I’m a young
mom myself, so I know just how hard it can be to have an unintended pregnancy.
It happens. I’ve never been ashamed, no matter how people (even my family) has
looked at me. I knew that having my son was going to be the best thing that has
ever happened to me and it was going to push me to do great things.
At
nineteen, I was about to have a baby, broke, and nowhere near where I wanted to
be in my life. And worst, my boyfriend was out of work and just tore his ACL
playing football. You can pretty much say I was stressed most of my pregnancy.
Most people would think that having a baby at a young age is a setback and
prevents you to live your life and follow your dreams. I believe the exact
opposite. My son is my number one motivation for everything that
I do in my life now, and that is why I decided to start The Stylette Studio
& Foundation. I want young moms to know that their life does not end when
they become a mom and it is definitely still possible to reach their dreams, and
no dream is too big or too small.
I started this organization to change the
negative perception of adolescent pregnancy. This is one of the main reasons
why young women drop out of school which contributes to prolonged poverty and
unemployment. We know that young moms often feel overwhelmed and hampered from
reaching their dreams and their full potential. We want to give these young
women the opportunity to reach their full potential and be of a support for
their families and feeling confident and beautiful in the process.
In addition
we want to build a stronger community by collaborating, partnering, and supporting
other organizations with similar values; providing support and friendship to
young mothers and empowering them to be better women, parents, and community
leaders; and addressing challenges and fostering unlimited opportunities for
young women in Maryland.
In 2010, 58% of all pregnancies (71,000) in Maryland were unintended. The teen pregnancy rate in Maryland was 57 per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2010. School failure, early sexual debut, and teen pregnancy characterize much of the experience of young people growing up in Baltimore today. Baltimore’s infant mortality rate places us among the poorest nations of the world—and we are located in one of the wealthiest states of the country.
Teenage Pregnancy Rates (Number of Births per 1000 female
population age 15-19 in 2015):
Frederick County: 20
Baltimore County: 25
Baltimore City: 61
Howard County: 11
Source: NCHS and drawn from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS)
(http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/maryland/2015/measure/factors/14/datasource)
The race with the highest risk for teen pregnancy in Frederick
County is white females ages 18-19. The racial breakdown for
teen pregnancy in the state of Maryland shows some disparity between the racial
groups. Teen pregnancy among black females is much higher than among White and
Hispanic females.
Source: Maryland Vital Statistics Reports, Division of Health Statistics,
Maryland DHMH; National Center for Health Statistics, CDC.
The Stylette Studio and Foundation's mission is to empower
young mothers in Baltimore, Howard, and Frederick Counties and put them on a
path toward economical, educational and personal success by providing clothing,
mentorship, self-image development, resources, and support to their families.
Join me in this movement #YOUNGMOMSROCK (young mom or not!), let's prove them wrong!
Please like and share our facebook page facebook.com/TheStyletteStudio&Foundation and Follow us on Instagram @thestylettefoundation
I'd appreciate everyone's support!
