Teen mothers are being paid £20 an hour to show young girls their stretch marks and reveal the reality of getting pregnant. Nineteen-year-old Emma, who dropped out of education at 17 to have a baby was recently quoted in The Sunday Times as saying, ‘I reckon I would have listened to some young girl, instead of some teacher rattling on’.
Rapid social change has left parents and teachers behind, and many feel ill-equipped to talk to kids about sex and relationships. I recently spoke to Maggie Hamilton, author of What’s Happening To Our Girls (Viking), who shed some light on the issue. ‘When I speak at schools, the girls come up to me and say, “Maggie, it’s the freak-out factor. Where do I begin telling Mum and Dad about what happens at the weekend?’
So where do young girls usually go for advice? ‘Kids turn to their friends because they’re more available,’ says Hamilton. ‘Young teens no longer have friendships across the generations, which would allow them to hear stories about how to navigate tricky situations. They’re left with an incredible naivety that’s continuing into their twenties.’
Girls develop their identities as teenagers and model themselves on older girls behaviour. In Hackney, teen pregnancy rates have fallen by a fifth between 2001 and 2008 suggesting peer-to-peer education works – the national fall in teen pregnancies is only four per cent.
What do you think? Would you encourage more mentoring schemes in schools? Do you have a daughter who benefits from the wisdom of an older cousin or neighbour? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
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