Kelsie Schneck - Teen MOPs

•          Teen MOPs Mattoon
•         Being a teen mother can be a disadvantage. It is hard to raise a child when you aren’t even grown yourself. Some teen mothers don’t have jobs or attend school full-time, so how can you pay for all of the needs for that child? Most teen mothers are on government assistance which can help them, but it doesn’t pay for diapers, clothes, or shelter.
•     I have met a lot of people while at Teen MOPs. I was in it last year when I moved here. I have met quite a few women who either work at Eastern or went to school at Eastern. There are other women who have mentored me, which has given me an insight on how I should mentor others. I have gained knowledge since I have volunteered at Teen MOPS. Other things I have gained are to not be judgmental of other girls because some of them are going through what I have gone through, just at a different stage in their life.
•       It brings support to the girls who don’t have the support at home or in the community because of their pregnancy at a young age.
•      Since I have been in Teen MOPs for three years total, I have seen what has happened just with the girls. When I moved to Charleston, I didn’t know what to expect when I first went to Teen MOPs. Here there were about eight girls when I started going, then it dropped down to five of us regularly going. It is extremely small compared to the 80 we have back home. I still had only seen what goes on during Teen MOPs, not after. So when I was asked to take charge of the daycare, I was excited. I then learned about the extra time and work these ladies put into the volunteer work. Planning activities for the kids was the hardest part, since I had children from 3-12. Finding activities that fit all of them was stressful. Another thing was finding out what these children were like when they were not around their mothers. Some have attachment issues with their mothers, but others are reluctant to go to their mothers. One specific situation was the worst. A mother had brought a child with a moldy bottle and dirty clothes to a meeting. This is where I didn’t know what to do; I had to consult with the other leaders to find a solution. Finding a solution was hard because they were pretty much homeless and living a motel that was provided by the church. Getting the child proper care was a problem, because after they left the meeting, there wasn’t really anything we could do besides check up on them sometimes.