Check out this exciting project and donate to the Indiegogo campaign.
Carrie Nelson and Avital Norman Nathman (@TheMamaFesto) create a web series entitled “Our Reality” about the realities of teen parenting using the words and stories of actual teen parents in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Teen Parenting is not all Teen Mom and Juno, you know:
Holyoke, Massachusetts is a city known for many things. It’s considered the birthplace of volleyball, holds the second largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the nation, and has a mayor who was elected at the age of 22. It also holds the distinction for having the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state — Five years running.The Care Center, an alternative education program in Holyoke, works with pregnant/parenting teens who have dropped out of high school. Despite not following a traditional path and facing more challenges than the average teen, these students have the drive, hunger for knowledge, and capacity to succeed. These young women also have stories to tell: their own.We (Carrie Nelson and Avital Norman Nathman) are creating a web series about the realities of teen parenting. The funds raised by this campaign will be used to produce between four and six short web videos, in which teen parents will share their stories in their own words. The students at The Care Center will be our inaugural group — we hope the momentum of the project will allow us to work with other teens as well.Today, teen parenting has its own time slot in the world of reality television. But shows like MTV’s Teen Mom only tell one type of story. Our Reality will provide a space for teen parents to share their own experiences in their words, without sensationalism, shaming, or sexist media tropes. Using words and images from their daily lives, we will provide them with a platform in order to share their stories. Our Reality will offer unique perspectives on the lives of teen parents.
Dig deep, people. Carrie and Avital need $7000 in the next 30 days.
[Click here to learn more about the Our Reality Indiegogo campaign!]