Alenah Jones

As a young mother at the age of 19 I faced many challenges and received negative judgement on many occasions.  These experiences have shown me just how lonely and isolating parenthood can be.  For these reasons I established a new baby group specifically designed for parents under 25 and their children that offers a safe and relaxing environment for those in need of support or simply a place to socialise with other young parents. Running the Newport Young Parents Support Group has identified where a lack of confidence can prevent some parents from attending and how they can also be supported online. In setting up an email for the group I soon found that parents were emailing me about the group and although going to a physical group was a step too far for some, they would continue to email about difficulties they were facing such as postnatal depression, negative stigma and feeling alone.

The Group has reinforced my passion for helping others and the importance of improving the quality of lives within the community which has led to me setting up a ‘safe haven’ community center. I’m striving to provide a place that will provide equal opportunities to every member of the community regardless of their circumstances as well as looking at what support and services are needed in the community. The centre will offer support through many different services such as support groups, regular events, awareness fairs and will work closely with different organisations to provide the best possible outcomes.