Mission 2011

As a young, public health activist and someone who has witnessed what medical debt can do to a family, I dream of a day when access to healthcare in America becomes a right rather than a privilege. On May 25, Palmetto Health invited representatives from community organizations in the Midlands to their Auditorium to witness the laying of the foundation for what will surely be a historic event. After welcoming the wide-eyed, eager group, Vince Ford, Senior Vice President for Community Services, pressed play on a video that warmed my soul and rebuilt my hope that equality in healthcare is on its way.

My eyes filled with tears when I heard Linda say “I feel like a throwaway” as she stood with her walker in line to receive medical care at SC Mission 2010 held in Greenville last year. Watching the testimonies from patients at Mission 2010 put a face on the uninsured and underserved in our community. These people are our neighbors, our family, and our friends who desperately need our help.

On August 5 and 6, medical, dental and vision care will be provided free of charge to any and all Midlands adults who are without access to affordable care. Whether you’re uninsured, underinsured, or just plain underserved - nurses, doctors, optometrists, hygienists and dentists will be on site to provide care. No identification or proof of a lack of insurance is required. The event will begin bright and early each morning at 6:00am and end at 10:00pm on Friday and 4:00pm on Saturday. Dental services will be provided for 34 hours straight starting Friday at 6:00am.

Please volunteer to assist with the SC Mission 2011 and witness our community mobilizing to bring healthcare to all residents.  Need more of a reason to volunteer?  Then listen to my colleague Meredith Talford who participated in Mission 2010.

Whenever the topic of health care comes up I hold my breath because you never know what is going be said. We get into heated arguments about what is best for the future of our country. I watch. I listen. I think. I think about the future, but I also think about the present. I think of people who are in pain now. Last year I volunteered with Mission 2010 in Greenville. I met a lady who left work early, packed a cooler and slept outside overnight hoping to have an infected tooth removed. It had been like that for months, but she didn’t have the resources to get treated. Afterwards, she kept mumbling, “Thank ya’ll for doing this.” All I did was distribute tickets, but it reminded me that every small part contributes to the greater good. So as I patiently wait for the health care of the future, I’ll follow the advice of Mother Teresa and “Not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”

Planning to come as a patient? Here are some tips:
• Wear cool clothing and sunscreen and bring a personal, hand-held fan if possible (much of the line to services will be outdoors and we know South Carolina heat in August can be unforgiving!).
• Wear comfortable shoes, bring snacks and a portable chair (the wait has the potential to be several hours).

By: Jordan Slice, Research and Evaluation Assistant at the SC Campaign

Talk About Giving

In today's post I would like to introduce you to an awesome initiative that I came across this week - Talk About Giving!  This program, developed by Central Carolina Community Foundation, encourages families to have conversations about the importance of philanthropy.  Just like the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy encourages parents to have open, honest conversations with young people about love, sex and relationships, Talk About Giving also knows the importance of parent-child communication.

As part of this commitment, they are hosting the TAG Summer Grant Giveaway and will be donating $2,000 to a charity in the Midlands who has the most support.  I would love to see the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy win this competition but in order to do so, we need your help!  Please follow this link - www.facebook.com/TalkAboutGiving, click on Summer Grant Giveaway, click enter and then nominate the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.  It's that simple and will take two minutes at most.  Involve your child in this process to show them your family values philanthropy and organizations working to prevent teen pregnancy.  This could be a great conversation starter for "the talk."

We would appreciate your support!  Spread this message far and wide!

By: Cayci Banks, Director of Communications, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

I am the Most Important Person in my Future

Please repeat after me: “I am the most important person in my future.” This is how Brian White (@actorbrianwhite) opened his keynote presentation at Summer Institute 2011 last week in Myrtle Beach. Many of us knew Brian White as an actor in movies like Stomp the Yard and I Can Do Bad All by Myself or from the more recent TV show Men of a Certain Age. Fewer knew him as a licensed stock broker, former National Football League AND National Lacrosse League player, and graduate of an Ivy League college. These are tremendous accomplishments that we might expect from someone who, like Brian, came from a two-parent family, had 5 sisters to encourage him, and had lots of opportunities to succeed.

Then let’s take a look at Dr. Steve Perry (@DrStevePerry) – our closing keynote at Summer Institute. Dr. Perry was born to a teen mom, grew up having very little relationship with his father, lived in poverty, and matched up with many of the risk factors that indicate a child who will grow up to be uneducated, incarcerated, and a teen parent himself. But Dr. Perry did not become another statistic. In fact, he completed his education, ran a homeless shelter, became a candidate for state representative, and authored four books – before age 26. Today, he works as a CNN Education Contributor and is the principal and co-founder of Capital Preparatory Magnet School in one of Connecticut’s lowest performing districts – working daily to change the lives of the young people he serves.

