Teenage parents encouraged to pen letters

The deadline for young parents to contribute to a new book about being a teenage mum or dad in the 21st century has been extended.

Called ‘The Good, the Bad and the Unforgettable’, the publication will shine a light on real life stories and reflect the reality of being a young parent in the 21st century.

The book will be a collection of pieces written by young parents and anyone who is or was a young parent and who is interested in sharing their experiences is encouraged to get writing.

Created by the Leicestershire Young Parents Forum as part of  Leicestershire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership, it is a sequel to ‘Dear Me’ which was published in 2010.

Katie Phillips, Leicestershire Teenage Pregnancy Strategic Commissioning Manager, said: “The success of Dear Me inspired us to once again ask young parents to put pen to paper.

“We have a fantastic support offer for young parents in the county but sadly there are still times when young parents feel judged, criticised and unsupported.

“This book will give young parents a voice to tell it like it is from their perspective and challenge those who see young parenthood as an easy option.”

Twenty-year-old Jessica Walker from Wigston is a member of the county young parent’s forum and was 18 when she had her son. Jess set up a Facebook page to collect letters from young parents ands has written something herself for inclusion.

She said: “Each forum member had been touched by the ‘Dear Me’ book. As a collective, we wanted to make a follow on that reflected the modern day young parent, documenting their struggles and triumphs to beat some stereotypes and give comfort to others in a similar situation.”

Parents wanting to find out more or send in letters can email letters@parentsunder20.co.uk – the closing date for responses is Friday 11th January.

Leicestershire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership works with young people to reduce conception rates and provide support for teenage parents.

The partnership includes Leicestershire County Council, NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland and Connexions Leicestershire.

Over the past 24 months, it has:

• Reduced teenage pregnancy rates even further – rates are now down by 30 per cent when compared to 1998.

• Created a series of short online films to raise awareness of local contraceptive services.

•  Launched a new toolkit for the delivery of relationships and sex education in further education colleges.

For more information on the Leicestershire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership, visit: www.letstalktp.org.uk

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