What Would You Do With Fame?

Fifteen minutes! That is the amount of fame that we are told to expect in life. Not that much when you stretch it out over the course of many years. But what are you going to do with those precious minutes?
Over the past few weeks we have seen the results of so many who have chosen to use their fame for, shall we say, less than sterling exploits. The sexual escapades of athletes, movie stars, “people who to be honest I really don’t know what they do except show up on magazine racks” have become the fodder of news articles.

Recently South Carolina joined that list—again. A recent winner of a beauty pageant, who had become a YouTube star, re-appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show in a segment entitled, “Where Do Babies Come From?” On one front it was funny late-night fare, but on a much deeper level it was terribly disturbing. From interviews with people on the street to the “Octomom” the punch line was that our teens—specifically SC teens—have no idea where babies come from.

The tragedy is that for far too many that is the case. The recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that 24% of middle school students have had sexual intercourse—yet how many of them have had sex education? How many of them have had a conversation with a parent? How many of them are getting their education from videos, movies, media stars?
But what really disturbed me was that one of our own would exploit that tragedy for another 15 minutes of fame!

Fortunately that is not always the case! While she would never proclaim this fact herself, Erica Powell, a former Miss South Carolina chose to use her platform to make a difference. Throughout her tenure she worked with staff members from the SC Campaign to inform teens how making responsible decisions about sexuality opens opportunities for their future. Rather than pretending to be a space cadet, this Furman graduate gave our youth a picture of a responsible young adult. And her commitment didn’t end with her reign as Miss SC. Since that time she has served on the board of the SC Campaign, offering insight and wisdom as this organization seeks to make a difference in the future of our youngest citizens.

At a time when fame has been used as a springboard to show off the worst of behavior, it is refreshing to see someone use an opportunity to do something good. Erica, thank you for what you continue to give to our state! Perhaps as adults we should take a lesson!

By: Rev. Don Flowers, Immediate Past Board Chair and Pastor of Providence Baptist Church
Contact Don: don@providencecharleston.org

Taking a Closer Look

During the last decade, teen pregnancy rates in South Carolina and across the country have decreased substantially. While encouraging and certainly a clear indication that progress can be made on this critically important issue, not all of the news is good.

Between 1997 and 2007 rates of teen pregnancy in South Carolina decreased by 14%. However, during that time, we see two separate stories. Between 1997 and 2003 rates of teen pregnancy decreased 22%, while between 2004 and 2007 rates have actually increased 10%. A closer examination across teen demographics reveals a complex, yet critically important story. During the last decade teen pregnancy rates among older youth increased while rates among younger youth decreased. Rates of teen pregnancy for 15-17 year old youth are the lowest they have even been while rates of teen pregnancy among older youth are higher than they have been since 2000. Tremendous progress has been made over the last decade in reducing the rate of teen pregnancy of African American teens, but stark disparities between White and African American teen pregnancy rates persist.

When we ask ourselves about the story behind the data, we are always left with more questions than answers. However, we do know some things. 1) Younger youth are the target of most teen pregnancy prevention efforts. The most striking progress has been made with these younger teens. Even though older teen pregnancies make up more than 2/3 of all teen pregnancies, they have not received a lot of attention. 2) As in the case in many health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and asthma, there are striking racial disparities in teen pregnancy rates. 3) South Carolina Youth Risk Behavior Survey data for 2007 indicates that progress has slowed in reducing the percent of youth who have had sex. At the same time, condom use among sexually active teens has declined for the first time since 1991, the first year in which data are available. 4) In addition, many programs targeting youth have been cut or eliminated. These four points do not completely explain the recent teen pregnancy data trends, but provide some context for understanding the story behind the data.

Now is the time for us to build on what works by reinvesting in programs that have been shown to be successful for younger youth. We are fortunate to have solid evidence to identify effective programs for school-age youth. However, we need to refocus our efforts on older youth by engaging with non-traditional partners, such as community colleges and adult education programs. Older youth are more likely to be sexually active and need to have access to affordable contraception services and family planning clinics and public health agencies will be important partners when working with 18-19 year olds.

I’d love to hear from you! What this new data mean to you? What do you think we should do to prevent teen pregnancies? Please feel free to post your comments below

by: Shannon Flynn, Director of Research and Evaluation, SC Campaign
Contact Shannon: sflynn@teenpregnancysc.org

Bloodsucking Vamps and Onscreen Love

 

Another Halloween season has passed us and the holiday season is fast approaching!  Most people are making plans for Thanksgiving and being with friends and family.  But there is one date that seems to be more important to most teen girls this season, and that date is November 20^th, 2009.  You may ask yourself “Why this date?” or “Why this random Friday?”  November 20^th is the day that tweens and teens alike have been waiting for, the day when New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight Saga, will become open to the public.  

After one year of waiting as patiently as teens can, the wait is finally over, and on the screen Bella Swan and Edward Cullen will continue their fantasy romance under the watchful eyes of hundreds of thousands of young people.