What do these men have in common? I believe they would both agree that they were given the tools they needed to withstand life's challenges – even if those lessons came in the midst of difficult times. Because while Dr. Perry didn’t have the “traditional” support system that Brian White had, he had a strong mother who made sure he had teachers, coaches, and mentors who would help him build a foundation for his life and give him the tools he needed to make it.

To help make sure all young people have those tools, Brian White has launched Black Carpenter, a young person’s guide to essential tools for life
“The chapters in Black Carpenter are divided into tools, metaphors for life’s most important values, supported by personal anecdotes. Reading a chapter is opening the tool box of my life story. Lift out a hammer and see how choice affected me, mistakes made and lessons learned. Lift out a utility knife and read how overcoming fear taught me how to dance, ballet no less, which prepared me for a lead role in Stomp the Yard. Lift out a tape measure and meet the mentors in my life who pushed me to graduate an honor roll student from public high school and attend an Ivy League college. Most importantly, lift out any tool in these ensuing chapters and learn how to become your own Black Carpenter. “ - Brian White

Brian White and Dr. Perry understand that as we seek to address teen pregnancy, young people need education from the waist up as well as from the waist down. We know young people need education on abstinence, refusal skills, negotiation skills, contraceptive methods, but what other tools are we equipping our young people with? Are we giving them a firm foundation that will help them to handle whatever life throws at them? Are we pushing them to excel in life or just to avoid having a baby? Are we reaching both their heads and their hearts? Let’s help our young people say with certainty “I am the most important person in my future.” I think they’re worth it. Don’t you?

By: Dana Becker, Technical Assistance Specialist with the SC Campaign

On the Road Again

It's May and in case you didn’t know, that means A LOT of work for the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy as May is nationally recognized as Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

To celebrate this, staff of the SC Campaign will travel the state as part of our 3rd Annual Road Show from May 3 – May 20 in an effort to inform South Carolinians about the issue of teen pregnancy and how they can get involved in prevention efforts. We hope to see you when we come to a town near you. As our schedule stands right now, we will visit the following counties:
1. Marlboro
2. Richland
3. Horry
4. Florence
5. Berkeley
6. Barnwell
7. Spartanburg
8. Newberry
9. Anderson
10. Pickens
11. Greenville
12. Kershaw
13. Chesterfield
14. Charleston
15. Beaufort
16. Hampton
17. Colleton

Our list of 55+ events include 17 media appearances, 7 youth events, 5 fundraisers, 2-3 volunteer opportunities, 3 legislative meetings, 6 Parent/Child Communication workshops, and many other public awareness opportunities including community forums in both Spartanburg and Horry counties. Stay tuned to all of our travels via our website, www.teenpregnancysc.org (events will posted on our online calendar) and through our Facebook Page – facebook.com/sccampaign.

Special thanks to SC Department of Health and Environmental Control and First Citizens Banks for making the Road Show possible.

by: Cayci Banks, Director of Communications, SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
contact Cayci: cbanks@teenpregnancysc.org

Lessons Learned from Listening to Teens

Before coming to the SC Campaign as a graduate assistant in the fall, most of my interaction with teenagers was limited to family friends or grocery store cashiers. Even as a 25-year-old, my general reaction to teens in the media was “I vaguely remember this, but… I don’t really get it.”

As the Teen Expressions coordinator, I had a unique opportunity to hear directly from teens. But, to be honest, the prospect of delving into the minds of teens was a little scary at first. What if the media was right? What if teens were getting sex ed from music videos and values from 'Jersey Shore'? But of course, S.C. teens proved that they are more than what you see in the media.

The contest gives teens a place to share their perspective from their hearts and minds,  not just from academic research or "trend" news pieces. We get unfiltered opinions from teens on topics like sex, teen pregnancy and relationships. Some of them were silly. Some of them were serious. Many of them were thoughtful, and all of them helped add to my understanding about how teens think.

Some of what the teens shared might not surprised you:

• They take love and relationships very seriously. Even though your gut reaction might be to roll your eyes when 14-year-olds use words like “forever” when describing their girlfriends or boyfriends, it is important to understand that it is their reality.
• Individuality was a dominant theme, and teens want you to know that they are different.  From teen parents to teens who are abstinent, there were lots of entries with the clear message of individuality.  We have to stop expecting all teens to be influenced and motivated by the same messages, because they want to be taken seriously and judged based on their personal decisions and beliefs – not the ones in the media.

Some things that I was surprised to find out:

• They aren’t fooled by society’s messages of excess and apathy. Many of the entries were about waiting to have sex, or protecting themselves to prevent the unintended consequences of sex. They don’t want to have babies because it is “trendy,” or to get on TV.  
• Forget the stereotype of the unmotivated teenager. They might express themselves differently, or have different priorities, but they care. 
• A lot of the entries about teen pregnancy showed that teens aren’t tuning adults out. Many of the teens who entered represent youth organizations and health classes, and their viewpoints reflect teens who are getting the messages we as health educators are desperate for them to hear.  

