Print
E-mail
Share
digg
Newsvine
Facebook
Stumble
Technorati
reddit
Fark
twitterSOCIAL SERVICES:
In class and back on track after losing her way
With the help of social services, a single mom is back in school after a tumultuous four-year gap
Tiffany Brown
Brandice Dirden, 17, is back in school thanks to a program for teenage girls who are homeless or from unstable backgrounds that allowed her to attend summer school and get on the job training. She has a year-old daughter and hasn’t been in school since she was kicked out of sixth grade for fighting.
Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Beyond the Sun
Seventeen-year-old Brandice Dirden lifts her brown eyes from the floor and lets a wide smile cross her face twice during an hourlong conversation.
It’s when she mentions getting A’s and B’s in summer school, and landing a job interview at Marshalls, the store where she has been learning about the world of work since July.
As of last week, Dirden is also one of more than 2,200 students filling the classrooms of Shadow Ridge High School, where she often feels out of place because she is one of the few students with a baby at home and because it has been so hard for her to get this far.
When she started school a week ago Monday, it was the first time she had set foot in a classroom in four years. She was thrown out of sixth grade for fighting, shortly after her “only friend in the world,” her grandmother, died.
Gangs, shoplifting, an arrest for battery and an unplanned pregnancy followed.
Luckily for Dirden, Toni Mims took an interest in her. At the time, Mims worked with an out-of-school tutoring program at Nevada Partners, so she led Dirden into tutoring several times. By this year, Mims was working with Southern Nevada Children First, the only nonprofit organization in Las Vegas focusing on teenage girls who have been homeless or come from unstable backgrounds and are pregnant or raising children.
Dirden got to the 2-year-old organization just in time to join a summer program paid for by Workforce Connections, an agency that gets federal money to train people for work and help them find jobs. The $124,449 grant allowed Southern Nevada Children First to help 32 girls and young women, ages 16 to 22, get back into school or a GED or technical program. They’re also afforded on-the-job training. The grant-funded effort began July 1 and continues through Sept. 31. The nonprofit organization also has a Las Vegas house where five teenage girls live while rebuilding their lives.
The summer program is “something we need in our community,” according to Henderson Councilwoman Kathleen Boutin, founder of the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth. Boutin notes that Nevada has long been at or near the top of the list nationwide for teen pregnancy rates and that unstable housing or homelessness makes being young and raising a child doubly difficult. She adds that a lot of grant money is available to help pregnant teens, but the Las Vegas Valley has few such programs.
Kathleen Boutin
Programs that focus on school and job training are particularly needed to “break the cycle of poverty,” Boutin says.
Dirden is friends with Sa’sha Mason, also in Southern Nevada Children First’s summer program. Mason is 16 and has an 8-month-old daughter. Mason spent a few years “bouncing around,” as she puts it, including sleeping in a friend’s yard.
Monique Harris, executive director of Southern Nevada Children First, says the technical definition of homelessness includes “couch surfing.” To escape from problems at home, some young people sleep on the couch of a friend or acquaintance for a few nights, then move on to another and another.
Harris worked at the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth before starting her own organization. Many of the 32 participants in her summer program have had to live at the homes of friends or friends of friends. They’ve often had to move without notice, a precariousness made more difficult with a baby. Some of the girls also have lived on the streets.
Most have also grown up without the feeling “that someone cares,” Dirden says.
“In a way, we’re replacing their parents,” Harris says. “These are kids raising themselves.”
So Harris and her staff coax them back to school, give them rides, help with homework and give pats on the back. The on-the-job training includes basics such as dressing appropriately and good manners.
“They don’t have these skills,” Harris says.
Dirden appears to have benefited from the past few months of learning and working, but her confidence remains fragile. Approaching school on her first day, she was nervous.
“I was afraid people were going to be more advanced,” she says. “I never had anyone to push me and I feel like everyone sets us up as a failure.”
In those moments, she says, “My daughter Aaloni keeps me going.”
She wants a future with her own apartment. She wants to be a nurse. Sometimes, she sees news reports about gang members shot or arrested and she thinks, “I’ve come a long way.”
“I’ve known people who got shot and died. That could be me.”
Harris, who is seeking funding to replace the Workforce Connections grant when it expires, says the teens “are good girls.”
