1. New from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unintended Pregnancy

Baby Mama Drama

Teen and unplanned pregnancy has been much in the news over the past 24 hours. The revelation that a group of high school students in Massachusetts - none older than 16 - made a pact to get pregnant surfaced on the very same day that 17-year-old actress Jamie Lynn
Spears gave birth to a baby girl.

Go here to read what The National Campaign has to say about Jamie Lynn Spears, what we have to say about the Gloucester, MA teen pregnancy pact, and to see National Campaign CEO Sarah Brown's appearance on NBC's Today Show.
http://store.thenationalcampaign.org/site/R?i=xAbhMl25AmV0YT8M7KtIxw..
http://store.thenationalcampaign.org/site/R?i=BgCTLrAT1OHRiW6Gzyru6g..
http://store.thenationalcampaign.org/site/R?i=AK1cPvSzE8KKIJkNMChe3Q..

Also, make sure you visit Pregnant Pause, The National Campaign's blog, for up-to-date opinions on these and other breaking stories.
http://store.thenationalcampaign.org/site/R?i=pHuAnVyyF-o_sWS0btQdnA..

Tell us what you think. Why would the Massachusetts teens use getting pregnant as a bonding activity? Has Jamie Lynn's pregnancy glamorized getting pregnant to teens? Email us with your thoughts - we'll post them on our blog or our website in the coming weeks.
%20communications@thenc.org?subject=%20Thoughts%20on%20JLS

CDC Findings on Teen Sex Practices

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released findings from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System which shows that positive changes in high school teens’ sexual behavior and contraceptive use have stalled, and, in fact, might be moving backward.  At present, nearly half of all teens have ever had sex and more than one-third are sexually active (that is, they have had sex in the past three months). Less than two-thirds of sexually active teens report using a condom the last time they had sex.

 Almost half (48%) of high school teens say they have had sex—an increase of 2% between 2005 and 2007.  During the same time period, the proportion of high school teens who say they used a condom the last time they had sex decreased by 2%.  Some other key facts:

• 7% of high school students report that they had sex before age 13
• 15% say they have had four or more sexual partners
• 35% say they have had sex in the past three months.

 These three measures of sexual behavior all increased between 2005 and 2007.  At present, 8% of high school teens say they have been forced to have sex and 10% report having experienced dating violence.  Both measures are essentially unchanged between 2005 and 2007.

 This “more sex, less contraception” news is especially troubling when considering the latest teen birth data available.  In December 2007, the federal government announced that the teen birth rate increased 3% between 2005 and 2006, the first increase in fifteen years.  While the national teen pregnancy rate continued to decline through 2004, there was a slight uptick in the Latina teen pregnancy rate between 2003 and 2004.

 Please visit the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy’s website for a press release and fact sheet on this new data at http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/YRBS_2007.aspx

 Please visit the CDC’s 2007 YRBS webpage at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/yrbs/.   The survey is administered every two years to about 14,000 high school students nationwide and contains information on high school students’ sexual behavior, drug and alcohol use, and other measures.

2. New from Advocates for Youth

News You Can Use

Advocates for Youth at Jamaica's YuteX Conference

In May, James Wagoner (Advocates' president) and Nicole Cheetham (Director of Advocates' International Division) traveled to Jamaica to participate in the YuteX Youth Advocacy conference, an event to empower youth and youth advocates in Jamaica. James gave the keynote speech and then James and Nicole both worked with youth and youth serving professionals to help develop their programs. James had this to say about these exciting days with the youth of Jamaica:

"As I attended one of the largest youth activist conferences in recent Jamaican history in Kingston in early May, I was struck by how young people themselves are the key both to policy change and making prevention services truly "youth friendly". The keys are taking a holistic approach and involving young people as partners rather than stereotyping them as problems. So, in addition to focusing on HIV and teen pregnancy prevention, the youth activists focused on violence, employment, education, and disability access. As adults, one of the biggest mistakes we make is in segmenting and compartmentalizing the needs of youth so that they fit tidily within our funding and service delivery structures. Young people themselves remind us that they are first and foremost human beings--not a mere collection of discreet risk factors! And if our education and services are to be effective, we have to engage youth as partners in the design, implementation, and evaluation of our programs.

Finally, youth are the key to social change on a global scale. Half the world's population--over 3 billion people-- are under the age of 25. The decisions they make regarding their sexual and reproductive lives will control the quality of life on this planet for decades to come. The quicker policy makers and program directors get a handle on this "first fact" of development strategy the quicker we can build a better world!"

