'Having a baby young is not the end:' young mum on a mission to change views (From Enfield Independent)

'Having a baby young is not the end:' young mum Yvonne Omini on a mission to change negative views

5:35pm Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in News By Hermione Wright

A mother-of-two desperate to banish negative attitudes towards young mothers is having her voice heard.

Yvonne Omini, 24, is due to feature on ITV’s London Tonight tomorrow evening to discuss a documentary film she is making to empower other young women who are bringing up children.

The single mother, from Enfield Lock, decided to fight against the negative attitudes after struggling with prejudice for having two children before she was 19.

She is working with youth charity Fixers to create the film, which she hopes will inspire others to fulfil their potential and take control of their lives.

She said: “My aim is to inspire as many mothers as possible to take action in their lives, if they have not already.

"Many young mums deal with rejection from their friends, family, and even society.

“I want to rid of that negative mentality of ‘your life is over as a teenage mother’ because that certainly isn’t true.

"I believe it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Having a baby young is not the end.”

She fell pregnant with her daughter Jaeda at the age of 17, and with her son Kaylan a year later.  She gave birth to him one month before her 19th birthday.

Fixers supports people aged between 16 and 25 in taking action against any issue they feel strongly about in order to bring positive change.

As a fixer, Yvonne is also holding seminars across the London area to get her message across.

The single mum, who hopes to become a motivational speaker in the future, added: “I just wanted to give hope and reassurance to others like me, because there is such a negative portrayal of young, single mums these days.”