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26 Nov 2009
Interviewing Howard
Last month when headlines screamed: TEENAGE MOTHERS TO BE PLACED IN WORKHOUSES, 19 year-old Bexley single mother Nicola Lucas and colleagues decided to find out what the story was behind this headline.
Nicola is taking part in Headliners - in partnership with The Bexley Challenge Programme, an initiative delivered by Groundwork London. The Bexley Challenge Programme is working with young people who are not in education, employment or training and are deemed hard to reach. The aim of the programme is to raise self-esteem, confidence and support them back into sustainable education, training or employment. Groundwork London provides weekly workshops that address the barriers and situations they may find themselves in, offering impartial advice and guidance in a non-judgemental atmosphere. Nicola, together with Amelia Tatham, 19, and Natalie Russell, 19, headed over to Canary Wharf in early November to interview prospective parliamentary Labour Party candidate Howard Dawber (Bexleyheath & Crayford) on this topical issue.
From the interview they established that the Labour government’s proposal was not about keeping teenage mothers under lock and key but more about offering support for those mothers who do not have the support at home. Such as that provided by Foyers, a network of integrated learning and accommodation centres which provide a space for young people who might extra help, employment opportunities or training.
Howard Dawber said: “It is not about locking up teenage mothers, the scheme is an expansion of existing scheme for teenage mothers who aren’t living at home It will be run by the Foyer Foundation Teenage mothers will get support with parenting skills and getting back to work and develop a support network.”
For Nicola who has a three-year-old son and struggles on her own to raise him, the government’s proposal is a welcoming idea. Nicola said: “As a teenage mother I would have liked to have had that sort of support. I think the scheme would be useful to teenage mothers. It’s hard looking after a child on your own.”
All the reporters found Howard friendly and informative.
Nicola said: “I didn’t think politicians had a sense of humour. Howard was very friendly to us. It was my first ever interview as a reporter for Headliners, it was the best day of my life.”
After the interview Howard treated the young reporters to a trip down the river Thames taking in landmarks such as Parliament, and London Eye.
Of the programme as a whole Nicola Lucas commented: "Coming to the Bexley Challenge Programme has built my self esteem and confidence, it has changed my life, I feel like I've got the old me back".
Amelia Tatham said; "Coming to the Bexley Challenge Programme has built my self esteem and confidence and I have learnt new skills in journalism and realised that I really have a interest in photography."
