Who has been watching Life Unexpected on the CW? It is now one of my favorite shows. Here is a brief overview to get you up to speed.
After spending her life bouncing from one foster family to another, 15-year-old Lux has decided to become an emancipated minor. Her journey through the legal maze leads Lux to her biological father, 30-something Nate "Baze" Bazile, who lives like an aging frat-boy and is astonished to learn he has a daughter. Lux is equally astonished to learn that her mother is Cate Cassidy, a star on local radio. When a judge grants temporary custody of Lux to Baze and Cate, they agree to make a belated attempt to give Lux the family she deserves.
As you can tell by doing a little subtraction, Lux is the child of teen parents who gave her up for adoption at birth. In the first few episodes they have been navigating murky waters to figure out their situation and how to proceed from here. To date, Lux is living with her father, who on last night's episode sat her down to have "The Talk". Come to find out, he was too late - Lux was already sexually experienced.
The awkward conversation that was had by the two of them ended with Lux telling Baze that she hadn't had sex with her winter formal date nor did she plan on having sex with her winter formal date. Baze literally clapped his hands and said "Great, good talk."
Now how often do we hear about "The Talk" playing out in this manner? There are a couple of things to note. First of all, there shouldn't be just one talk. It shouldn't be this big bad conversation that has to take place to make the adult feel better. Instead, caring adults should look for teachable moments - moments in life that can be used as conversation starters about love, sex and relationships. As Baze found out, when you wait around to have "The Talk" sometimes you are too late. Conversations about these topics should start early and be consistent.
Visit our Parent Portal to hear from other parents and read tips for talking with your young person about love, sex and relationships.
by: Cayci Banks, Director of Communications, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
contact Cayci: cbanks@teenpregnancysc.org
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Have You Joined the March?
Nearly 2,400 people have signed up for Tell Them's Virtual March that will take place on March 23, 2010. In tough economic times, it is important that we all have our voices heard, so take a moment and sign up for the first-ever Virtual March in Support of responsible, reproductive health policies.
So how does it work? Here are the details taken from Tell Them's website.
The march will take place beginning at noon on March 23 until noon on March 24. During this 24-hour period, people who have signed up for the march will email their representatives, letting them know they stand with the majority of South Carolinians who support age appropriate, medically accurate sexual health information and access to counseling and clinical services.
Tell Them will send you a pre-formatted, pre-addressed email targeting your legislators on the morning of March 23. All you’ll have to do is hit “send.” Of course, you can edit and add your own comments to the email message. This is just their way of making it as easy as possible for you to participate.
So it's that simple! Sign up today and encourage others to do the same
So how does it work? Here are the details taken from Tell Them's website.
The march will take place beginning at noon on March 23 until noon on March 24. During this 24-hour period, people who have signed up for the march will email their representatives, letting them know they stand with the majority of South Carolinians who support age appropriate, medically accurate sexual health information and access to counseling and clinical services.
Tell Them will send you a pre-formatted, pre-addressed email targeting your legislators on the morning of March 23. All you’ll have to do is hit “send.” Of course, you can edit and add your own comments to the email message. This is just their way of making it as easy as possible for you to participate.
So it's that simple! Sign up today and encourage others to do the same
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Grocery List: Milk, Bread, Condoms...
As I was on my way to work this morning and scanning radio stations, I heard a story being told about Ryan Phillippe and I immediately was all ears. The big news was that Ryan Phillippe was recently shopping for condoms in a store and he was supposedly heckled so badly that he dropped his basket and ran out of the store. This story got me thinking about two things, A) Doesn’t Ryan Phillippe have “people” that buy stuff for him? and B) If Ryan Phillippe is too uncomfortable to purchase condoms, then what is that saying about our young people’s experience purchasing condoms? The story of Ryan Phillippe is just an example of how sales persons and other shoppers in a retail environment can truly prevent people, especially young people, to purchase condoms. Purchasing condoms seems simple enough, right?
I am sure that when anyone mentions the issue of condom availability, the first thing to come to your mind is a health clinic. However, health clinics are not the only access point for young people to purchase condoms. It should be recognized that there are multiple access points for young people to purchase condoms, including retail locations. So what do we know about the environment of these retail locations? Is it easy for young people to get condoms? Are young people being refused to purchase condoms? Are there other young people experiencing the same thing that Ryan Phillippe experienced? There is very little data on the “adolescent friendliness” of retail locations in regards to condom access for young people. Some retail locations are open 24 hours a day, which means that young people could have access to low-cost condoms at any time during the day or night.
