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Make Teen Pregnancy a Thing of The Past
Do you wish there was something you could do about child abuse, infant mortality, school failure, neighborhood instability and juvenile crime in the District of Columbia? Well, there is. You can help put a stop to teen pregnancy.
Board & Founding Board
Technical Assistance
Parent Training
Staff Training
Youth Leaders
Spreading the Word
Best Practices Coalition
DC Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Founded in 1999, DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy leads a growing local movement with the ambitious mission of cutting the city’s teen pregnancy rate in half by 2015.
DC Campaign identifies problems and promotes research-based investments to improve the lives of adolescents in measurable ways. The only organization entirely devoted to preventing teen pregnancy in the nation’s capital, DC Campaign works collaboratively with a vast network of partners to build consensus that teen pregnancy is in no one’s best interest.
DC Campaign is a strong voice within the public policy arena and a trusted source for information on what it really takes to make teen pregnancy a thing of the past.
Board of Directors
John Ray, Esq., Chairman
Cait Clarke, Esq., Vice Chair
Nancy Keener, Treasurer
Jennifer Burton
Nancy Chockley
Frank M. (Rusty) Conner III, Esq.
Linda Howard
Kate Koffman
Sharon D. Malone, MD
Donna Middleton-Cooper
Michael P. Reed, Esq.
Jenna Rose
Amita N. Vyas, Ph.D.
Barbara Wolf
Brenda Rhodes Miller, Secretary & Executive Director
Founding Board of Directors
Dr. Joyce Ladner, Chair
Virginia Fleming, President
Vincent C. Gray, Treasurer
Honorable Sandra Allen
Carol Thompson Cole
Amanda Deaver
Katharine Graham
Dr. Dorothy Height
Mary Jo Lazear
Rev. Leon G. Lipscomb, Sr.
C. Payne Lucas
John Herbert Niles, Jr., M.D.
Charles F.C. Ruff, Esq.
Victoria P. Sant
Marian Urquilla
James Wagoner
Whether you'’re writing testimony for an oversight hearing or need ideas on how to promote your May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month activity, DC Campaign is here to help.Technical assistance includes connecting local programs with national experts, guidance on developing highly effective primary and secondary teen pregnancy prevention programs, advice on best practices in youth work, and information about the rights of teens and the laws that protect them. DC Campaign is your one-stop resource for sample protocols, research-based models and local data.For more information, please contact Jennifer Bissell, Deputy Director, at 202.789.4666 ext.19 or jbissell_dccampaign.org.
Most parents really want to talk with their own children about values, especially regarding love, sex and relationships, but they may not know where to start. They may be afraid they'’ll say the wrong thing or that talking to their teens about sex will encourage them to have sex.
That’s why DC Campaign created Talk is a Four-Letter Word.
Each session in this three-part series lasts 90 minutes.
Talk is a Four-Letter word is designed primarily for parents and caregivers to improve the way they communicate with their children. The training is also appropriate for school staff and volunteers, church and community organizations who want to help teens avoid pregnancy.
Talk is a Four Letter Word encourages adults to be clear about their own values; examines the pressures young people face; and, explores the role modern culture plays in shaping attitudes.
Each workshop session builds upon the previous one. Sessions are lively and interactive, using self assessments, role play, homework and lecture-discussion.
Host sites are asked to recruit a between 12-15 adults and provide a comfortable meeting space and dinner for the parent participants.
DC Campaign provides workshop materials, facilitators, door prizes and the expertise gained from training over 1,700 parents since 1999.
For more information, contact bmiller_dccampaign.org or call 202.789.4666 ext 11.
How to Talk to Teens about Love, Sex and Relationships is a workshop that has been developed for the staff of organizations working with teens.
The goal of the workshop is to increase the comfort level of adults when talking with teens about values, love, sex and relationships improve communication skills provide accurate information about preventing teen pregnancy prepare staff to answer questions accurately and address concerns raised by teens in a way that keeps the conversation going.
