Platform 51

meet the women we work with

Naomi

Naomi is a young mum who is finding it hard to get a job. But she's determined not to waste her time - she's become a peer educator.

“There wasn’t enough room at home with mum so I had to move into a mother and baby unit. I was just 18 and moved in a week before my son was born. I felt very alone, but I knew I had to get on with it and make the best of it.

“At the mother and baby unit Platform 51 ran courses every week on parenting, getting training, health and sexual health. I learned a lot and my confidence shot right up. I feel like I can be a better mum to my children now with all the things I’ve learned.

“At Platform 51, with the kids in the crèche, I can get involved all kinds of things. I’m on Platform 51’s national steering group which allows me to be me and give my opinions. It’s great to be part of something.

“For example, I’ve been involved in interviewing for Platform 51 staff. I’d never done nothing like that before. It felt really good knowing that my involvement could change someone’s life and that picking the right person could help my life too. Now, having been on an interview panel and seen it from the other side might help me when I go for job interviews. I’m looking for a job - I’d like to go into social care - but there’s nothing out there. Because I can only work limited hours and I don’t have my own car it’s really hard, and frustrating because I want to get out there.

“But I’m not wasting my time – thanks to Platform 51 now I’m a trained peer educator, and I help to run sex education courses in schools. The younger we teach girls about this stuff the better. My sex education was terrible. We’ve got to make sure children are safe and protected and that means having information. I’ve found lots of 14-year-old girls who are relieved to be able to talk about the pressure to be sexually active. They see these images of Beyonce and Lady Gaga and how they prance around in g-strings, but it’s disgusting. It’s not that we’re prudish; they’re supposed to be role models and they ain’t. They don’t make it easy for girls to just accept who they are.

“Platform 51 has helped me hugely. They make you feel so welcome from the start and get you involved. It’s practical and emotional help all at the same time. I feel like I have a voice, and I can get my opinions across. I just can’t imagine what life would be like if I didn’t have Platform 51. I love it.”

Find out how your support can help young women like Naomi here.