It is important that as we live and work in a community that we remember that our young people have the right to protect themselves and have access to tools that keep them safe. It is our responsibility as community members, business owners, local leaders and citizens to provide safe and friendly spaces for young people to access services and information. The story of Ryan Phillippe is one that many young people can relate to and have possibly encountered in their own experience. So think about it….you may not directly work with youth and your organization may not directly be related to teen pregnancy but what can you do to make your organization more adolescent friendly? What experience does your environment provide to young people?
Young people have enough stressors and social pressures, why can’t we just make it comfortable for them to go to the store to pick up milk, bread …and condoms?
In response to the abovementioned research needs, the Campaign has recently begun a new project called “Secret Shopper”. The purpose of this project is to assess the teen friendliness of retail locations by sending in young people to purchase condoms as ‘secret shoppers’. We have conducted this project in counties across South Carolina. The Campaign is currently analyzing the results of this project and will be disseminating the findings within the coming months. The Campaign is confident that the results from this project will provide valuable data about the friendliness of retail locations and the extent to which condoms are available at retail locations to young people throughout the state.
by: Sarah Kershner, MPH, CHES, Reserach and Evaluation Specialist
Contact Sarah: skershner@teenpregnancysc.org
I am sure that when anyone mentions the issue of condom availability, the first thing to come to your mind is a health clinic. However, health clinics are not the only access point for young people to purchase condoms. It should be recognized that there are multiple access points for young people to purchase condoms, including retail locations. So what do we know about the environment of these retail locations? Is it easy for young people to get condoms? Are young people being refused to purchase condoms? Are there other young people experiencing the same thing that Ryan Phillippe experienced? There is very little data on the “adolescent friendliness” of retail locations in regards to condom access for young people. Some retail locations are open 24 hours a day, which means that young people could have access to low-cost condoms at any time during the day or night.
It is important that as we live and work in a community that we remember that our young people have the right to protect themselves and have access to tools that keep them safe. It is our responsibility as community members, business owners, local leaders and citizens to provide safe and friendly spaces for young people to access services and information. The story of Ryan Phillippe is one that many young people can relate to and have possibly encountered in their own experience. So think about it….you may not directly work with youth and your organization may not directly be related to teen pregnancy but what can you do to make your organization more adolescent friendly? What experience does your environment provide to young people?
Young people have enough stressors and social pressures, why can’t we just make it comfortable for them to go to the store to pick up milk, bread …and condoms?
In response to the abovementioned research needs, the Campaign has recently begun a new project called “Secret Shopper”. The purpose of this project is to assess the teen friendliness of retail locations by sending in young people to purchase condoms as ‘secret shoppers’. We have conducted this project in counties across South Carolina. The Campaign is currently analyzing the results of this project and will be disseminating the findings within the coming months. The Campaign is confident that the results from this project will provide valuable data about the friendliness of retail locations and the extent to which condoms are available at retail locations to young people throughout the state.
by: Sarah Kershner, MPH, CHES, Reserach and Evaluation Specialist
Contact Sarah: skershner@teenpregnancysc.org
Thursday, March 4, 2010
A Thin Line
It’s no secret that today’s teens are growing up in a world where digital communication is viral, especially regarding cell phone usage. According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, 58% of 12 year olds reported owning a cell phone in 2009, a 40% increase from 2004. Social networking sites like Facebook have also grown in popularity, with 73% of teens ages 12-17 reporting using an online social network.
While the continual advent of new technology such as the iPod, Facebook and Twitter, offer many benefits, they have also created a new wave of digital harassment. As the news media have pointed out, sexting and cyberbullying are everyday issues in the hallways across America’s high schools. Mainstream media has taken note of these recent technological trends and MTV along with several national partners has launched A Thin Line campaign. The campaign is designed to empower teens to identify, respond to, and stop the spread of digital abuse among teens and their peers. Through discussion boards, video diaries and Q&As, the campaign demonstrates the negative consequences of digital communication and encourages teens to stand up and take control. Check out the site and see how these same forms of digital communication that have led to such issues of cyberbullying and sexting are now being utilized to combat them.
by: Jessica Cooper, Public Awareness Graduate Assistant
Contact Jessica: jcooper@teenpregnancysc.org
While the continual advent of new technology such as the iPod, Facebook and Twitter, offer many benefits, they have also created a new wave of digital harassment. As the news media have pointed out, sexting and cyberbullying are everyday issues in the hallways across America’s high schools. Mainstream media has taken note of these recent technological trends and MTV along with several national partners has launched A Thin Line campaign. The campaign is designed to empower teens to identify, respond to, and stop the spread of digital abuse among teens and their peers. Through discussion boards, video diaries and Q&As, the campaign demonstrates the negative consequences of digital communication and encourages teens to stand up and take control. Check out the site and see how these same forms of digital communication that have led to such issues of cyberbullying and sexting are now being utilized to combat them.
by: Jessica Cooper, Public Awareness Graduate Assistant
Contact Jessica: jcooper@teenpregnancysc.org
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Celebrating What Works
The statistics continue to be alarming! Over the past few weeks we have seen the reports dealing with the increased rate of teen pregnancies. This has caused alarm in providers, in parents, and in the public at large. These reports have come during a time where economic often becomes the battleground.
