When I was pregnant, and it became apparently I was going to be a single parent, I began Googling to see what resources were out there for single parents.
It wasn't long before I stumbled across Gingerbread.
Their slogan says it all, really. Just lately there seems to be a new news story every day that affects single parents. Benefits, childcare costs, Universal Credit, jobs, the list goes on. Gingerbread stands up for single parents, because our families are just as important as the government's two-parent, white-picket-fence families.
Becoming a member of Gingerbread is free for single parents, and joining means you become part of a UK-wide network of over 40,000 single parents. As a member you can be involved in campaigns, take part in surveys, share stories or even become a media volunteer. By working together in this way, we can show the media and society in general that the received stereotype of the average single parent is wrong!
There's also an online forum which can offer no end of help, support and guidance - something that can be sorely lacking for single parents. You can find threads and groups of single parents in your area as well. It's a good place to go and hang out when you feel like your friends on Facebook/Twitter/at work just don't get what it's like to be a single parent.
There's a monthly e-newsletter, and lots of special offers and competitions to get involved in too.
Gingerbread is a massive organisation with influence in the media. By joining them you can become a part of their voice, and make yourself heard above the headlines. Details of how to join up are here.
It's a valuable resource and great way to meet other people in the same boat as you, at a time when it can feel like no one understands and you can't see a future. I am still a member but my kids are grown up now so I'm not as actively involved. In the past I served on the committee of my local group and also the regional committee - great for boosting that flagging self-confidence! :)
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