header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
November 4
1849 - William Manly & John Rogers set out from Death Valley to find help for stranded Bennett-Arcan party [story]
W.L. Manly


Back in 1986, Audruin Pittman, was a frightened, pregnant 15-year-old with no place to turn. “I ran away from home to a friend’s house without telling my parents,” says Pittman, now 46. “I had two diapers and a stuffed animal and I figured that was all I would need.”

Recent NATEEN grad Stephanie Williams and daughter Rieley of Los Angeles.

Recent NATEEN grad Stephanie Williams and daughter Rieley of Los Angeles.

Eluding discovery for three months, she eventually returned home to her worried family and gave birth to a baby boy after her 16th birthday. When school started that year, she was directed to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and its fledgling Project NATEEN, a teen pregnancy case management program for young parents which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

“I can’t imagine I would be here today without Project NATEEN,” Pittman says. “I couldn’t get a job, I couldn’t drive and I didn’t know how I was going to finish school. At NATEEN, they showed me the way.”

Over the past three decades, the program has helped more than 8,000 teens from the Los Angeles community, says Carla Hill, Project NATEEN manager. The program was founded at a time when teen pregnancy was reaching epidemic proportions nationwide and services were limited. The CDC recently announced the national teen pregnancy rate is at historic lows, with a birthrate of 24 per 1,000 women.

Project NATEEN stands for nurturing, advocacy, teaching, empowerment, education, and networking. It offers housing assistance, healthcare services, an education curriculum, parenting skills classes, job training and individual case management support to help young parents get back on their feet.

Former NATEEN client Audruin Pittman

Former NATEEN client Audruin Pittman

“It improves their finishing school, their becoming employed and their children getting health services,” says Marvin Belzer, MD, director of CHLA’s Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, which oversees Project NATEEN. “It’s really done some innovative things, such as working with fathers and not just mothers in trying to provide them with the support to be employable and understand how to be engaged as a parent.”

This past year, the program provided services for more than 150 teen parents ranging in age from 14 to 19. That group included fifteen young women who recently graduated from Project NATEEN’s on site Second Chance High School. Stephanie Williams was a high school dropout and a single mother who had struggled with homelessness when she enrolled in Second Chance two years ago, earning a diploma this year with the help of childcare financial support from Cal-Learn. She is planning on enrolling in community college with an eye toward a career in computer engineering. “I want to make a difference,” she says. “I want a career so I can help support my family.”

Observes Hill: “It’s amazing, what the right intervention can do for these young people.”

For Pittman, her Project NATEEN experience led to a career working with underserved youth for various nonprofit agencies. Her son, now 30, is doing well and raising a family. After earning a bachelor’s degree in social work, the mother of three eventually came full circle back at CHLA, not as a client, but as a project coordinator in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. “Thanks to NATEEN, I found my calling,” she says.

 

 