In South Carolina we have seen the results as programs that target susceptible teens have often fallen prey to the budget scalpel—or ax depending on your perspective. In times like this we have to support programs that have been proven effective. That is what the SC Campaign has always said. “Show us a research proven effective program and we will give it our support,” or to paraphrase Jerry Maguire, “Show us the research!”
This week the Washington Post reported on an abstinence only program that has been shown to be effective. This is welcome news as it adds one more weapon to our arsenal.
For too often battles have been waged over programs based on perspective. Proponents of abstinence only education have fought tooth and nail against programs that deal with contraceptives. Comprehensive education supporters have derided those who seek to lower the rate of sexual activity as naïve. The result has been, as the adults argue the children suffer.
Growing up in our small town, we had a doctor who was affectionately known as “Dr. Penicillin.” That was his prescription for everything! Strep Throat—a shot of penicillin will do the trick. Rheumatic Fever—how about a does of penicillin? Scraped knee—penicillin can’t hurt! That is not to say that many of us didn’t benefit from his care, but there were some issues that one drug just wouldn’t touch.
In our effort to address the epidemic of teen pregnancies, we have to be willing to admit that “one program won’t fit everyone.” There are some who need and will benefit from a comprehensive approach including contraception. Others need to be reminded and encouraged by the message of abstinence. To say that we have the only “right” approach is not only arrogant, but also dangerous.
The report this week opens the door to all of us that care about our children. Show us what works and it will get our full support. In times when our economic lives, but even more the lives of our children are in peril, can we do anything less?
by: Rev. Don Flowers, Immediate Past Board Chair and Pastor of Providence Baptist Church
Contact Don: don@providencecharleston.org
In South Carolina we have seen the results as programs that target susceptible teens have often fallen prey to the budget scalpel—or ax depending on your perspective. In times like this we have to support programs that have been proven effective. That is what the SC Campaign has always said. “Show us a research proven effective program and we will give it our support,” or to paraphrase Jerry Maguire, “Show us the research!”
This week the Washington Post reported on an abstinence only program that has been shown to be effective. This is welcome news as it adds one more weapon to our arsenal.
For too often battles have been waged over programs based on perspective. Proponents of abstinence only education have fought tooth and nail against programs that deal with contraceptives. Comprehensive education supporters have derided those who seek to lower the rate of sexual activity as naïve. The result has been, as the adults argue the children suffer.
Growing up in our small town, we had a doctor who was affectionately known as “Dr. Penicillin.” That was his prescription for everything! Strep Throat—a shot of penicillin will do the trick. Rheumatic Fever—how about a does of penicillin? Scraped knee—penicillin can’t hurt! That is not to say that many of us didn’t benefit from his care, but there were some issues that one drug just wouldn’t touch.
In our effort to address the epidemic of teen pregnancies, we have to be willing to admit that “one program won’t fit everyone.” There are some who need and will benefit from a comprehensive approach including contraception. Others need to be reminded and encouraged by the message of abstinence. To say that we have the only “right” approach is not only arrogant, but also dangerous.
The report this week opens the door to all of us that care about our children. Show us what works and it will get our full support. In times when our economic lives, but even more the lives of our children are in peril, can we do anything less?
by: Rev. Don Flowers, Immediate Past Board Chair and Pastor of Providence Baptist Church
Contact Don: don@providencecharleston.org
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monkey See Monkey Do Mentality
We’re taught throughout life to follow examples- in kindergarten we are shown a red block and told to find a block that looks just like it; in 3rd grade we’re shown multiplication tables, taught to memorize, and told to practice doing them over and over. In high school we sit in the passenger seat and watch the Driver’s Ed teacher maneuver the Ford Focus through orange cones in the parking lot at 5 miles per hour and, you guessed it, we were told to zig zag through those same orange cones. Naturally, we grow up following examples and doing what we see others doing- good and bad.
