by Diana English

Jada is a single mother. She and
her nine-month-old son live in
their own home. She is living on
social assistance while she goes
back to school to finish her educa-

_tion,

Jada is 17 years old and is one of
20 young women between 16 and
22 years of age enroled in the
Terrace school district Young
Moms Program.

Jada originally started in an
alternative schooling program,
Teen Mom Re-entry, while she
was pregnant in the fall of 1990 in
Prince Rupert. She finished the
school year there, taking time out
to give birth to Jessie in January
1991.

This past summer Jada moved
back to ‘Terrace. While Jada says
Terrace is more home to her than
Prince Rupert is, she also says the
opportunity of entering the new
Young Mom’s Program in Terrace
is what made her decide to stay
here. She is sure that if it were not
for the alternate programs in both
Prince Rupert and Terrace she
would not have started to complete
her education after becoming preg-
nant.

Jada has definite plans for her
future. She is working through one
Grade 11 and two Grade 10

' courses. She plans to have com-
pleted all the courses required to

graduate from Grade 12 by 1994.
After completing high school Jada
wants to attend college to become
a counsellor. Her plans are to work
with teenagers and children.

Jada says one of the extra bene-
fits of the Young Moms Program
is that it gives her an excuse to get
out of the house. She says she has

Terrace Review —— Wednesday, November 13, 1991 17

é

left Jessie with a baby sitter only & -

three times, having cancelled plans

fo go out many’ other times @

because she just didn’t want to

leave him. She says she is still

searching .for a permanent baby
sitter until the daycare associated
with the Young Moms Program
starts up. Until she finds a sitter,
she is working on her courses
mostly at home, coming into the
classroom to drop off work.

Jada says that she has been living
on her own for two months, but
she does get some help with Jessie
at home from friends. While she
does not live with Jessie’s father,
he is always there if she needs
him, and he does share the finan-

cial responsibility for Jessie. Jada |

says it is a big change living on
her own, that is very difficult and
a lot more work. But her mother
lives in Prince Rupert and Jada
says she would rather stay in Ter-
race. :

Jada admits she did consider
other options while she was preg-
nant, but she is now very glad that
she decided to go ahead and have

» Having problems with your WCB claim? ;
« You can get free, confidential advice, when a
‘Workers’ Adviser visits Terrace"6n November.21.

¢ To make an Appointment for a personal interview,
call the Government Agent's Office at 638-3200.

* The interviews will be held at the B.C. Access
Centre, 101 - 3220 Eby Street, Terrace.

For advice without an interview, contact Workers’
Adviser office in Richmond toil free 1-800-663-4261.

Jada, Jessie: New program kept them in Terrace.

Young moms glad to be back in school —

her baby. She says the only time helps you cope better. with your
she might feel any regret at all is kids and not yell at them as much,
late at night, when the baby is Another course that I am going to
crying and won't stop, and she be taking is called Young Moms
needs her sleep so she can get up Program. It enables young women
the next day and get on with her that have or are having babies to

life. finish their education and graduate
’ ‘+ ana be someone. It enables them

The following was written by to bring their children to school
another of the young moms. She is where there will be a daycare for
19 years old and prefers to remain them to go to while the mother is
anonymous. doing school work. I hope the

program will work out for a lot of

left, it’s my last opportunity to do
something for myself and get
somewhere in life. Always femem-
ber: if you want something bad
enough you — and only you ==
can get it. I want to finish school
bad so I have to try extra hard. I
have already made up my mind
that I am going to finish, and when
I finish I am going to take business
careers course and do secretarial
work or be a bank clerk. To con-
clude my little story, I would like

"Iam going too be taking a
course on parenting, It’s called
*Nobody’s Perfect’. The course

young women, especially myself. I
really need this program to work
for me because that’s all I have

to wish everyone luck on their
schooling and in life. It is not at
all easy being a young mom."

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