New Research

New Findings on Youth and Oral Sex

A popular theory about young people having oral sex to preserve their virginity was debunked last month when the results of a new study found that it is teens who have had vaginal sex who are more likely to have had oral sex. Slated for publication in the July issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, the study examined data from the National Survey of Family Growth and found that teens initiate a range of sexual activities around the same time, rather than substituting one for another.

Slightly over half of teens (54 percent of teen girls and 55 percent of teen boys ages 15-19) reported having had oral sex, and by 6 months after first vaginal intercourse, 82 percent of teens had also had oral sex. White teens were more likely than African American or Hispanic teens, and teens of higher socioeconomic status were more likely than those of lower socioeconomic status, to have had oral or anal sex.

In a Washington Post article on the study, James Wagoner said: "More than half of our teens are having sex -- vaginal and oral. We can't afford the luxury of denial. Abstinence-only programs are the embodiment of denial. They have been proven not to work, and it's time to invest in real sex education, including condoms."

Read the study here: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/JAH_Lindberg.pdf

CDC Healthy Youth - School Health Profiles

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report aggregates data from surveys on prevention efforts in schools, including HIV, STD, and pregnancy prevention. One can select a state and learn about that state's specific results here: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/profiles/topic_facts.htm Or, read the full report here: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/profiles/pdf/Profiles_2006.pdf

Understanding the HPV Vaccine Debate

This useful article is a round-up of the arguments on both sides of the HPV debate, with citations for the claims made by both sides. It greatly assists with understanding and answering opposition to mandatory vaccination for HPV.

The HPV Vaccine: Framing the Arguments FOR and AGAINST Mandatory Vaccination of All Middle School Girls Journal of School Health

Other Recent Research in Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health

Check out much more in the new research section of our website, or go directly to the articles:

• Adolescents' Sexually Transmitted Disease Protective Attitudes Predict Sexually Transmitted Disease Acquisition in Early Adulthood Journal of School Health
• Education on sexually transmitted infections: finding common ground among youth, parents, providers and policy advocates Sex Education
• Partner Age Difference and Prevalence of Chlamydial Infection Among Young Adult Women. Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Chlamydia Prevalence Among College Students: Reproductive and Public Health Implications. Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Patterns of Alcohol Use, Problem Drinking, and HIV Infection Among High-Risk African Women Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Sexual Risk Behavior 6 Months Post-High School: Associations with College Attendance, Living with a Parent, and Prior Risk Behavior Journal of Adolescent Health
• Effects of Unintended Pregnancy on Infant, Child, and Parental Health: A Review of the Literature Studies in Family Planning

Take Action

Join Advocates and Trojan Condoms' new "Evolve" Campaign

Advocates for Youth and Trojan are working together on the exciting Evolve! campaign, a push to change our ideas about healthy sexuality and end funding for failed abstinence-only programs. Check out Trojan's MySpace and Advocates' Evolve! Web page for more information on how you can get involved.

And go to Advocates' Take Action Center to send a message to your senators and representative to end funding for abstinence-only programs.

Sign a Petition In Support of Young Women's Access to Plan B

We are at a pivotal point in the fight to win full access to emergency contraception (EC) for all women, and we need your help!

The Center for Reproductive Rights - a legal advocacy organization that promotes and defends the reproductive rights of women worldwide - recently filed a lawsuit to force the FDA to reverse its decision to restrict young women's access to Plan B without a prescription.

Advocates for Youth and Choice USA have launched a 10,000 signature petition drive to keep pressure on the FDA. It's time to make sure that ALL women have access to emergency contraception - not just women 18 and older! We have already collected over 3,000 signatures. Help us reach our goal! Click here to sign the petition!

Click here to download the Petition Kit! Collect signatures on your campus and in your community and send them in by fax or mail. We will deliver completed petitions to the FDA later this spring.

From the Frontlines

News from the War on Healthy Sexuality

Your Abstinence Pants...

Discount chain store K-Mart is selling pants with, according to their website, a "bold abstinence screen print." With "True Love Waits" written on the front and back, these pants "proclaim just where she stands," says the product description. One has to ask, why has K-Mart chosen this particular message to emblazon on lounge capris? It is not only glib and moralistic, but marginalizes GLBTQ youth (since the message is understood to mean "true love waits to have sex until marriage."). Perhaps most telling is that the pants are only being made for young women. Tell K-Mart how you feel about this offensive product here: help@customerservice.kmart.com

... Are On Fire!

