Holiday Fund: Teen Pregnancy Coalition campaigns for (December 08, 2004) 'healthy choices'

By Marjorie Mader

Almanac Staff Writer

Since Cheri Livingston became executive director of the Teen Pregnancy Coalition in 1997, she has seen a 35 percent drop in the number of teens, age 15-18, giving births each year in San Mateo County.

"What we're doing works," says Ms. Livingston.

She's the chief advocate for a comprehensive sexuality education program, developed by the coalition. It gives middle and high school students information to make healthy choices that can shape the rest of their lives, she says.

Contributions to the Almanac's Holiday Fund are matched and help support the Teen Pregnancy Coalition's three core educational programs for teens, parents and teachers, and a recently initiated training program for science and health teachers in middle and high schools.

The core programs are:

** Teen Talk, the anchor program of 8 to 10 hours, "tells it like it is," arming young people with information and tools to avoid pregnancy. The curriculum includes information on anatomy, physiology, abstinence, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases. Teens learn communication and decision-making skills for peer-pressure situations, get help clarifying their values, discuss sexual identity issues, and learn how to protect themselves from sexual assault and its consequences.

** Plain Talk helps parents and caregivers of teens communicate with their children about sexuality issues. About 750 parents have participated in the program.

** Teen Parent Panel , made up of pregnant and parenting teen speakers, tells students in classrooms the real-world impact of being a teen parent. The coalition reports that after hearing the presentation, 88 percent of students said they were more likely to delay sexual activity and 100 percent said they were more likely to use birth control if they did choose to become sexually active.

Last school year, 2,630 teens and parents participated in the programs at the coalition's cost of $100 per person. The goal this year is to raise an additional $100,000 so that 1,000 more young people and their parents can have coalition programs at their schools.

The programs now reaches students in the Sequoia Union High School District, the Redwood City and Ravenswood elementary school districts, as well as county court and community schools.

"Unfortunately, formidable challenges loom on the horizon for the upcoming year," says Ms. Livingston. "Despite overwhelming evidence 'abstinence-only' programs are ineffective in preventing teen births and the spread of disease, the federal government continues to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars for programs that deny young people the information they need most."

California has not applied for federal funding because research shows "abstinence only" programs don't work, says Ms. Livingston.

Under a new state law adopted in 2003, sexual health education from kindergarten through grade 12 must be comprehensive and meet 12 basic criteria.

A key provision of the law says "instruction and materials shall teach that abstinence is the only certain way to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases," but information must be provided on other methods of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

About 80 percent of the coalition's budget of $301,439 for fiscal year 2003-04 came from grants, 12 percent from earned income, and only 8 percent from donations. The biggest chunk of the budget -- 83 percent -- goes to delivering programs.

The California Department of Finance projects that the recent teen birthrate decline will soon reverse and the number of teen births in California will begin to increase rapidly by 2005.

"For the first time in our history, the coalition will reach out actively to the community for resources and funds to continue and expand vital services," says Ms. Livingston.
HOLIDAY FUND

Teen Pregnancy Coalition benefits from donations to the Almanac's Holiday Fund.
INFORMATION

The Teen Pregnancy Coalition offers educational programs for students, teachers and parents to prevent teen pregnancy and encourage healthy choices. For more information, call Cheri Livingston, executive director, at 367-1937 or check www.teenpregnancycoalition.org. The office is located at 707 Woodside Road, Suite 7, Redwood City 94062.

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