Self Portrait Young Parents
A project that gives a voice to young parents living in the urban and coastal districts of East Northumberland using photography and video to tell their stories and reveal the realities of life as a young teenage mum – the good times and the bad – being scared, vulnerable, desperate, depressed but also incredibly optimistic and stoic.
In their images and films they demonstrate resilience, a sense of humour and strength of character that has often helped them get through the difficult times.
Working with Media19, this group of young mums from Northumberland’s ‘Been There, Done That!’ Peer Education Project, have produced video and photographic work that tells their stories and expresses their feelings and the experiences they have faced after becoming pregnant in their teens.
Now they’re taking their story and their message to schools across Northumberland, as part of their Peer Education Programme, to encourage young people – young men and young women – to make positive and informed choices in their lives and to say that if it does happen, all is not lost – you still have a future.The production by these mums of their video and photographic posters aims to support them in their peer to peer work telling other young people just how it is.
View Kerry, Jade and Vicky’s films.
Posters
The Self Portrait Young Parents project has also worked with young teenage Dad’s at Castington Young Offenders Institute. As absent fathers, they are more aware of what they’re missing and the responsibilities that they have.
Creating a set of photographic portraits during Father and Child visits when partners and children can spend time together to build and maintain their relationship, makes them very aware of their situation and how they might cope and face up to their responsibilities once back out in the real world.
Self Portrait Young Parents is a Media19 project supported by the Northern Rock Foundation and working in partnership with Northumberland NHS Trust Teenage Pregnancy Team and Castington Young Offenders Institute.