DC Campaign requires the host organization to recruit a minimum of 12 staff, provide a comfortable space for the training to take place and adequate, uninterrupted time for DC Campaign to conduct the workshop. The training is tailored to the specific needs of the host site and its staff. DC Campaign highly recommends at least three 90 minute sessions. For more information, contact jbissell_dccampaign.org or call 202.789.4666 ext.19.
Youth Leadership Task Force
The Youth Leadership Task Force is DC Campaign’'s way of helping teens develop a sense of belonging while learning interesting new things in a safe, supervised environment. Both of these are essential factors in preventing teen pregnancy.
Teens learn how to deliver testimony to the City Council and write letters to the editor as part of their leadership and advocacy training. They recruit other teens to join the Youth Leadership Task Force and use social media to share information about teen pregnancy prevention.
Depending on the interests of the teens involved, the Youth Leadership Task Force could focus on fitness, local history or video production. What matters is that teens are fully engaged.
The Youth Leadership Task Force stresses the following:
Character Development through building confidence, enhancing physical well-being, increasing self-control, reinforcing writing and public speaking skills so that teens can grow to reach their ultimate potential.
Strengthening Decision Making Skills so that teens learn to make deliberate decisions to live a healthy life and postpone pregnancy until they are adults.
Equal Citizens is a concept that increases awareness of the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen.
Broadening Horizons is exposure to new experiences, ideas and opportunities.
The Youth Leadership Task Force also gives DC Campaign a direct link to local youth culture. For more information please contact Erica McKinney at emckinney_dccampaign.org .
Each week, more than 1,700 subscribers receive the latest edition of Spreading the Word, DC Campaign’s free e-newsletter devoted to networking and information sharing.For the latest on teen pregnancy data and research, funding opportunities, conferences, events, publications and job announcements, youth serving professionals have turned to Spreading the Word, since 1999. You can too, by signing up here for your own subscription. View our archive here.
DC Campaign’s Best Practices Coalition is made up of advocates, youth serving organizations, researchers, funders, legal experts and direct service providers who share the goal of making rigorously evaluated and research-based programs the foundation of all youth work in DC.
Best Practices Roundtables
DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy launched its roundtable series October 19, 1999 with Boys to Men: A Roundtable on Improving Access to Health Care.
With a keynote address by then-U.S. Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. and co-sponsored by seven other organizations including: The Center for Youth Development and Policy Research/Academy for Educational Development; the National Office of Concerned Black Men; the Hospital for Sick Children; National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association; Opening Doors; Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington; and the Mayor’s Committee to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Out-of-Wedlock Births, the roundtable featured a panel of teen boys as well as adult experts.
Since 1999, DC Campaign has refined the roundtable format to share best practices with eager audiences of policy makers, youth workers, philanthropists and activists.
Standing-room-only sessions are conducted several times each year on topics as diverse as:
• Healing the Hurt: Grief, Loss and Teen Pregnancy
• Helping Teen Fathers Succeed
• Strength Based Approaches to Parenting
• EC/DC: Emergency Contraception for Adolescents in the District of Columbia
• Helping Pregnant and Parenting Teens Graduate from High School
• Teen Pregnancy Prevention Federal Funding, Priorities and Initiatives
• The More You Know, The More You Can Help: A Roundtable for Frontline School Staff
• Influences on Teen Sexual Behavior: What Works?
• What Are They Thinking: The Adolescent Brain
• Caught in the System: Teen Pregnancy and Child Welfare
To see and hear past roundtables Click Here
For information about upcoming roundtables, sign up for Spreading the Word here
Teen Pregnancy Rate in the District of Columbia
The teen pregnancy rate comes from an equation that contains these important variables:
• Number of live births to teens
• Number of abortions to teens
• Number of fetal deaths to teens
• Population of teen girls
Counting the number of live births to teens who are DC residents is fairly straightforward.The information comes from birth certificates.
Abortion reporting is voluntary in the District of Columbia and not all providers report. There is no financial incentive for reporting within a certain time frame nor is there a penalty for not reporting.
Fetal deaths to DC teens are registered with Vital Records.
The US Census Bureau makes mid-year population estimates and DOH uses that number for the population of teen girls.
