Rocking with Beverly Bond: Summer Institute 2014

I am always excited about Summer Institute – you know that second week in June when experts from all around the state and country come together to network, share knowledge, and hopefully grow professionally in the process.  This year, as the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy celebrates 20 years as an agency, I am even more excited to be part of another great conference!  Our theme – Saluting Success, Pushing for Progress – is a reminder that every year, we must push the envelope a bit more, strive a little harder, and keep pressing to gain and learn from past experiences.  Last year, I was watching Black Girls Rock on BET – an awards show honoring young women and celebrities of color who epitomize strength, courage, perseverance, and hard work.  As I watched and monitored social media (multitasking as always), I realized that so many of my friends and colleagues were inspired, mesmerized even, by the POSITIVE images of the women and young girls featured that night.  For years, I have known that Black Girls Rock Foundation founder, Beverly Bond’s, work would be great inspiration for colleagues at the conference.  But this year’s show and a subsequent interview on MSNBC featuring her confirmed for me the need to invite Ms. Bond to Summer Institute 2014.  Beverly is a former DJ in New York City and now uses her experiences to mentor, educate, and fund raise on behalf of young women.  Self-esteem, guidance, perseverance, and encouragement – these are few of the values her work tries to instill in young women, especially those who are often marginalized and ignored.  All of us - individuals, communities, and the nation - benefit when young people (all young people) are confident and prepared to be productive participants in society.  We look forward to having Ms. Bond rock with us in Charleston, helping us to push the envelope a bit more, strive a little harder, and keep pressing to gain and learn from past experiences.  We all want what’s best for our youth but sometimes it takes a little inspiration to help us continue pushing for progress!

by Kim Wicker, Outreach and Development Specialist, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

What's Next?

As you’ve probably already noticed, 2014 is a big year for the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Not only are we turning 20 this year, but we are beyond thrilled to be able to announce a 47% reduction in the state’s teen birth rate since our inception. This is an accomplishment that many once thought to be impossible – it’s a success story for the ages and a story that is going to be told over, and over, and over again during our 20th anniversary.

We’re early into 2014 so the sample size is small, but I’ve been struck by the number of people who are avoiding the “why such great progress?” question and instead focusing on “what’s next?” It’s a fair question and one that I find I am asking myself different iterations of constantly. What is next? Where do we go from here?  How does an agency, indeed an entire nation, build on this great success and use it as leverage for even more progress in the future?

In trying to come up with a coherent answer, I’ve come across two recent columns in the New York Times – one by Nicholas Kristof and the other by David Brooks.  The columns were remarkably similar in their addressing of family stability and expanding opportunity, respectively. (As an aside, both columns are well worth the time it will take you to read them). To my delight, both columns offered family planning/contraceptive access as a means to these ends. This is obviously something that we have been talking about in our office for years and something that for sure will be part of our organization’s strategic plan moving forward.

What also struck me was that each author presented contraceptive access as part of a larger plan, not THE plan. I think this point is instructive for our agency and for the entire field of teen pregnancy prevention. If we want to see continued progress we need to broaden our view of the world and understand the nuanced, complex solutions that are necessary to help children succeed. We need to acknowledge that issues like school-based sex education are essential, but not sufficient. We shouldn't allow ourselves to be completely distracted by petty arguments and political gamesmanship centering on what type of sex ed instruction young people should receive; rather, we should understand this is only a small piece of a much larger conversation. In Brooks’ words, we must “widen the debate.”

What do children need to succeed? The list is long. It includes access to contraception, and yes, even sex education. It also includes, among other things, improving the delivery of education (at all levels), ensuring that every child can identify caring adults in their lives, improving parenting skills, and creating a more well defined, accessible path to the future for our children – be that employment, college, etc. This requires us to expand our circle of friends and it requires us to update our talking points. When we see preventing teen pregnancy as a means to a greater end, it seems obvious to me that more people will be willing to join us at the table.

