Involving the Faith Community in Teen Pregnancy Prevention

FOR MORE ONHANDLING CONFLICTSee Chapter 17 (Volume 3), “MovingForward in the Face of Conflict.”INVOLVING THE KEY PLAYERS34and volunteering, and can helpprograms find mentors, publicspeakers, and other key players.There are few places a programcould go to get better expertiseor more diverse skills and professionalabilities.Skills in reducing conflictOne of the biggest stumblingblocks to reducing teen pregnancyis the amount of conflictand acrimony that this topic cancause among adults. Accordingly,finding ways to “turn down theheat” is often central to makingany progress, and in this connectionfaith communities maybe helpful.Religious leaders are oftenskilled at finding common groundbetween people with diverseviews and developing values oftolerance for differences. Theystrive to bridge differences andmake personal connections evenin difficult circumstances. Theseare all essential skills in decreasingthe conflict that can surroundcommunity-based programs toprevent teen pregnancy.Willingness to make inkindcontributionsFinally, faith communities canoffer significant in-kind contributions,such as mailing lists, spacein newsletters and newspapers,meeting facilities, child care,office support, help with transportation,and related services.Getting started on a partnershipLocal faith communities generallyare structured around congregations,religious organizations, orTHINKING ABOUTTHE MEANING OFCONGREGATION...A congregation is a place whereparents and their children canbe found at regular weeklyactivities, such as worshiptimes, religious education, familyfellowship, and committeemeetings, as well as at specialfaith-based family events.individuals. In addition, manycommunities have a variety of“interfaith” or ecumenical councilswhere leaders of various faithgroups come together for commonpurposes. Statewide, they may berepresented by denominationaloffices, affiliates of nationalreligious organizations, or publicissue groups with religious affiliations.Some major faiths alsohave national and even internationalorganizations. Programsmay choose to focus on individual