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PHONE: 527-8009
E-MAIL: dawalla@lashaw.org
January 26, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Success on Kauai Means Expansion for Legal Aid’s “Teen Parents & The Law” Project
Thanks to the generosity of the Alexander & Baldwin Foundation and the Okumura Family Fund, Legal Aid Kauai’s “Teen Parents & The Law” Project has been running successfully in all three of Kauai’s public high schools since the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year. Due to this early success, the Hawaii Children’s Trust Fund has agreed to support the statewide expansion of the Project through the 2008-2009 school year. Thus, for the 2006-2007 school year Legal Aid will send attorneys into five more public schools on Maui and the Big Island; then, in 2007-2008, the Project will expand to Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, and West Hawaii—providing a statewide presence in Hawaii’s public schools.
"By teaching teenage parents about areas of the law typically missing from existing programs, by helping them develop resiliency skills, and by linking these young parents to supportive community resources, our Project aims to prevent child abuse and neglect—and empower teenage parents with the legal knowledge necessary to provide a safe and healthy home for their family," says Gregory Meyers, Managing Attorney for Legal Aid’s Kauai office.
The project not only educates young parents about their rights and responsibilities but also empowers them to answer hard questions like: Where do I go to get financial help for my baby girl? Is her father obligated to support her? How do I prove who her father is, and does it matter if his name is on the birth certificate? What is a temporary restraining order and how can I protect my baby and myself from my abusive partner? My parents are telling me I cannot leave the house with my child, but it=s my child, don=t I have rights? My baby was born four weeks premature and Easter Seals says she may have long-term developmental problems, her father is not happy, he has shown his violent temper lately around the house, what can I do to make sure she gets the nutrition and care she needs? These are all true examples of the questions and needs from Hawaii=s teen parents. They are not alone. Across the nation, over 150,000 babies are born each year to at least one minor parent. Statistics show that 1 out of every 5 teenage girls will become pregnant.
Hawaii=s Department of Health reports that in 2003, there were nearly 2,000 births to teenage mothers in Hawaii between the ages of 15-19: 107 in Kauai County, 270 in Maui County, 364 in Hawaii County, and 1,115 in the City and County of Honolulu. In response to these statistics, Legal Aid started the Teen Parents and the Law Project, dedicated to providing ill-equipped teenage parents with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the maze of legal issues related to parental rights and responsibilities, custody, child support, abuse, neglect, domestic violence, discrimination, housing, education, health, public benefits, and consumer laws.
With this Project, Legal Aid remains committed to aiding low-income and at-risk youth in accessing justice throughout all of Hawaii. We welcome support of volunteer pro bono attorneys who may be interested in teaching specific lessons. For more information, please contact Greg Meyers, Managing Attorney – Kauai, at (808) 245-4728 or by email at grmeyer@lashaw.org.
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