From the high visibility of pregnancy prevention campaigns to popular reality shoes, we are constantly bombarded with hurtful stereotypical images of what it means to be a young parent. Join California Latinas for Reproductive Justice as we discuss how our long-term initiative, Justice for Young Families (J4YF), is shifting the narrative around pregnant and parenting youth. Society's punitive framework that blames and stigmatizes young parents fails to recognize the complex socioeconomic realities and systemic barriers Latinx youth experience. By centering the voices and experiences of young parents, our Young Parent Leaders are unapologetically carving their own space and are at the forefront of policy changes that directly impact the health and well-being of young parents across California.

1. Justice for Young Families
Changing the Narrative Around
Adolescent Parenting
Amelia Torres and Lorena García Zermeño

2. Justice for Young Families (J4YF) is a long-term
initiative that champions young people’s rights to self-
determination and bodily autonomy, including their
decisions about whether or not to become parents, as
well as their right to parent the children they have within
a supportive environment. J4YF promotes the health,
equity, opportunity and dignity of young families and is
directly informed by the experiences of young parents as
well as by the individuals that serve them.

3. • Youth sexuality is not viewed in any sense of normalcy
• Focus is on changing individual behavior
– This punitive framework blames youth for their
“choices” without taking into account Latinx youth’s
social, political and economic contexts.
Youth Sexuality + Landscape

4. Perpetuating Shame and Stigma
• Focusing on individual
behaviors perpetuates
shame, blame and stigma
young pregnant and
parenting youth
experience
“That’s what my
mom told me when I
was pregnant. She’s
like, your life is over.
You’re not gonna do
anything”.

5. Why it Matters
• The dominant framework
around youth sexuality is
present in laws, policies,
schools and even
programs that are meant
to help Latinx youth.
“I don’t even know how to say how my
teacher made me feel because when I
told him I was pregnant and told him
it’s giving me motivation to actually do
better and to graduate and stuff, he
was like, ‘oh so you need a baby to
motivate you?’ Like trying to say that I
wasn’t going to be able to do it on my
own- that I needed to get pregnant in
order to do something”.

6. Moving Beyond Teen
Pregnancy Prevention
• “Pregnancy prevention” perpetuates the negative stereotypes and language around
pregnant and parenting youth.
• California policies must turn attention to addressing the multiple realities that
surround youth’s lives, such as poverty, lack of quality education, lack of access to
comprehensive sexuality education, lack of access to health care, amongst other
issues, as primary indicators of adverse health, educational and economic outcomes
rather than focus on individual behavior.
• Acknowledging that youth sexuality is a normal part of development and that youth
have the right to bodily autonomy compels us to think beyond preventing pregnancy.

7. Representation Matters!
“By preventing teen and unplanned pregnancy, we can
significantly improve other serious social problems
including poverty (especially child poverty), child abuse and
neglect, father-absence, low birth weight, school failure,
and poor preparation for the workforce”. -The National
Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy

8. Representation Matters!

9. J4YF Meme Campaigns

10. Importance of Storytelling!
• Breaking down the walls
of shame and stigma!
• Cultivating Power and
Leadership in our
communities

11. Importance of Storytelling!
• Garner support for
policies that will
directly impact
young parents

12. Importance of Storytelling!
• You are the expert of
your own story!
• Your experience is the
main course, data is
the seasoning

13. We Can’t Do It Alone!
• We collaborate with
organizations across
the country to build
national momentum to
ensure justice for ALL
young families

14. J4YF Policy Wins
• AB 302: Lactation Accommodation
• CA Healthy Youth Act
• ACR 201: CA Young Parents Day!

15. Visit Our Website for More
Information!
• Issue Brief I,II,III
• Statement of Principles
• Blogs

16. Join the conversation #J4YF
Lorena García Zermeño
Program Coordinator
(213) 425-9430
lorena@clrj.org
CALatinas4RJ @Latinas4RJ Latinas4RJ