If you asked them what they need, Harris says, their answer would be, “ ‘Let me get stable. Give me some direction. I’ll meet your expectations.’ ”
Discussion: 30 comments so far…
Post a comment
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Shooting in parking lot of CVS leaves man dead
- Man, 26, dies in collision with truck traveling at 100 mph
- Nevada’s just not for us, many top high schoolers say
- Holiday shoppers skip turkey for Strip stores
- Casino venue in Singapore will have Las Vegas flavor
- CityCenter completion might spur home foreclosures
- Fontainebleau retail component seeks bankruptcy
- MGM Mirage: CityCenter not affected by debt woes
- Holiday Auction 2009 items
- Real estate experts cautiously optimistic about market
Blogs
The Kats Report
Could a savior of shuttered Las Vegas Art Museum be ... Peter Max? (5 Comments)
For Paul Stanley and KISS, rock and roll is not over (5 Comments)
Twenty years ago today, Human Nature took root on the farm (1 Comment)
Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch
Photo Gallery: Donny Osmond’s triumphant return to the Flamingo
The Kats Report
'DWTS' champ Donny Osmond still deft afoot in return to Flamingo (8 Comments)
Politics: The Early Line
Meeting of GOP governors draws challengers, not Gibbons (5 Comments)
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Oscar loves forcing developers to sign labor peace agreements, Culinary loves the city's downtown plans and all is forgiven (10 Comments)
Calendar »
- 28 Sat
- 29 Sun
- 30 Mon
- 1 Tue
- 2 Wed
-
KISS at the Pearl
The Pearl at the Palms
-
Christopher "Kid" Reid at the LA Comedy Club
LA Comedy Club @ Trader Vic's
-
Stevie Wonder at MGM Grand
MGM Grand Garden Arena | 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
-
UNLV Rebels vs. Louisville at the Thomas & Mack Center
The Thomas & Mack Center | 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
-
Joe Perry Project at the House of Blues
House of Blues | 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Vicente Fernandez at the Mandalay Bay Events Center
Mandalay Bay Events Center | 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
-
Jay Leno at The Mirage
Terry Fator Theatre
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
sorry...i don't feel sorry for these girls.
it's called "RAMIFICATIONS FOR YOUR ACTIONS"!
So being homeless is ramification for your actions? Amazing
Good grief, stevem! If you don't have something nice to say, keep your trap shut. These are not adults. These are children, children who didn't have parents to help them along the right path. Cut them some slack as they are trying to better themselves.
they are "children" that were old enough to choose NOT to have protected sex.
so, they have babies...that WE end up having to support.
she got kicked out of school for fighting...that was her decision to fight.
so...she doesn't get an education = can't find a job, get's pregnant, but can't support the baby so guess who gets stuck with the bill?
YOU.
The article fails to mention if this service/program is available to boys, If not , why not?
They could have chosen a better poster child to represent the Organization/Program
stevem:
If they don't get a hand up, they are certainly going to be getting a handout. Their children aren't going to have any more of a chance in life than they had, and so the cycle would continue, and people like you would gripe about it. It's completely obvious that you are not a long-term kind of thinker.
Ernest:
I doubt that the program is available to boys since the article clearly states "....Southern Nevada Children First, the only nonprofit organization in Las Vegas focusing on teenage girls who have been homeless or come from unstable backgrounds and are pregnant or raising children."
What exactly do you mean by "They could have chosen a better poster child to represent the Organization/Program"?
no, i AM a long term thinker.
the long term cost to the tax payer to feed and house the babies of people like this is disgusting.
we've seen over and over again that no matter how many "use condoms" and "stay in school" sermons we give this lower rung of society...they fall on deaf ears.
why?
because there will always be the bleeding heart to keep them fed and housed...so they can have more babies...who don't stay in school...that can't get jobs.
if we had forced sterilization of women in poverty, we would have a more glorious nation.
ShannonK
There are plenty of teenage fathers also,but no programs for them
Oh, my, stevem, you just demonstrated your lack of reading comprehension. Did you read the article at all?
And forced sterilization? I notice that's a theme in your rantings on this site and very telling.
Ernest:
There are plenty of teenage fathers trying to raise their babies on the streets? I seriously doubt that, but I'd be more than happy to look at whatever you have as evidence.
As a non profit organization, collecting federal grant monies and organization cannot discriminate services because of gender, and yes there are young fathers trying to raise a child on their own
But I will request an opinion from the Equal Rights Commission, and the A.C.L.U
Hey stevem has a point why should we keep shoving tax dollars at these deadbeats? Clearly sterilization may be one answer to the problem. I will be the first person to argue with stevem when he is wrong but I think maybe this time he has a point we are creating generations of people who are unwilling to pull themselves out of poverty. What are the chances that the baby will be doing the same crap in twelve years? Very good chance because we keep feeding them. Just like feeding a stray dog they always come back for more.
ok, explain to me what i "missed" in the article that contradicts my statements.
An example of why societies need more abortion clinics and less tattoo parlors?
:)
What in the world do you guys think this article is about? This girl is clearly trying to better herself with the help of this nonprofit group, and all you can do is talk about forced sterilization and how "they" aren't doing anything to help themselves.
To Ernest, I'm sure if one of those supposed teenage fathers need help and showed up on their doorstep, they would be helped. Considering the fact that there are not a lot of them out there, I don't think this is much of an issue.
Yep, I was right, Ernest. If you click on the link embedded in the story, you get their home page. First thing I saw was this: "Southern Nevada Children First (SNCF) has vowed to address the needs of homeless, pregnant and parenting youth throughout Southern Nevada."
