WASHINGTON, July 9 Teen-pregnancy-youth
WASHINGTON, July 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Thursday, July 10th, The National Campaign will host a Congressional briefing on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Teen Pregnancy. The briefing will focus on recent data that suggest the significant progress the nation has made in reducing teen sexual activity, improving contraceptive use among sexually active teens, and reducing the teen birth rate has stagnated and/or reversed -- for minorities in particular. The panel discussion will highlight these new data trends that underscore a need to concentrate additional efforts to support various racial and ethnic communities that are disproportionately affected by early pregnancy and parenthood.
Among those who will participate in the panel discussion are three members of The National Campaign's Youth Leadership Team who will share their unique perspectives on why they became involved in teen pregnancy prevention in their respective communities and possible solutions to the problem:
-- Taylor McCleod, 16
Cincinnati, OH
Sponsor: Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Postponing Sexual Involvement Program (PSI)
-- Bridget Rekow, 17
Ellendale, ND
Sponsor: Northern Light Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)
-- Staphany Suarez, 16
Santa Ana, CA
Sponsor: Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE)
The National Campaign Youth Leadership Team seeks to faithfully reflect the views of teens in The National Campaign's work and give voice to their unique perspectives by getting them actively involved -- both nationally and locally -- in teen pregnancy prevention efforts. To date, 132 teens from 37 states and the District of Columbia have participated in five YLT classes. They come from communities large and small, urban and rural, from every geographic region of the nation, and from highly diverse backgrounds.
The briefing will be held in conjunction with the CBC Health Braintrust, the CAPAC Health Task Force, the CHC Task Force on Health and Environment, the Congressional Hispanic Conference, and the Congressional Native American Caucus. The event will be held in 2203 Rayburn House Office Building from 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Jessica Swafford (jswafford@thenc.org) at 202-478-8529. For full event details, please download a copy of the invitation (http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/policymakers/PDF/briefing_7.10.08invitation.pdf).
About the National Campaign: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan initiative supported almost entirely by private donations. Our mission is to promote values, behavior and policies that reduce both teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among young adults. By increasing the proportion of children born into welcoming, intact families who are prepared to take on the demanding task of raising the next generation, our efforts will improve the well-being of children and strengthen the nation. To find out more, visit http://www.TheNationalCampaign.org.
SOURCE National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
