Genevieve is about to graduate from a mainstream high school in June. But the path to graduation was not an easy one because Genevieve is a teen parent. About a week before she found out that she was pregnant during her junior year of high school, she broke up with the baby’s father.
She was unable to tell her parents and talked with her older sister first seeking guidance. Two weeks later, her sister told their parents that Genevieve was pregnant. Her parents wanted her to terminate the pregnancy as did the father of her baby and his family. Her parents made her schedule a date but when the day came, Genevieve did not go. She instead chose to be a parent but she felt that she would be doing it without the support of her parents and that of the expectant father-to-be. Throughout her pregnancy she encountered one challenge after another. Her parents had health issues which became more severe due to the stress they experience finding out that Genevieve was going to go through with the pregnancy. Their stress became her stress.
Yet Genevieve continued to persevere in school and her relationship with her parents. Eventually they became two of her strongest supporters along with her grandmother. They now assist with childcare and have provided Genevieve with a car. After she gave birth, Genevieve’s grandmother helped take care of her baby so that Genevieve could finish homework or get some sleep with her baby was sick. Genevieve feels that her grandmother provided her with the motivation to finish high school letting her know that she was there to support her.
Genevieve also contributes her participation in Fresno EOC Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP) with helping to set goals and develop the steps to achieve them. She is especially grateful to her case manager for helping to guide her to make better decisions regarding her health and the health of her child, providing her with resources that are available in the community and supporting her in the choices that she has made without judgment. Genevieve will be attending a local community college this Fall and is expecting to be a full-time student.
About Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP)
Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP) addresses the social, health, educational, and economic consequences of adolescent pregnancy by providing comprehensive case management services to pregnant and parenting teens and their children. AFLP emphasizes promotion of positive youth development, focusing on and building upon the adolescents’ strengths and resources to work toward:
- Improving the health of the pregnant and parenting teen, thus supporting the health of the baby
- Improving graduation rates
- Reducing repeat pregnancies
- Improving linkages and creating networks for pregnant and parenting teens