What does the release of a movie have to do with teen pregnancy?  It is related because young people today are more emotionally connected to media than any other source, and that means that media has a larger influence over our young people and how they examine and value relationships around them.

The Twilight Saga is about young “love” or young “obsession” and revolves around Bella, a junior in high school and her love and devotion to her boyfriend who is significantly…older.  Edward is the “love of Bella’s life”, and he is a vampire.  That should stop us right there from analyzing this further, however, this is one of the most successful young adult novels to date and has sparked a worldwide frenzy, specifically among tween and teenage girls, so it is important for all caring adults in their lives to have a handle about what this mammoth contains!

Bella falls into obsession with the Vampire Edward, and risks life and limb to be with him, no matter what, going so far as to run away from home and put herself into danger.  A danger from which she doesn’t save herself!

Bella’s entire being is for Edward.  She does what Edward says when he tells her to, he randomly leaves and comes back throughout the entire book series (and reportedly will do the same in the movie versions as well).  He continually puts her in danger, and she never stands up for herself.  She convinces herself that all she has to do is figure out a way to stay with Edward and everything will be fine.  Even if that means committing the final sacrifice of life (so she can live forever as a vampire, but still!)  All of these choices for a 100 year old boy!  

That above may not sound as much fantasy now that we have broken it down into actions instead of mythical creatures (werewolves show up at some point along with vampire hybrids).  Many of us as caring adults of young people have seen our teenage females and tween females do uncharacteristic things contradictory of their personality for the boy they “luuuuuuvvvvvvvvv” (the way my sister says it!), and we have seen how their plans and their desires for their own success get sacrificed.

In this time of communication with our young people (October was “Let’s Talk” Month), we are constantly looking for teachable moments, and this one is just around the corner.  Take a second to brush up on the characters’ names and associations, and break out a conversation with your young people about good relationships and bad relationships, what they want for themselves and what they see in their future, and how to hold onto those goals why navigating the scary world of teenage “luuuvvvvv”!  And bring some popcorn!

by: Taylor Wilson, Technical Assistance Associate, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Contact Taylor: twilson@teenpregnancysc.org

Payment for Pregnancy Prevention?

I know that by today's standards, my teen years were fairly ideal and the clear exception to the rule. But have we taken the quest to motivate today's young people too far?

I come from a long line of educators. In my house growing up, graduating from high school was the norm, going to college was expected, and education even beyond that was encouraged. I also lived in a two-parent household (my parents recently celebrated their 40th anniversary), had the ability and opportunity to be involved in sports and other extracurricular activities, and received a strong, consistent message that having children was what you did after college and marriage. I know that by today’s standards, my teen years were fairly ideal and the clear exception to the rule. But have we taken the quest to motivate today’s young people too far?

Perhaps you’ve heard the buzz lately about the College Bound Sisters program in North Carolina. The program provides weekly 90-minute sessions on abstinence and contraceptives to girls who are 12-18, have never been pregnant, have a sister who is a teen mom, and have a desire to go to college. Funded through a state grant and private donations, College Bound Sisters costs approximately $75,000 a year with results so far of only 6 in 125 enrollees getting pregnant after being a part of the program for at least six months. Sounds good, doesn’t it? So what’s the problem?

Depending on who you ask, there is no problem. But I, for one, am bothered by the fact that College Bound Sisters pays these teen girls $1 a day for every day they do not get pregnant. The money is put into a fund which is released to the girl only after she enrolls in college.

And I’m not in the minority with my concerns. Opinions on the program span from full support to absolute horror. On the plus side, statistics show that siblings of teen moms are at greater risk for getting pregnant themselves which explains the target audience. Research also shows that young people with higher educational aspirations and goals for the future tend to be more motivated to avoid pregnancy, and having access to medically accurate information on abstinence and contraception provides young people with the knowledge and skills needed to make healthy decisions related to sex. But there are still many unanswered questions.

Is PAYING a teen girl not to get pregnant the best way to motivate and encourage her to make healthy decisions? Where do programs like these leave males – without whom there would be no pregnancy? And does the program actually help prevent pregnancies or just encourage young people to get abortions so they can still cash in for college?

Beyond all of that, though, I wonder what expectations this creates among our young people. Will they believe that making decisions in their own best interest should always come with a paycheck? Will parents see these programs as a way to delegate their own responsibilities to teach their children to someone else - while building a college fund along the way? And ultimately, will we create another generation of young people covered in band-aids but not actually healed of the underlying problems? Maybe my ideal childhood created an idealist out of me, but I think there has to be a better way.

Remarks Given by Executive Director, Forrest Alton, at the HIV/AIDS Community Discussion

"Good evening, my name is Forrest Alton and I am the Executive Director at the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. I am increasingly concerned about high rates of HIV and unintended pregnancy in our state, especially among young people. For too long prevention strategies in our state and across the nation have been limited and frankly inadequate, in large part because of a view from leadership and decision makers that issues such as HIV and unintended pregnancy are moral issues.

