SI N. Shore Neighbourhood House youth program celebrates third anniversary THE PREGNANT and Parenting Youth Program at North Shore Neighbour- hood House (NSNH) is celebrating its third anni- versary this month. By Joyce Thierry Contributing Writer “We are here for decision- making and support, without favoring abortion, adoption or parenting,’’ said Mary Hendricks, Helen Swanston and Shauna Mann, three of the program’s Outreach Family Support workers. They provide information and counselling and when the pregnant teen decides what she wants to do, they will accompany her to the doctor and private or government agencies. They are also available for prenatal, labor and delivery support. When the baby is born, the new _Mother can continue coming to NSNH and can attend one of the organization’s life-skill programs or support groups, . There are not many outreach programs for adolescents on the North Shore. The demands placed on the NSNH program ‘therefore are great. Hendricks and Swanston share a caseload of 60 young mothers. They also handle phone cails from teenagers and organize sev- “eral parenting groups. Hendricks sees these teenage mothers, seme she has known since the program began, go. through their daily struggles with their babies. ‘4! want people to know they're awesome. They are hard-working. They love their children. They're incredible people, and I don’t think that’s ever said enough. “They have big hearts with each Gther. They have nothing and yet they are always providing for each other,’’ said Hendricks. Joan Rousseau, one of six local community health nurses who works with the program, holds teen prenatal classes and a young-parents’ baby clinic at NSNH. Like Hendricks, she wants to change the stereotypes that people have of pregnant and parenting teens. She said teenage mothers come from all walks of "fe. They do not, she said, always come from the lower-middle class or have limited education. “The ones with family support do not use our service. We really encourage adolescents to commu- nicate with their families, but sometimes that isn’t possible,”’ said Rousseau. The young girls who are on their own must Jearn quickly to dea! with diapers, landlords, and how to live on $940 a month from welfare. Rousseau describes her role as “fone of advocacy and to help them become assertive and in- dependent. Building self-esteem is an issue that crosses all cultures and lines.’” Hendricks paints a _ Slightly ’ bleaker picture. 9 " suggestod retail ‘Roller Blinds | NEWS photo Miko Wakefield TEN-MONTH-old Amanda enjoys a bottle while mothers and children enjoy the North Shore Neigh- bourhood House pregnant teen program that helps young mothers cope with the responsibilities of motherhood. She said many of the teenage mothers are in abusive relation- ships, have 2 history of being sex- ually abused and wili experience repeat pregnancies (forgetting or just not bothering to use birth contro! methods). Because of their age, the teens are caught in the middle of private | TOLL FREE OREIMITED CALL ACCESS FROM “LINKING TECHNOLOGY WITH APPLICATIONS” and government services. Community parenting and bat- tered. women programs do not take into consideration parenting teenagers whose world experience is very different from a woman in her 20s or 30s. “Right now,” Hendricks said, “fone of the big needs is @ support o@@ PER MONTH CALL CANALINK NOW © group for girls in abusive relation- ships, but there is only so much we can do. We are so under-staf- fed.” They rely on ‘‘mega-donations of shampoo, diapers, food, mom and baby clothes, and furniture.’’ See Bond page 44 YOU CAN BE CALLING TOLL-FREE TODAY CALL 291-8111 EXTENSION 8111