Theme: Community-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Need
Approximately half of all teen students statewide reported having sexual intercourse, according to the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. That includes 47.7 percent of all teen females and 8.3 percent of both males and females reported having sexual intercourse before age 13.
Despite this, most teens are not getting information about sex from reliable sources, but instead from the media, friends, the internet, family and only a little bit from school health classes, according to responses from teen “Listening Tours” held in the fall of 2010. Sex education in school mostly focuses on abstinence, does not provide much information on birth control or STDs and doesn’t address the emotional aspect. Many teens believe birth control does not work and are not taught safe sex practices.
Teens want honest, open conversations about sex and want to learn about STDs; the emotions that accompany sex; information about birth control; small classes and teachers who are young and they can relate to. Teens also want mentors they can talk about to about topics like sex — someone that is not judgmental and can give them accurate information.
There are significant barriers, including state statute, that prevent the provision of comprehensive sex education through local school systems. Implementation of community-based education programs through organizations and groups that serve youth offers an alternative approach for meeting this need.
A second component of pregnancy prevention is non-sexual youth development that focuses on the whole individual rather than specific types of behavior. Many teens are only living the life they know and do not see opportunities in life outside of pregnancy.
Regional Scan
The two main sources of comprehensive sex education in the community are the Planned Parenthood and organizations funded by the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation. Planned Parenthood provides both clinical and community services, including educational services for all audiences. The health educators provide classes, workshops, tables of information at health fairs and special events. The Jaguars Foundation funds comprehensive programs within Girls Incorporated, the Bridge of Northeast Florida (Straight Talk) and the PACE Center for Girls (Time to be a Girl). The Foundation also funds effective abstinence-based programs at Apel Health Services (Project Youthlink, a mentoring program, and other HIV/AIDS prevention programs)
Numerous local branches of nationwide programs provide youth development services, including the 4-H program, the Boy Scouts and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Programs like the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council – Get Real! Mentoring program provides a combination of youth development and sex education services. For more programs, see the Task Force Program Inventory.
Evidence-based Programs
Teen Health Project/4Me: The Teen Health Project is a community-level intervention that helps adolescents develop skills to enact change, and provides continued modeling, peer norm and social reinforcement for maintaining the prevention of HIV risk behavior. Adolescents first attend workshops that focus on HIV/STD education and skills training on avoiding unwanted sex, sexual negotiation, and condom use, with themes of personal pride and self-respect. A Teen Health Project Leadership Council (THPLC) is established in each housing development to encourage attendance, reinforce abstinence and condom use, plan HIV prevention activities to maintain risk reduction, set norms supporting abstinence and condom use, and gain support from adults to promote activities. In addition, parents of adolescent enrollees are offered a workshop that focuses on HIV/AIDS information and approaches to discussing issues related to abstinence and condom use with their children.
Our Whole Lives is a series of sexuality education programs offered by the United Church of Christ for six age groups: grades K-1, grades 4-6, grades 7-9, grades 10-12, Young Adults and Adults. The resources are written by professional sexuality educators and provide accurate information for parents, teachers and pastors to be used in the affirming and supportive setting of our churches. The program is based on the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education produced by the National Guidelines Task Force, a group of leading health, education and sexuality professionals assembled by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. There is a companion Parent Guide for the curriculum and resource book, Sexuality and Our Faith for each grade level. The program is currently being evaluated to determine its long-term impact. Our Whole Lives is one of several faith-based comprehensive sex education curricula identified by the Faith Resource Center of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies (http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/religion/default.aspx).
Implementation Strategies
1. Implement 4Me comprehensive sex education curriculum in Jacksonville Housing Authority apartment complexes.
2. Utilize faith-based comprehensive curriculums in interested churches.
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Potential Partners for Implementation
· Planned Parenthood of North Florida
· Jacksonville House Authority
· Private apartment complexes
· Jacksonville Jaguars Foundations
· Churches – Health Ministries
· Schools
· Nursing/Health Professional Student interns
· Other?
· Other?