The odds have beenstacked against this girl from the getgo. You can't fault her for trying to get her GED, get some sort of education so she can support herself and her baby. if she is successful,she won't be a burden on the taxpayers. Hopefully she will stay on ths path and get the help she needs because it is obvious her own mother was a good for nothing that abandoned her. Its good that there are orgnazations that help these young people.
Maybe she should be buying diapers rather than tats!
Or better yet buy some condoms so I don't have to feed anymore of her "accidents"
I'm all for people that want to help themselves but my question is at what point did she decide to have a child knowing there was no way to support her? Where is baby daddy? I hope things workout for her and the child but odds are they will be on government assistance until it runs out.
I'm siding with stevem, to a point.
Didn't any of you catch this bit? "In a way, we're replacing their parents," Harris says. "These are kids raising themselves."
The state is the parent. There was something about that in the Communist Manifesto.
How can it be right to use public funding to create a safety net which encourages exactly the kind of independent behavior that got these girls in trouble to start with? Since they're still children themselves, they should be home with their parents.
And for Ernest, et al., there are programs for the fathers. It's called the Child Support Collection Machine. And it will ensure those young men will never be able to independent or self-supporting.
The article never did mention the father of the child or if he is involved and if he assist with the childs care, but I am sure the good ladies in this organization will teach her how to apply for welfare, food stamps, medicaid, section 8 housing, and how to apply for child support from the father at 18% of his gross salary,
Has everyone missed the fact that the girl is a minor and she is legally the responsiblity of her parents and they should be brought up on charges of child neglect, or at least made to pay for their daughter not the state of Nevada or the federal goverment
Has not been in school since the 6th grade,WTF, Go`s to show you that her parents did not give a dam about her also include the school district for not doing their job
Drillmaker makes an excellent point!!!
As we all grow we learn to behave from our genetics and our experiences. Some are born smarter, fatter, faster or any characteristic. Some are born into poor families, rich families, loving families, selfish families or any setting. We each hope that we can gain the best of what's available. We each have opportunities as we develop to manipulate our characteristic as our genetics will allow.
Significant influences for many of us are role models. Some, as "drillmaker" suggest, are our parents and teachers. Others are our neighbors, friends, co-workers and even strangers. We are all very habitual. Everyday we act and think the same as we did the day and month before without any significant change based on our experiences. Even though readers, such as "stevenm," view these articles everyday and often leave comments, their opinions and attitudes are unlikely to change without significant effort.
Parents are often trapped in their settings. I use trapped, as in an old school metal bear trap. The bear cannot free itself without significant help from others to free itself, cure the wounds, rehabilitate its leg, and the teach it to recognize the traps in the future so that it can avoid them. Without the help the bear will continue to step into traps (drugs, gangs, STD's, larceny, illiterate, unmotivated and so on) and so will its cubs. Parent's may have lost their job, had a loved one die, or suffer from mental illness. Unable to shake it off or cope with their situation, they begin to create a new attitude and pass their attitudes and behaviors to their children like the girl mentioned in the article.
So yes, "ernest," the people in the care and sponsorship of government and nonprofits will be educated to seek further assistance at our expense. Sadly, help is spread amongst numerous agencies, as if it were a treasure hunt due to arguing parties over the need for the assistance. The assistance is also available to men. Women are also subject to child support, and many of them will not pay.
The problem seems to be that some deem our societies less successful as anyone's problem but theirs. The sooner the assistance is applied to the less successful the greater the chance it will be successful. Yes, the government is taking on the role as parent because the family, friends and neighbors are either not interested or are not capable to help. It could have been as easy as parents reading books to their kids, a friend asking another friend over for a game of cards, or the guy next door asking the kid of a single mother to help work on his car. Too often, it does not happen. Anger over the other person's miserable situation prevents us from wanting to help them because we resent them.
We could be the non-government assistance the keeps that person or family on a good path. So the next time you read an article like this, consider offering your time to another to help improve their characteristics.
Christo-fascists sit in the front pew with the milk of human kindness running curdled through their veins.
ShannonK
Recieved e mail from Monique Harris, they do not offer services or program to young fathers within the same age group of the young mothers, please stand corrected
I'm amazed at some of the comments. I begin to see why some of these young ladies are in the situation they are in. Have anyone stopped to think that some of these situations are of no fault of the young ladies and its circumstance that has placed them here? What would you suggest if one of these girls babies were your grandkids? Would you feel same then and what happened to "it takes a village to raise a child"? I'm glad to see programs like these in the community to try and provide these girls with basic living skills to transition to independence. I rather see this than hear about someone killing their child or abandoning their child. I give these girls KUDOS for trying to get their life back on track. Some of us are not as fortunate as others who have parents that care for their child's well being and teach them the values necessary as when and when not to have children. So before you criticize take a walk in their shoes. Only then will you have gained the right to say and speak as you feel.