Meet our young mum mentors!
Hi I’m Kayleigh, I’m 25 from Jarrow and have a little girl called Khloe who’s 4. I joined bright futures young mums group when she was only a baby and I was 21. The group made me meet some life long friends who supported me through the highs and lows and I want to be able to do that for others too! It helped me gain so much more confidence in myself that when Khloe was 10 month old I took the plunge and started full time work and never looked back, and I wouldn’t have done that without the support of this group!
I became a mentor as I wanted to give people the support I had, even just knowing there is someone to speak to about any worries your having is a big step in its self. It can be a scary time but we have all been there and they best is still to come 💕
Hey there, I’m Courtney from South Shields I’m 21. I was 16 when I became pregnant and i had my little boy called Kai at 17. I’ve been coming to the group since I was 17. The group has helped me with advice, my confidence and my mental health. Being a young mam can be so lonely not many people understand some of the judgement, the stereotypes and that, that gets placed on a young mam with bright futures your never judged, they welcome you with open arms.
Being a mentor means so much to me! I like to help others and give the best advice I can whether its something I’ve experienced personally or whether I can offer a bit advice either way I enjoy helping others. I know what its like to be a young mam so I can offer that support towards young mams as well.
If there’s any young mam’s that need a chat even after the groups finished for the day feel free to message me even if it’s just for a rant or a chat, or just to plan a meet up or something.
I’m Kymberleigh (Kym) & I’m a young mum to my disabled little boy Rayne, I’m 19 to be exact & Rayne is turning 4 tomorrow (1st of October) in the shortest way possible, my story has been a rocky one, it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions very early on, I found out I was pregnant when I turned 14 & I had my son at 15, I met my now fiancé (Raynes father) 8 months before I fell pregnant, all was well until Rayne was about 6 months old & we started to notice that he wasn’t meeting his gross motor milestones, we tried bringing up too health visitors but nobody followed up with us, Rayne had been referred to physio to see if he was just ‘lazy’ as the health visitors said, fast forward to 2 years old Rayne was ordered a blood test to see if something was wrong, after a few days we got a letter that Rayne had to go to the centre for life to go & see the muscle team, without this story taking for ever Rayne has a condition called spinal muscular atrophy type 2 which means he can not walk, crawl, stand etc… he is now receiving treatment which is allowing him to progress doing things that maybe he wouldn’t of been able to do without treatment. As I was only 16 years old when Rayne was diagnosed I took it in ways I wasn’t expecting, only way I can explain it is I was numb. I struggled with mental health prior to falling pregnant & I was going through depression & anxiety, I also left school to be home schooled because of bullying affecting my mental health, Rayne saved me, as did my wonderful partner.
I really enjoy being a mentor because I feel like my story is different to most young mums, I feel like I’ve experienced a lot of things so young & I’ve got quite a lot of things to say & advice to give, I also feel like because so many young girls come to bright futures a lot of them may feel alone or stuck at what to do & as someone who is now adult & who was in their position I feel like I can provide comfort in knowing that if I can do it, anybody can! my favourite part about being a mentor is that I can express how helpful they were to me when I felt alone, when I needed help or just someone to talk too & without bright futures I think I would’ve struggled so much more, I feel like I’m a mentor I have the opportunity to provide that for someone else!! being a mentor is so rewarding & it is so nice to be able to offer things I’ve learnt too more people, it’s also allowed me to become an advocate & raise awareness for disabled children & how as a parent you know best!
My names eve and I’m 21 years old. I have a gorgeous son called Zac and we first started going to bright futures young mums group almost 5 years ago. The young mums group had helped me through a lot, it was somewhere where I felt safe and comfortable to talk about how I felt and what I was going through as a young mum. Bright futures has gave me a lot of opportunities and helped me in many different ways. I gained a lot of confidence going to this group and since having my son at 16 I have managed to complete college and get a job as a teaching assistant. Zac gained better social skills from coming to this group and mad a lot of friends who we see now and speak too on a daily basis.
I wanted to become a mentor for this group because it helped me in many different ways and I know the feeling of becoming a young mum, it’s quite scary and I wanted to help others the way the group had helped me. It’s always lovely seeing new members coming into the group and knowing they have good support around them.
Hello my name is Chloe Shakespeare. I am 23 years old, I have been coming to the group for 2 years now and when I first came to the group I was very nervous and I had no confidence as I am not from the Jarrow area. I was made to feel welcome and it helped with my confidence and I made a lot of mum friends along the way. My son is 2 year old now but when he was born he was born 8 weeks premature. He was born deaf in his right ear and was born with hydrocephalus but now he is a happy little boy who is starting nursery. I love being a young mams mentor as I am warm and welcoming to all the new mams who come to the group. I listen to people and give them support if needed and I love coming to the groups.
My name is Rebecca I am 27 years old I have Lilly who is 3 years old and lives with me and two other children 8 and 6. I had to flea for domestic abuse due to my perpetrator so been here there and everywhere but finally settled in my flat with Lilly-Mae. I like coming to young mums as I have gained new friendships and also get a lot of support off Ruth too. It also gives Lilly-Mae chance to meet new friends due to us not really knowing anybody where we live.
