The Teen Pregnancy Project

Teen pregnancy is now present in every family’s living room thanks to MTV television shows (i.e. Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant). Amie Davis was a teen mother at the age of 15. She understands the struggle of being a teen mother and wants to help other teen mothers get their stories out there.

Teen Pregnancy Project is a new book by Davis that highlights the struggles faced by teenage moms in their own words. Through these short stories she wants to showcase the good, bad and ugly of being a teenager and a mom. She hopes that these girl’s stories can serve as cautionary tales to other young teens that are thinking of having sex. 

Davis became pregnant at 14 and gave birth to her son Chris at 15. She admits that growing up she never received the “sex talk.” Although she acknowledges that without the support of her family, along with their help and guidance- she wouldn’t have been able to pull through the struggles of teen parenthood.

Davis considers herself lucky that she had such a strong support system as she watched how teen pregnancy unraveled for her friends. One friend was forced into marriage with the baby’s father at the age of 14. She stayed in the abusive relationship for nearly six years, Davis said. Another friend became pregnant at 15, and after her parents found out the baby would be mixed-race, the friend was kicked out of their home, Davis recalled. It is stories like these that the Snellville mom things must be told -- stories that are not completely depicted on popular movies and television realty shows.

She is now the proud mother of five children ages 4 - 19. She still feels the effects of being a teen mother. Even now, at the age of 35, she hears comments about how she’s too young to have a 19-year-old son.

“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and I also want them (teen moms) to be able to cope in the meantime,” said Davis about the message she hopes the Teen Pregnancy Project delivers.

When Davis moved to Gwinnett in 2002 she knew that she wanted to do something that would allow her to reach out to young girls. In 2003, Davis started a nonprofit called Young Mom, Inc. A support group that started at the Centerville Community Center.

“The girls could be their own community,” said Davis about Young Mom, Inc.

According to Davis the support group was a way for these teen mothers to meet others who were just like them. She envisioned Young Mom, Inc. as a way for teens to meet other teen parents that feel different from other teens. Also the group helps to educate teen parents. Young Mom, Inc. helped her discover a common thread among the teen parents: none of them had been spoken to about sex.

After going back to school to attend college, Davis not only met her future husband of ten years, she discovered her passion for writing. It was during her studies of writing and women’s studies that she realized she wanted to create short stories. She then got together with editor Wendy Marks to put her idea into motion.  She plans to have these short stories written by teen parents and compiled into an anthology similar to that of the Chicken Soup series.

Currently Davis only has stories from teen parents who are not Gwinnett or Snellville residents. Some of the teens she's featuring are ones she met from message online boards or through her former monthly publication from Young Mom, Inc.  

Davis would like more local stories from teen parents of Snellville and Gwinnett County. Her hope is to reach more people. She is still accepting submissions for her book.

For more information about the Teen Pregnancy Project or how to submit a story go to  www.teenpregnancyproject.com.