This is only the beginning of the conversation, one that we look forward to. I welcome your thoughts and input…

by Forrest Alton, CEO, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Back in Session

THE LATEST…

The second year of the 120th Legislative Session began last Tuesday, January 14th. Each Session is two years and runs from the second Tuesday in January until the first Thursday in June. More than 1,200 bills were introduced during the first year of the Legislative Session (2013) and more will be introduced in 2014. Last Thursday, many of the Legislative Champions for the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy joined our board and staff for a press conference to present the latest teen birth data. The legislators that attended our press conference at the SC Statehouse were: Senator Katrina Shealy, Rep. James Smith, Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, Rep. Jenny Horne, Senator Brad Hutto, Senator Joel Lourie, Rep. Harold Mitchell, Rep. Bakari Sellers, Rep. Joe Jefferson and Rep. Robert Brown.

STATE BUDGET

During the first week of the Session, House and Senate subcommittees began meeting. Governor Nikki Haley unveiled her Executive Budget and will be delivering her State of the State address at 7 PM on Wednesday, January 22. Below are several highlights from her $6.6 Billion Executive Budget proposal:

• $97 million for children in poverty to provide a quality education for those living in our poorest communities. 
• $29.5 million reading coach program that offers funding for a reading coach in every public elementary school in South Carolina. 
• $1 million for firefighting equipment for the Forestry Department; Firefighters also received a 2% pay increase under the proposed budget
• $29.3 million to improving bandwidth to school facilities, bolstering wireless connectivity within school walls, and launching or enhancing the push to ensure that every student has a computer or tablet. 
• $21 million to public charter schools
• $30 million in non-recurring one time funds for the Local Government Fund
• $21.5 million to Department of Health and Human Services for Medicaid (The Governor mentions also wanting some consolidation of health agencies and to streamline Medicaid funding)
• 9.6% increase in recurring General Fund support for the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) 
• 10% General Fund increase for the Attorney General’s Office including $370,000 to hire five additional prosecutors. 
• $150,000 for the Department of Corrections’ information security needs, along with more than $1 million to staff the new perimeter towers at Lee Correctional Institution and to enhance perimeter security for the Broad River complex. 

A proposed $1.35 Billion additional road funding over the next 10 years – $106.9 million of additional General Funds likely to materialize in FY 2014-15 could be used to generate nearly $737 million for major construction projects (through a combination of “pay-as-you-go” and bonding) in addition to almost $614 million more for maintenance and repair over the course of the next decade. The Governor also clearly stated she would be opposed to a gas tax to fund road improvements. She cited the $1 billion for roads that the state spent last year without raising taxes. 

FEDERAL BUDGET

The recently adopted Omnibus Appropriations Bill includes a $30 million increase in funds for the Title V Funding for Maternal and Child Health Services. This increase restores about 87% of the funding received prior to sequester cuts in 2013. You can read more about teen pregnancy prevention funding on the federal level here. 

by Ashley Hunter, Legislative Consultant, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Ringing in a New Year at the SC Campaign

January is the time of year when many of us decide to quit a bad habit or adopt a new hobby.  Some of us simply love having any reason to celebrate, while others treat the calendar roll-over just like any another day.

Here at the SC Campaign, after spending a relaxing couple of weeks with friends and family, we’re excited to begin our agency’s 20th anniversary year.  We’re looking back on 20 years of progress and celebrating a 47% decline in our state’s teen birth rate since our inception.  Plus, we’re hosting big party to be held on May 7, 2014 at the Columbia Museum of Art, and everyone’s invited!

Throughout 2014, we will be celebrating in many exciting ways, so stay tuned via our newsletter for updates on how you can join the fun.  We look forward to seeing you in 2014!

How did you ring in the new year?

by Kemi Ogunji, Executive/Development Assistant, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

SC Campaign's Year of Successes!

The SC Campaign made some great strides in 2012-2013, click below to view our interactive Annual Report!