Some of my colleagues would suggest to you that we RE-frame these issues as public health issues – which they are. Tonight, I ask us all including the White House to go one step further and begin thinking about and talking about HIV and unintended pregnancy as urgent social issues. Urgent social issues don’t bring a blind eye, they bring focus and attention; urgent social issues don’t bring arguments, they bring action; urgent social issues don’t bring partisan politics they bring solutions. Moreover, urgent social issues require solutions that are sustainable for the long term.

I certainly commend the Obama administration for hosting this meeting and listening the concerns of Columbia, SC. And, I certainly encourage the Administration to fully support the ideas and suggestions offered by my friends and colleagues this evening – things like fully funding comprehensive sex education for all young people; eliminating ineffective abstinence-only-until-marriage programs; increasing access to condoms and contraception; targeting interventions for high priority youth; conducting outreach on college campuses, etc.

I would, however, add one thought to this dialogue and that is to ensure that the Administration is deliberate about how programs are created and where they are located so that we can ensure that the progress we make on these critical issues over the next eight years – yes, eight, not four – will not be undone by future Administrations.

Thank you for your time.”

All the best,
Forrest

The Bible Belt and Babies

The news report was one to turn your head. “U.S. states whose residents have more conservative religious beliefs on average tend to have higher rates of teenagers giving birth.” In so many ways that just doesn’t make sense! Everything inside us says that the more religious states should have a lower rate of teen births. After all, other studies have shown that religious participation serves as a deterrent to sexual activity. So what is going on here?

I was one of those kids who grew up in the Bible Belt, participating in “religious activities!” In my tiny little town there wasn’t a lot going on, so church was the center of activity for many of us. We had a wonderful youth choir, we went on retreat and camps, in general had a great time together.

A few years ago I was having a conversation with a friend from those years, and we were discussing what our church had taught us about sex. Both of us agreed that the message had been very clear. “If you have sex, at the very moment of penetration, the ground will open up and you will plunge into the center of hell.” There was no mistaking the message. It was there!

But neither of us could ever remember any conversation about sex.

None!

The message was there. It was hanging in the air and we took it in with every breath. We were at church for Sunday School, worship, Sunday Night church, Training Union (now you know I grew up Baptist!) choir, Wednesday night activities, Youth Group. We were there after school many days, just to hang out. We were there all the time, but we never ever talked about sex.

Which may very well explain the problem. Churches aren’t talking about sex, or contraceptives, or sexuality, or relationships. The message is “out there;” it’s just never verbalized. And in that strange world of the teenage brain, the message goes something like this:

I know I shouldn’t have sex. So there is no need to think about contraceptives, because if I bought a condom, or took the pill, then that would mean I was planning to have sex, which makes that premeditated sin. But if Friday night when our parents are out of town and we have a few beers and “just get carried away,” then that isn’t as bad.

No it doesn’t make logical sense, but then we are talking about romance and hormones and the teenage brain—not a “logical combination.” (But then, often times it isn’t a logical combination with adult brains either!) That is why we must be talking with our teens about sex. It is a task for parents, for schools, for caring adults, and yes, for churches. Our teens need and want some direction, some idea of how to maneuver through these turbulent years. They want to know about sex, but even more about relationships and values. And is there anywhere better for that conversation than our churches, temples and mosques?

The Campaign has resources—both written and personal—to help you with the conversations! During this month, and every month, let’s talk with our youth about what is important. It is a message that is too important just to let “hang in the air.”

by: Rev. Don Flowers, Immediate Past Board Chair and Pastor of Providence Baptist Church
Contact Don: don@providencecharleston.org

In Their Own Words

Recently, a colleague returned from a conference with a DVD produced by MTV called Think HIV: This is Me, that shows teens and young adults from across the country talking openly about their experience with HIV. Most of the youth are HIV positive and all of the video clips are self-recorded, which adds a rawness to their stories about living with HIV that is both compelling and painful to watch.

Young people from all backgrounds – suburban, urban, white, Latino, African-American, male and female- talk openly about the impact of being HIV positive. Youth filmed themselves in their rooms, in clinics, getting their test results, fighting with partners, and disclosing their status. One of the women talks about the judgment and whispers she faced in school after peers learned of her HIV status, while another candidly shares about not having disclosed her status to a partner. By featuring all types of people living with HIV, the video challenges stereotypes about who gets HIV.

While viewing the video, I was struck by how rarely real young people have the opportunity to talk about the important things in their lives. Even with the ubiquity of “reality” television, it is unusual to let young people, especially young women, be frank and honest about what happens in their lives. Given the glamorized, superficial, and sexualized way youth typically are portrayed in the media, it was refreshing to see real people telling real stories about things that matter. Talking about sex, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy is not easy. But, videos like this one show that the first step is just giving young people the means to tell their story in their own words.

by: Shannon Flynn, Director of Research and Evaluation, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
contact Shannon: sflynn@teenpregnancysc.org