Today, in our society we are no longer shocked when we see MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, Secret Life of an American Teenager, Baby Borrowers, Juno, The Pregnancy Pact and countless other television shows and movies tell “real life” stories about teenagers having children and surviving. Not only do we tolerate shows, movies, news reports, rumors around school and offices about teenagers getting pregnant or having unprotected sex, but we glorify it. So why are we completely in shock and awe when the teen pregnancy rates are rising? We have, after all, taught our youth (and everyone else) to just do what you see, right?
When it comes to sexual health education, it may be easier to tell youth “don’t get pregnant”; “don’t have sex” etc. But then, they are only provided “no” messages, and left alone to find their own positive examples to mimic. If we could change our negative “don’t” messages into positive “do” messages, it seems like finding healthy, safe examples for sexual health education would be much easier: “Do ask about healthy relationships”; “Do go to your local health clinic”; “Do talk about/mimic healthy relationships”. Messages from the media won’t change over night. But the messages you are sending to the youth around you can.
by: Katie Duffy, Graduate Assitant, Training & Technical Assistance
Contact Kaite: kduffy@teenpregnancysc.org
Today, in our society we are no longer shocked when we see MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, Secret Life of an American Teenager, Baby Borrowers, Juno, The Pregnancy Pact and countless other television shows and movies tell “real life” stories about teenagers having children and surviving. Not only do we tolerate shows, movies, news reports, rumors around school and offices about teenagers getting pregnant or having unprotected sex, but we glorify it. So why are we completely in shock and awe when the teen pregnancy rates are rising? We have, after all, taught our youth (and everyone else) to just do what you see, right?
When it comes to sexual health education, it may be easier to tell youth “don’t get pregnant”; “don’t have sex” etc. But then, they are only provided “no” messages, and left alone to find their own positive examples to mimic. If we could change our negative “don’t” messages into positive “do” messages, it seems like finding healthy, safe examples for sexual health education would be much easier: “Do ask about healthy relationships”; “Do go to your local health clinic”; “Do talk about/mimic healthy relationships”. Messages from the media won’t change over night. But the messages you are sending to the youth around you can.
by: Katie Duffy, Graduate Assitant, Training & Technical Assistance
Contact Kaite: kduffy@teenpregnancysc.org
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
But What Can I Do?
I work with a group of 5th grade girls at my church. We meet every Wednesday evening for group time with all of our first through sixth graders where we sing, dance, and have a great time before heading out to our individual small groups by grades. My group is probably fairly typical of any smattering of 5th grade girls in the nation – boisterous and energetic, from various socioeconomic situations; some with both biological parents still together, but many are part of a blended or single-parent family. Some of the girls love Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana and aren’t altogether sure what they think about boys. Some love sports or school or baking Christmas cookies with mom and still carry a stuffed animal with them everywhere they go. Some are aspiring fashionistas with highlighted ponytails while others wear the same hand-me-down hooded sweatshirt or ripped jeans week after week.
by: Dana Becker, Technical Assistance Specialist, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Contact Dana: dbecker@teenpregnancysc.org
Despite all of their differences, however, there’s one thing I’ve noticed all of these girls have in common. They all crave attention. Early on when starting to work with this group, I decided to go around the room during a craft activity to talk one-on-one with each girl. I’d never seen eyes light up the way they did when I took a couple of minutes to ask each one individually about herself – what she likes or doesn’t like, what scares her, what makes her happiest. Since that one evening, the girls make a point to come over and talk whenever they see me anywhere. While I’d like to think that’s because I’m pretty amazing, I’m smart enough to realize that it’s simply because I gave them the one thing they needed and desired – someone to take an interest in them.
In the work we do at the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, there are many stories we hear of young girls who got pregnant because the first person to show attention to them was interested in more than just what their goals and dreams for the future were. Since that first Wednesday night when I pulled up a chair to sit next to each anxious 5th grader, I can’t seem to get that thought out of my head. Add to that the endless asks we get this time of year from charities of all kinds needing donations to help those less-fortunate than ourselves and I have to wonder – what are we really willing to do to make a difference in the world around us? Are we willing to write a check or drop some coins into a kettle? Are we willing to pull up a chair, get our hands dirty, and make a true investment in the lives of young people? Are we willing to be the one who will shower healthy affection and positive attention on kids who desperately need it?
I must say, it’s not easy. We get busy. We get sick. We get distracted. We mess up and have to explain to someone who we didn’t realize was paying so much attention how she should do differently. But we still need to make the commitment to be a mentor, even in the broadest definition of the word, to at least one young person – whether your own child, your niece or nephew, a neighbor from down the street, or a group of kids at church. Because at this time of the year especially, I am always reminded that one person can make a difference.
Contact Dana: dbecker@teenpregnancysc.org
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