Advocating for Reproductive Justice and Birth Justice in Our Schools and Communities: The Role of Young Parents in Shaping and Transforming Policy

• In Event: 66.042 - "We're Not Just Changing Diapers, We're Changing the World!" Young Parents Transforming Their Communities

Abstract

Objectives
This paper will examine efforts that aim to transform local and national policies related to young parents, by examining the work of an organization that acknowledges the capacity of youth to serve as change agents and involves youth and youth allies in the design and implementation of advocacy efforts. In particular, the paper will detail the organization’s work in the area of birth justice and what participants gained from the process of developing a birth justice toolkit.

Perspectives/background
The perspectives of this organization and project are grounded in the notion of Reproductive Justice (RJ), which addresses reproductive rights for women and girls and links reproductive health to broader social and economic factors, inequities, and struggles. According to the website of the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH), RJ is: “a movement that believes real choice and control over our bodies and ourselves comes when we first have the power and resources to make those decisions.”
Groups such as ICAH are spotlighting inequities within policy and the educational system that often disadvantage young parents and hinder their educational success. Such inequities have also been substantiated by research that has critiqued many policies and programs as worsening the situation for teen parents (Kelly, 2000; Mollburn, 2007).

Methods/Data sources
ICAH was founded in 1977 and “is a network of empowered youth and allied adults who transform public consciousness and build capacity of family, school and healthcare systems to support the sexual health, identities, and rights of youth” (icah.org). The organization provides sexual health training for youth, and also advocates and organizes for reproductive justice for youth in Illinois, with a focus on fostering youth leadership skills and working with marginalized populations.

This in-process project utilizes a Participatory Action Research design, involving collaborative research among members of a research team that includes academic researchers, ICAH staff, youth, and youth allies. Data for this project will be provided by interviews with members of the youth leadership council (about 10) and staff (about 4); a series of staff and youth-led discussion groups with individuals involved in developing birth justice toolkit; and materials, such as flyers, handouts, posters, and manuals.

Results
Although data for this project is in the process of being collected, observations of activities and a review of resources and materials reveal that young parents played an active role in the design and implementation of a variety of policy initiatives, most notably those devoted to building awareness among policymakers, school personnel, and young parents regarding the rights of young parents within the education system under Title IX. Young parents who participated in ICAH’s Young Parent Summit served as leaders, facilitators, and advocates, and brought their lived realities and experiences into the debate and discussion about educational conditions and opportunities for young parents.
Scholarly significance
There is currently scant research regarding the role that young parents’ involvement in advocacy efforts can play in their development of skills and knowledge, as well as yield policies and approaches that are more aligned with their lived realities.

Author

• Tiffany Pryor, Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health