Title: Update on the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative TPPI, Jackson County
1Update on the Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Initiative (TPPI), Jackson County
- Michelle White, Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Initiative Coordinator
2Teen Pregnancy in Jackson County
- Fourth highest teen pregnancy rate in Michigan
- Disparities between African American and
Caucasian birth rates (3 times higher) - 20 of all teen births are to mothers who
already have one or more children - Approximately 13.6 of live births were to teens,
while 32 of all infant deaths were to teens - 35 of women received less than adequate prenatal
care and 11 of babies were preterm - High rates of sexual abuse among juveniles, child
abuse and neglect, school dropout rates, STDs,
child poverty
3Teen Pregnancy is Closely Linked to Other
Critical Social Issues
- Poverty and Income Disparity
- Overall Child Well-Being
- Infant Mortality
- Out-of-Wedlock Births and Marriage
- Responsible Fatherhood
- Workforce Development
- Education Levels/School Failure
- Child Abuse and Neglect
- Child Welfare
- Juvenile Delinquency/Incarceration
4History of Jackson County Health Department
- Received Abstinence Funding since 1990
- Leader in community for teen pregnancy
prevention Jackson County Abstinence
Partnership, Jackson Youth Partnership, etc. - Received 1.35 in funding for Teen Pregnancy
Prevention Project (TP3) from 2000-2003 - Provided education to majority of school
districts in Jackson County (i.e., puberty,
STDs, abstinence, birth control)
5Why the United Way and Teen Pregnancy Prevention?
- The mission of the United Way of Jackson County
is to improve peoples lives by mobilizing the
caring power of Jackson County to create lasting
change in community conditions - Jackson County has a long history of high teen
pregnancy rates - Teen Pregnancy was identified as a priority area
through United Ways community needs assessment
process in 2005
6What is the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative
(TPPI)?
- Advisory Committee made up of local teen
pregnancy prevention experts - Mission is to reduce the teen pregnancy rate in
Jackson County and address contributing factors
for Jackson Countys young people - Recently conducted a strategic planning process
in 2006-2007 to develop a community-wide plan for
reducing Jackson Countys teen pregnancy rate - Receives 75,000 per year for 3 years
- Pursuing Hope for Our Youth
- Copy on www.uwjackson.org
7Who makes up the TPPI?
- Community agencies Health Department, Center
for Family Health, Allegiance Health, Planned
Parenthood, counseling agencies, United Way,
Jackson Public Schools, African American churches - Labor and Delivery nurses
- Concerned Citizens
- Parents
- Teens
8Strategic Planning Process for Teen Pregnancy
Prevention Initiative
- Assessed Teen Pregnancy Prevention programs in
place for Jackson County - Collected information on successful programs on
national, state, and county levels - Conducted 6 focus groups locally with teens, teen
parents, and parents for ideas and feedback
9Strategic Planning Process for Teen Pregnancy
Prevention Initiative
- Analyzed Jackson birth rates by age, race, and
birth certificate data - Collected valuable input from stakeholders group
and target population - Key theme was lack of hope in Jackson Countys
youth - Identified Jackson specific needs and gaps
- Advisory Committee ranked interventions to
determine direction of initiative
10Why the Disparities?
- Generational Cycles/Cultural Patterns
- Poverty
- Lack of hope for a successful future
- Desire for unconditional love
- Lack of parental connection
- Status/positive attention from friends
- Very accepted in certain communities
11Overall Goals of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Initiative
- Implementation of the Carrera Program
- Multi-faceted holistic approach to teen pregnancy
- Education
- Employment
- Family Life and Sex Education
- Lifetime Individual Sports
- Self-Expression
- Mental Health Services
- Comprehensive Medical and Dental
12- Hope is a powerful contraceptive. The way
that you help young people avoid pregnancy is by
providing them with real evidence that good
things can happen in their lives. - Dr. Michael A. Carrera
- Childrens Aid Society - Carrera Program
13Overall Goals of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Initiative
- Parent Community Education in Neighborhoods
with High Teen Pregnancy Rates - House to House program - Prenatal Task Force
- Daughters of Promise - Monument of Faith
- Parent/Teen Connectedness Workshops
14Overall Goals of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Initiative
- Advocacy Plan for Jackson County
- Work with sex education committees within local
school districts - Encourage comprehensive sex education at the high
school level - Educate the public on teen pregnancy
- Increase awareness on programs currently in place
15Community Call to Action Event
- Official release of our strategic plan
- Took place March 13, 2008 with 140 in attendance
- Moderator, United Way Executive Director, TPPI
Coordinator, 6 panelists for a 2 hour event - Invited key leaders, elected officials, schools,
faith-based organizations, young people - Positive media attention
- Promoted on local cable channel after event
- Multiple demands for presentations after this
event
16Media Campaigns
- Targeting Parents and Teens
- Website Development www.tppijackson.org
- Six Billboards
- Radio Advertising
- Television Advertisements
17(No Transcript)
18(No Transcript)
19Citizen Patriot Coverage
Effort to reduce teen birth rate gains momentum
Woman shares experiences of being a teenage
mother
20School Based Sex Education Jackson Public
Schools
- Committed to comprehensive, long-term sex
education programming - Sex Education Advisory Committee meets monthly
- Puberty the Wonder Years curriculum for 4th-6th
grades - Safer Choices curriculum for 7th-8th grades
- Healthy Relationships/Michigan Model for all 9th
graders - Comprehensive Sex Education beginning in 7th grade
21Local Teen Pregnancy Video
- Selected 8 teen parents ( 5 females and 3 males)
to a participate in a video targeting teens that
focuses on prevention - Began the process in April of 2008
- Goal 17 minute video with discussion guide to
show in local tpp programs, distribute to all
school districts and to community agencies - Created both an abstinence-only and a
comprehensive version
22GET REAL Summer Program
- Abstinence Mini-grant for summer of 2008
- 80 inner-city young people (males and females)
- Hired 4 African American staff to lead program
- Program was 3-4 days per week, 1 field trip/week
- Purpose is to expose young people to new
opportunities, empower them, incorporate guest
speakers and personal testimonies, weekly themes,
mentoring, positive role modeling, parent
programming, overnight retreats
23Other Critical Services/Programs
- Teen Parent Program
- Teen Health Center at Parkside
- Center for Family Health
- Planned Parenthood
- Big Brothers Big Sisters
- Crisis Counseling Services
- Faith-Based Programming
- Afterschool programs and recreation centers
24What Success Will Look Like
- Implementation of the Carrera Program in 2009
- Parent/Community Education being offered through
creative strategies in targeted neighborhoods - All Jackson County School Districts implementing
age appropriate, research-based, long term sex
education programming
25What Success Will Look Like
- Jackson County residents being more aware of the
issue of teen pregnancy - More adults mentoring young people
- Looking for all opportunities to instill hope in
Jackson County teens - Businesses, Agencies, Faith Community, Funders
all getting more involved in positive youth
development
26Obstacles and Challenges
- Consistent and Long-term Funding
- Regular attendance in programs outside of school
- Hiring reliable, dedicated staff
- Parental involvement
- Lack of caring adults in teens lives
- Breaking the cycle - Generational Patterns
- Dealing with Poverty
- Teen Pregnancy is NOT always viewed as a negative
thing