Live Births + Abortions + Fetal Deaths
________________________________
Population
(Multiply by 1,000 to get the rate)
The most recent data available from the city’s health department is for 2009 and shows 59.1 pregnancies per thousand girls in the District of Columbia 15 to 19 years old.
DC State Center for Health Statistics
Located within the District of Columbia Department of Health, the State Center for Health Statistics collects, preserves, and analyzes information on births, deaths, and other vital events in the District of Columbia. The State Center for Health Statistics also produces the Statistical Note: Reported Pregnancies and Pregnancy Rates in the District of Columbia and provides official health data to other local, state, and federal agencies.
Find Statistical Notes going back to 1998 here .
Youth Risk Behavior Survey
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) measures six factors that put high school students at risk for disease, injury and death.
• Tobacco use
• Unhealthy dietary behaviors
• Inadequate physical activity
• Alcohol and other drug use
• Sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and
sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection
• Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence
The survey is conducted in selected communities every two years and was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with federal, state and private sector partners including state and local departments of education.
The District of Columbia Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for High School Students can be viewed here and for trends over time, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here.
Maps
N eighborhood instability, high unemployment and high poverty rates, truancy and teen pregnancy tend to cluster in the same areas. DC Campaign uses maps to visually demonstrate the overlap between teen pregnancy and other social problems.
To see where high numbers of teen births and high number of juvenile arrests appear in DC neighborhoods, Click Here.
Minor's Health Consent
600.1 Any person who is eighteen (18) years of age or older may consent to the provision of health services for himself or herself, or for his or her child or spouse.
600.2 Any minor who is seventeen (17) years of age or more may consent to voluntarily donate blood to a nonprofit organization, being regarded as having achieved his or her majority for the purposes of this section.
600.3 A minor parent may consent to the provisions of health services to his or her child.
600.4 Health services may be provided to a minor of any age without parental consent when, in the judgment of the treating physician, surgeon, or dentist, the delay that would result from attempting to obtain parental consent would substantially increase the risk to the minor's life, health, mental health, or welfare, or would unduly prolong suffering.
600.5 A health professional may render or attempt to render emergency service of first aid, medical, surgical, dental, or psychiatric treatment without compensation to any injured person or any person regardless of age who is in need of immediate health care when, in good faith, the professional believes that the giving of aid is the only alternative to probable death or serious physical or mental damage.
600.6 In an emergency where major surgery or any dangerous procedures will be performed, concurrence of another physician shall, if practical, be obtained.
600.7 A minor of any age may consent to health services which he or she requests for the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of the following medical situations:
(a) Pregnancy or its lawful termination;
(b) Substance abuse, including drug and alcohol abuse; and
(c) A mental or emotional condition and sexually transmitted disease.
600.8 Self-consent of minors shall not apply to sterilization, such as tubal ligation or vasectomy.
AUTHORITY: Unless otherwise noted, the authority for this chapter is Commissioners’ Orders dated January 7, 1924, April 2, 1943, May 21, 1947, October 11, 1951, and April 18, 1963; the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act ' 412, D.C. Code, 2001 Ed. § 1 204.04.
SOURCE: Regulation No. 74-22 (August 30, 1974), 21 DCR 477 (September 16, 1974), 6H DCRR § 2 (1982); as amended by the Minors Health Consent Regulation, District of Columbia Sexual Reform Act of 1981, District of Columbia Uniform Controlled Substances Act of 1981, Traffic Act Amendments Act of 1981, District of Columbia Traffic Adjudication Act, District of Columbia Law Enforcement Act, and Statehood Constitutional Convention Initiative of 1979 Amendment of 1981 § 2, D.C. Law 4-52, 28 DCR 4348 (October 9, 1981); and by the Preventive Health Services Amendments Act of 1985 § 5, D.C. Law 6-83, 32 DCR 7276, 7282 (December 13, 1985).
http://www.dcregs.org/Gateway/RuleHome.aspx?RuleNumber=22-B600
.
Comprehensive School Health Education
2304.1 D.C. Public Schools shall provide health instruction within a planned, sequential, pre K-12 comprehensive school health education curriculum that includes the physical, mental, emotional, and social dimensions of health and well-being.
