McBean, attorney-at-law. In addition to sharing their personal experiences as young mothers and their journey to becoming influential trailblazers in their respective professional fields, the panellists also gave valuable insights.
Dr Hope-Marquis, in her emotional presentation, encouraged the adolescent mothers to set goals and to be determined and brave in achieving these goals, even as the journey may seem daunting at times.
“Education travels wide, renews with age and keeps on giving,” she said.
She said it was her determination to pursue academic excellence that enabled her to overcome poverty, and she charged the young ladies to take advantage of similar opportunities, so that they can shape the future they desire.
McBean shared her secret to success as “…having a strong support system in the form of family and friends which helped me to overcome being a teen mother”.
She noted that the support provided enabled her to remain positive even in the face of criticism.
“Do not let others define you by your pregnancy, but instead define yourself and have a plan for your life,” she told the audience of 50 teen mothers.
Lue-Fung, a past student of the WCJF, commended the centre for assisting her through the many challenges she had as a teen mother, including homelessness. “Use your challenges as nourishment to achieve great things,” she said.
She also reminded the young ladies to view themselves as valuable and through the eyes of God and not others.
And Member of Parliament Lisa Hanna encouraged the young women to have the spirit of Nanny of the Maroons, who was indomitable and as such made her mark in history.
“Stand up and speak up for yourselves and demonstrate hope and courage in a society which may not always be supportive of you,” Hanna said.
In her address, Dr Zoe Simpson, executive director of WCJF, commended the Kiwanis Club of Young Professionals, Kingston, for their pledge for parity and availing themselves to serve as role models for the young ladies at the centre.
The event was in keeping with the club’s mandate as a global volunteer organisation whose mission is to serve children and communities. The organisation seeks to promote service and leadership through its community-based projects with a focus on educational development projects, beautification projects and programmes geared towards at-risk youth.
