Involving the Faith Community in Teen Pregnancy Prevention

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APPENDIXINVOLVING THE KEY PLAYERS506. Organize supervised group activities for teenagers inyour faith community.Teenagers need things to say “yes” to, especially when we are askingthem to say “no” to too-early sexual activity and pregnancy.Encourage the parents and other adults in your faith community toorganize and lead group activities with teens. All the activities thatyou sponsor for young people—from prayer circles to field trips—are excellent opportunities for fostering fellowship and supportivefriendships. By creating a positive and spiritually-oriented peerculture, you can help teens make the right decisions about sex.7. Reach out to teenagers who are not involved in anyfaith community.Though young people seek answers to spiritual questions, some arereluctant to find them in institutions of organized religion. And it isoften the teens who are outside of faith communities and unattachedto any positive group who are particularly likely to get in trouble.One dynamic youth minister in California reached out to neighborhoodteens by encouraging them to structure their own youth program. Healso moved his youth activities into a storefront center just a halfblockfrom the church. A youth group of thirty teens that once metin the church basement now numbers in the hundreds.8. Celebrate achievement and excellence.By specifically supporting excellence and achievement of youngpeople, faith communities can help to create an environment foryoung people that reduces the risk of early sexual activity and teenpregnancy. For example, research has shown that early school failureand dropping out of school are closely associated with becominga teen parent. By encouraging educational achievement, faith communitiesmay be able to help persuade teenagers to stay in school.Organize tutoring, homework assistance, and opportunities forcommunity service. Encourage or offer scholarships for collegeand vocational training.Celebrate spiritual and non-academic achievement as well, likevolunteer work or excellence in the arts. Consider recognition ceremoniesduring regular worship services or designate specific dayseach year to honor teenagers for their accomplishments in a widerange of areas. Give the teenagers in your faith community a placeto shine no matter what their abilities or interests.
APPENDIX9. Reach out to other faith communities, neighborhoodorganizations, and institutions that work with youngpeople.You don’t have to go it alone. Working together, faith leaders canmake a real difference in preventing teen pregnancy. Consider coordinatingwith fellow leaders to preach on the topic of teen pregnancythe same week. Or develop a particular prayer for all young peoplefacing choices about sex and relationships. Look to clergy associations,ecumenical councils, and other local faith networks for supportand collegiality in addressing this and other issues important toyoung people. And remember that other public and private institutionscan be valuable partners in helping young people in your faithcommunity—including schools, public health departments, YMCAsand YWCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, libraries, and recreation centers.Resources for Faith Communities On Talking withKids About Love, Sex, and RelationshipsTo help faith communities talk more effectively about importantissues like sex and pregnancy, the National Campaign has assembledthis short list of faith-based resources. Although most of thesematerials are designed to be used within the setting of a faith community,they can also be helpful to others who want to teach andinstruct young people about issues like sex, love, and marriagewithin a religiously-based context.(NOTE: Inclusion in this list does not imply endorsement by theNational Campaign. Look to local seminaries, religious schools, andecumenical councils, as well as churches, synagogues, mosques,and temples, for materials that may be of use. In addition, manymajor denominations provide materials that can help explain sexualitywithin the context of their specific faith traditions.)51THE FAITH COMMUNITYHands-On Help for Youth Leaders: Addressing Sexuality—and SexualAbstinence. The American Baptist Youth Ministry’s four-page resourcelist provides an overview of a variety of print and audiovisual materialsfor educating youth and their parents about sexuality and the virtuesof sexual abstinence before marriage. Contact: EducationalMinistries, American Baptist Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, ValleyForge, PA 19482-0851. (800) ABC-3USA. Web: www.abc-usa.org.
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Involving the Faith Community in Teen Pregnancy Prevention

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