2304.2 Comprehensive school health education shall be defined as age appropriate instruction that improves the knowledge, skills, and behaviors of students so they choose a health enhancing lifestyle and avoid behaviors that may jeopardize their immediate or long term health status.
2304.3 The Superintendent shall ensure that health instruction as defined in this section is taught through the use of appropriate monitoring and establishment of minimum proficiencies or learning outcomes in at least eleven (11) content areas including the following:
(a) HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases;
(b) Human sexuality and family;
(c) Prevention and control of disease;
(d) Nutrition and dietary patterns that contribute to disease;
(e) Tobacco, alcohol, and other drug education;
(f) Physical education;
(g) Parenting;
(h) Coping with life situations;
(i) CPR, first aid, safety; injury and violence prevention;
(j) Consumer health; and
(k) Environmental health.
2304.4 The Superintendent shall establish and maintain a system of teacher training that supports comprehensive school health education through appropriate staff development activities mandated for health and physical education classroom instructors.
SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 41 DCR 8210-11 (December 30, 1994).
http://www.dcregs.org/Gateway/FinalAdoptionHome.aspx?RuleVersionID=305567
Human Sexuality and Reproduction
2305.1 The D.C. Public Schools, while recognizing that primary responsibility for educating children in this area rests with parents, shall offer, as part of the regular curriculum, instruction in human sexuality and reproduction which shall include, but not be limited to the following:
(a) Information on human anatomy, physical changes during adolescence, menstruation, intercourse, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, venereal disease, contraception, abortion, homosexuality, reduction of infant mortality, improvement of pregnancy outcomes, and awareness and prevention of rape and other sex offenses; and
(b) Discussion of the process of making personal decisions in matters involving parenting and sexuality.
2305.2 Human sexuality and reproduction course content shall be taught sequentially in grade levels pre-K through twelve (12). The content of the courses shall be appropriate to the age group of the students receiving instruction.
2305.3 All textbooks used for instruction in the area of human sexuality and reproduction must be included in the list of textbooks submitted annually for approval by the Board of Education.
2305.4 All instructional materials, including textbooks, teachers’ manuals, audio-visual aids, and other supplementary materials that are used for instruction in human sexuality and reproduction shall be available for inspection and review by parents or guardians of students receiving instruction in human sexuality and reproduction.
2305.5 Prior to offering human sexuality and reproduction courses or programs, the principal shall notify in writing the parents or guardians of minor students. A minor student shall be excused from participating in human sexuality and reproduction instruction upon receipt by the principal of written notification from the student’s parent or guardian.
SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 26 DCR 1602 (October 5, 1979).
http://www.dcregs.org/Gateway/FinalAdoptionHome.aspx?RuleVersionID=305664
What’s the Big Deal?
Teen pregnancy is at the root of many problems facing the District of Columbia.
Children born to teen parents generally fare badly and are much more likely than other children to suffer abuse and neglect. Often, they’re not prepared to enter school. Many have learning disabilities and serious attention and vocabulary deficits. The sons of teen parents often wind up in the juvenile justice system.
The majority of teen mothers typically do not graduate from high school and child support is a responsibility most teen fathers cannot meet. Even more troubling is that the children of teen parents very often go on to become teen parents themselves, continuing the cycle of poverty.
Research Says
Research says that teen pregnancy is less likely when boys and girls, regardless of income or race:
• Connect to their families, schools and neighborhoods in positive
and meaningful ways
• Spend time learning interesting things in situations that are safe
and supervised by adults
• Get comprehensive, teen-friendly health care
• Make a clear plan that postpones pregnancy until they are adults
• Experience school success from an early age
• Have a sense of belonging.
When Minors Need Health Care
There are many options to choose from, including family practice doctors, pediatricians, adolescent medicine specialists, nurse practitioners and the clinics and health centers described in this link:
http://www.dcpca.org/health-centers
Adolescent Health Bill of Rights
During an adolescent health care conference sponsored by the DC Primary Care Association, DC Campaign presented an adolescent health bill of rights. It was ratified by all teens present.