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


SCV NONPROFIT LINKS

NONPROFIT HEADLINES
Monday, Nov 4, 2024
The Valencia Hills Wave Swim Team is hosting the annual “A Holiday Marketplace” fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Valencia Hills HOA Clubhouse.
Friday, Nov 1, 2024
The Knights of Columbus Council 6016 in the Santa Clarita Valley has launched its annual Christmas Tree and Wreath Sale, with all proceeds benefiting local charitable programs.
Friday, Nov 1, 2024
Gather family and friends, for Bridge to Home's Turkey Trot Saturday, Nov 16, 8 - 11 a.m. at the Paseo Club, 27650 Dickason Drive, Valencia, CA 91355.
Friday, Nov 1, 2024
The Newhall Family Theatre of the Performing Arts and Raising the Curtain Foundation will host an afternoon of heartwarming tales with "The Golden Goose" and "Strega Nona" with Saturday's Kids, Saturday, Nov. 16 starting at 11 a.m. at 24607 Walnut St., Newhall, CA 91321.
Friday, Nov 1, 2024
The Child & Family Center has announced that Jamie Munoz, Program Manager of the Family Preservation Program, has been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Inside the Valley Magazine as one of its 2024 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leaders of Influence.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
The College of the Canyons Performing Arts Center present the Doo Wop Project Holiday Show, Friday, Dec. 6 at 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Dec. 6: The Doo Wop Project Holiday Show at the COC PAC
As the winter season approaches, that means one thing, the holidays are on their way. Here in Santa Clarita, our community comes alive with the festive spirit, making it the perfect time to discover and support our local businesses.
Ken Striplin | Celebrate the Holidays by Shopping Local
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office has released the list of four productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Nov. 4 to Sunday, Nov. 10.
Nov. 4-10: Four Productions Filming in Santa Clarita
Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger was sworn in for her third and final term on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in a ceremony held Saturday, Nov. 2 in Pasadena.
Barger Sworn in for Third, Final Term
The Meadow Collective is back in Santa Clarita for the Meadow Collective Christmas Market, bringing together a curated selection of unique and handmade items and small businesses, Sunday, Dec. 8 at Hart & Main, 24217 Main St., Santa Clarita, CA, 91321.
Dec. 8:  Meadow Collective Christmas Market
The regular meeting of the William S. Hart Union High School District’s Governing Board will be held Wednesday, Nov. 6, beginning with a closed session at 6:30 p.m., followed by an open session at 7 p.m.
Nov. 6: Regular Meeting of the Hart Board of Trustees
Join Los Angels County Parks for some fall fun. The Harvest Festival returns this year Nov. 12-26 with cultural celebrations including food tasting, dancing, music, crafts, children’s story corner and family games.
Nov. 12-26: L.A. County Parks Harvest Festival
Propositions, ballot measures, judges, City Councilmembers, state assembly, Congress, Senate and of course, the President—as Tuesday, Nov. 5 approaches, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Ken Striplin | Make Your Plan to Vote
The Valencia Hills Wave Swim Team is hosting the annual “A Holiday Marketplace” fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Valencia Hills HOA Clubhouse.
Dec. 14: ‘A Holiday Marketplace’ Benefits Wave Swim Team
California State Park’s Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park will celebrate Native American Heritage Month with exhibitions showcasing the compelling work of Indigenous artists.
AV Indian Museum Hosts Indigenous Artists
1849 - William Manly & John Rogers set out from Death Valley to find help for stranded Bennett-Arcan party [story]
W.L. Manly
1987 - City of Santa Clarita formation approved at the polls; Buck McKeon, Jan Heidt, Jo Anne Darcy, Carl Boyer III, Dennis Koontz win first City Council election (in that order) [story]
First Santa Clarita City Council
1976 - First Canyon County formation attempt fails despite local voter approval [story]
vote results
The Master's University men's basketball team continued their dominating start to the season with a 90-78 road win over Missouri Baptist University at Abe Lemon Arena in Oklahoma City.
TMU Mustangs Men’s Basketball Outplay the Spartans
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating possible sources of H5 avian flu, which has been detected at low levels for the first time at one of the wastewater sampling sites in Los Angeles County.
H5 Avian Flu Detected at Wastewater Sampling Site in L.A. County
The Saugus Union School District Measure EE Citizens Oversight Committee meeting will be held 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Saugus Union School District Office.
Nov. 7: SUSD Measure EE Citizens Oversight Committee Meeting
The Knights of Columbus Council 6016 in the Santa Clarita Valley has launched its annual Christmas Tree and Wreath Sale, with all proceeds benefiting local charitable programs.
Knights of Columbus Annual Christmas Tree, Wreath Sale
The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation will be recognized by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation on Wednesday, Nov. 6 with a Strategic Engagement Award.
SCVEDC to Receive the Strategic Engagement Award from LAEDC
The Old Town Newhall Public Library will host a do it yourself Air Plant Holder Workshop Tuesday, Nov. 5 4-5 p.m. at 24500 Main St., Santa Clarita, CA 91321.
Nov. 5: Newhall Library DIY Air Plant Holder Workshop
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan has announced that 526 additional Vote Centers will open on Saturday, Nov. 2, for the 2024 General Election.
Additional 526 Vote Centers Scheduled to Open This Weekend in County
Gather family and friends, for Bridge to Home's Turkey Trot Saturday, Nov 16, 8 - 11 a.m. at the Paseo Club, 27650 Dickason Drive, Valencia, CA 91355.
Nov. 16: Bridge to Home’s Turkey Trot
Brian Leff and the GO Jazz Big Band, along with vocalist Steve Lively, present a unique evening of classic tunes and modern flair. Whether you’re a longtime fan of big band music or just love hearing inventive, cutting-edge arrangements, Classic/Remix promises a night of musical contrasts.
Nov. 24: Brian Leff, GO Jazz Big Band Present ‘Classic/Remix’
The Newhall Family Theatre of the Performing Arts and Raising the Curtain Foundation will host an afternoon of heartwarming tales with "The Golden Goose" and "Strega Nona" with Saturday's Kids, Saturday, Nov. 16 starting at 11 a.m. at 24607 Walnut St., Newhall, CA 91321.
Nov. 16: Raising the Curtain Foundation presents ‘The Golden Goose’, ‘Strega Nona’
SCVNews.com