When you talk to teens, they are listening.  We need to be doing the same. Teen Expressions offers some good lessons about how to keep these conversations going.

• Welcome their opinions and perspectives, even if you don't understand them at first.
• Start by asking open-ended questions about how they feel and how they interpret the messages targeted to them. 
• Some teens may be able to express their thoughts and fears better through art or poetry, so don’t limit your conversations to formal sit-downs. 
• Encourage examination and critical thinking rather than just memorizing rules and guidelines. 

In related news, we need your help picking our Teen Expressions Grand Prize winner! Vist the voting page at CarolinaTeenHealth.org and vote once per day until April 19. The winner will be announced May 10 at our reception honoring all published entrants. 

- Elizabeth Benfield is a graduate assistant at the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregancy and a MPH student at the University of South Carolina.

What $262k Can Buy You

A simple email from my husband read "You need her job."  I personally like my job, but it peaked my interest when I saw Bristol Palin’s name, who I know is an advocate for abstinence education and the prevention of teen pregnancy.
The headline blew me away, “Bristol Palin earns $262K for teen pregnancy work”. After I picked myself up off the floor, I had three immediate reactions:

1. No way this can be true - my husband has sent me a tabloid link, but then I realized it was from the Associated Press!
2. Who is spending this much money on an intervention that is not evidence based and does not make a dent in teen sexual behavior? No offense, she seems like a lovely girl but come on. Put some of this funding towards local organizations on the ground who are effectively working with teens and getting outcomes. 7,879 people commented on this article, most were outraged. My favorite comment , “Bristol Palin giving advice on timing of pregnancies is like Bernie Madoff recommending investment strategies”.  2,000 people liked that comment, including me. There are no resources to waste in this field so for those investing in celebrity (I use this term loosely) speakers to prevent teen pregnancy, they may want to rethink their investment strategy.
3. Anger! In South Carolina, several of our local youth development organizations’ entire operational budgets do not get close to $262K and they do amazing work, and most importantly, are grounded in science. In the end, I don’t want to knock Bristol, she has made her experience into a career and is promoting a positive message which is great.

The group funding Bristol had this to say as a comment on their webpage: “We know that Ms. Palin's work has had a positive effect on teens. In a recent independent national survey of 1,000 teens that compared a Bristol Palin PSA with those of another national teen pregnancy organization that use non-famous teens, more than twice as many teens (57% vs. 27%) said Bristol's PSA "got my attention", three times as many (41% vs. 11%) said it was "powerful", and more than twice as many (38% vs. 16%) said it was "memorable".” 

Wow, “got my attention”, “powerful” and “memorable” – is that worth a $262K investment? They should give me a call for $262K. I can give them “I did not have sex.”, “Used a condom”, “Went to clinic” and “Increased my knowledge about abstinence and safe sex”. Those are outcomes worth a substantial investment.

Candies, love your shoes and your posters but as foundations and agencies, we should be ethically obligated to invest in strategies that have data to demonstrate effectiveness AND positively impact young people.

By: Polly Edwards Padgett, Director of Local Action for the SC Campaign

Teens Get Real: Teen Expressions 2011

Our 2011 Teen Expressions contest “What is Your Reality?” closed a few weeks ago, and we’re so excited to announce we received nearly 150 entries! This is my second semester as a graduate assistant at the SC Campaign, and although I’ve read previous Teen Expressions publications, this was my first experience reading all 150 submissions.

I’m impressed by the honesty and thoughtfulness present in so many entries. When creating the theme this year, we wanted to establish a contrast between the “reality” portrayed in the media and the actual reality S.C. teens are experiencing. We hoped teens would tell us more about their world, challenges, and triumphs!

Teens responded to one of four contest prompts:

• How is your reality different than the reality of teens portrayed in the media?
• How has or how would being a teen mom or dad change your reality?
• What do teens need to know now about staying healthy?
• What is the reality in your home regarding love, sex and relationships?

Entries came from young men and women across the state. Some entries discussed the pressure teens feel to be sexually active. Others compared the lifestyles of wealth and excess portrayed on TV to their own lives. We received entries from teen moms and dads who shared the struggles they face in raising a child at such a young age.

Entries illustrated that “real” reality – reality in its purest, untelevised form – goes much deeper than the scripted reality we see on TV.

Judging took place last week, when two adult judges and three youth judges met, deliberated and  chose five exemplary entries that will be competing for the $250 grand prize. Later this week, online voting will open on Carolina Teen Health to determine the Teen Expressions 2011 grand prize winner.

Keep an eye on the CarolinaTeenHealth Facebook page for an announcement when voting begins, and make sure to vote once a ay for your favorite entry!

By Lauren Angelo, a Graduate Assistant from the University of South Carolina at the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.