Every adolescent has the right
• To take responsibility for his/her health and physical fitness
• To be treated with courtesy and respect by all staff without regard to
his/her gender, culture, language, appearance, sexual orientation,
color, presence of disability, HIV status, transportation ability, or
source of payment.
• To get good care and the right types of health services, which include
health education, regular check ups, dental and vision care, mental
health, STD checks and sexual health, and drug and alcohol treatment
by staff who are comfortable and experienced with young people.
• To be presented with honest and thorough health education, guidance,
and care to improve health and well being especially in regards to
nutrition, exercise, safety, sex and sexual identity, drugs, alcohol,
tobacco use and preventing violence.
• To include family, friends, and partners in his/her care at his/her
request.
• To get a full explanation of what’s confidential and what’s not. If the
doctor or other staff has a duty to talk with his/her parents or caretaker
about certain issues, the information will also be discussed fully with
the teen patient.
• To be introduced to his/her doctor, nurse, or other health care provider
by name at the beginning of each visit or encounter.
• To be given a clear explanation of health care benefits and health plan
procedures.
• To be informed about where to find services and how to get them.
Counseling_Teens_after_a_Negative_Pregnancy_Test_Factsheet.pdf
Teen_Pregnancy_and_RunawayHomeless_Youth_Factsheet.pdf
Teen_Pregnancy_and_Foster_Care.pdf
2005_2006_and_2007_Births_by_Wards.pdf
Roundtable Media
With a keynote address by then-U.S. Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. and co-sponsored by seven other organizations including The Center for Youth Development and Policy Research/Academy for Educational Development; the National Office of Concerned Black Men, the Hospital for Sick Children, National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, Opening Doors/ Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington and the Mayor’s Committee to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Out-of-Wedlock Births, the roundtable featured a panel of teen boys as well as adult experts.
Standing-room-only sessions are conducted several times each year on topics as diverse as
· Healing the Hurt: Grief, Loss and Teen Pregnancy
· Helping Teen Fathers Succeed
· Strength Based Approaches to Parenting
· EC/DC: Emergency Contraception for Adolescents in the
District of Columbia
· Helping Pregnant and Parenting Teens Graduate from High
School
· Teen Pregnancy Prevention Federal Funding, Priorities and
Initiatives
· The More You Know, The More You Can Help: A Roundtable
for Frontline School Staff
· Influences on Teen Sexual Behavior: What Works?
To get info about upcoming roundtables, sign up for Spreading the Word here
Teen Pregnancy is in No One’'s Best Interest
Do you wish there was something you could do about child abuse, infant mortality, school failure, neighborhood instability and juvenile crime in the District of Columbia?
Well, there is. You can help put a stop to teen pregnancy.
Teen pregnancy is at the root of nearly every social problem facing the District today. And, it costs local government close to a billion dollars a year to support families started by teens.
•The children of teen parents are much more likely to be neglected and abused. In fact, 76% of all children in DC’s child welfare system were born to teens.
•Poor nutrition and lack of prenatal care make children born to teens especially vulnerable to die in their first year.
•Children need a lot of things to succeed in school and a good vocabulary is one of them. But children born to teens start out with a vocabulary deficit….they actually know far fewer words than other children. They also have trouble sitting still and paying attention.
•The simple truth is that families started by teenagers are extremely fragile. Despite the best of intentions, most teens are just not up to the challenge of being good parents. They don’t have the resources or maturity.
•And to make matters worse, the sons of teen mothers are three times more likely to wind up in jail.
A pretty bleak picture by any standard. But it isn’t altogether hopeless.
DC Campaign is the only group in town devoted entirely to preventing teen pregnancy in the nation’s capital and we need your help. You can volunteer, give money, help recruit teens or work on special projects with us.
DC Campaign teaches parents on how to talk to their own children about love, sex and relationships. DC Campaign trains police officers and other adults who work with teens at high risk. We build leadership skills in high school boys and help teen girls and boys become their own best advocates.
DC Campaign connects local programs with national experts, convenes Roundtables and Coalitions to strengthen the entire youth serving community and enlists the media to help make teen pregnancy a thing of the past.
Everyone in the city can help prevent teen pregnancy.Check out our last round table.
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