Meanwhile, moving from the merely absurd to the positively Orwellian, the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) has launched an attack on comprehensive sexuality education, making false claims about its messages and employing scare tactics to convince parents to support abstinence-only programs. In a Washington Post article about the campaign, Advocates' president James Wagoner observed: "It's a classic fear and smear campaign. It's absolutely misleading." The NAEA has given its campaign the name "Parents for Truth" - when in fact, abstinence-only programs censor the truth and often contain misleading or biased information. To respond to the Parents for Truth campaign, contact: info@parentsfortruth.org

New at Advocates

New Publications

• The Facts: Young People and HIV - Updated!
• State Facts: Arizona's Youth - Focus on Sexual and Reproductive Health
• State Facts: Georgia's Youth - Focus on Sexual and Reproductive Health

Job Openings at Advocates!

Press Secretary

As part of Advocates for Youth's communications strategy, the Press Secretary provides day-to-day media outreach and response, with an emphasis on print, broadcast, and online media coverage. Working with the Vice President, Policy, Communications, and Marketing, the Press Secretary will implement strategies to enhance the visibility of the organization at the national and state levels on a variety of adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues.

For more details and to apply, please visit:
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/about/employment.htm#press

Director, Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization

The Initiative for Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization is a three-year project designed to mobilize a strong and vocal youth constituency in support of honest sex education and other sexual health services at the national and state levels. The Director of Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization will be responsible for the strategic vision, implementation, and evaluation of the Initiative for Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization. Under the supervision of the Vice President for Policy, Communications, and Marketing, the Director of Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization will build a team of professionals to embolden a new youth movement in support of the sexual health rights of young people.

For more details and to apply, please visit:
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/about/employment.htm#cam

Advocates for Youth's Youth of Color Initiative

Feature: Parent Child Connectedness (PCC)

Advocates for Youth has long stressed the importance of parent-child communication and connectedness to help young people make healthy decisions about sexual behavior. Further emerging research from the fields of public health, psychology, education and others demonstrates that the condition of "parent-child connectedness" (PCC) serves as an important protective factor for a variety of adolescent health outcomes, including the prevention of adolescent pregnancy, STI and HIV.

Program developers at ETR Associates found the prevalence of parent-child connectedness in the research literature to be compelling. Yet after program developers revisited the literature and spoke with several experts in the field, they found little information about the factors that determine PCC, and even less information about how to design interventions to strengthen it.

ETR program development staff saw this gap in the field as an important opportunity to shed light on this protective factor that appears to have such a strong and widespread impact on adolescent health.

In January 2003, ETR Associates was awarded funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to study the construct of "parent-child connectedness." Through this funding, ETR was able to conduct the following activities:

• comprehensive literature review of 600 articles on the impact of PCC
• convene a think tank of researchers and practitioners with expertise in parent-child connectedness
• publish a focus group study on how economically challenged African-American and Latino parents and teens view PCC
• develop a Behavior Determinant Intervention Logic Model of the PCC construct
• A set of six PCC intervention activities for organizations working around issues of youth reproductive and sexual health

For more information on ETR's parent child connectedness work, please visit the following links: http://www.etr.org/recapp/column/column200401.htm

For more information and lesson plans on parent-child communication, visit: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/parentchild.htm

Partner Spotlight

Love Heals, the Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education- New York, NY: The Leadership Empowerment and Awareness Program (LEAP)

The Leadership Empowerment and Awareness Program (LEAP) for Girls was developed in response to the high rates of HIV infection among young women of color in three areas of New York City: Central Brooklyn, the South Bronx, and East Harlem. The program, which is designed for young women between the ages of 12 and 18, consists of twelve two-hour sessions that address the wide range of factors that young women of color identified as limiting their ability to make healthy choices around protecting themselves from HIV infection. Topics include negotiation and communication skills, biases, anatomy, understanding of sexual and reproductive health, and the personal perspective of a woman of color living with HIV. LEAP for Girls culminates in a community service project designed and delivered by these newly trained educators/activists. Past community service projects have included a teach back for a group of young men in the community; a play performed for classmates; and a health fair which included a scavenger hunt to answer questions around sexuality, healthy relationships, contraceptives, and STIs.

Since its inception in 2006, LEAP for Girls has graduated 120 young women of color who have, in turn, reached more than 600 community members through their service projects. Through anecdotal evidence this number is far greater and participants are able to clarify myths so that their friends, family, and teachers alike better know how to protect themselves and know where to get tested for HIV, where to seek mental health services, and how to identify a healthy relationship. One challenge has been finding meaningful ways to remain connected with the young women who have completed LEAP for Girls and are eager for additional opportunities. Love Heals is currently developing and exploring funding for "LEAP Further," through which it hopes to maintain involvement with LEAP graduates over a longer period of time, engaging them in ongoing training and community education projects.

For more information, please visit http://www.loveheals.org/leap.php or contact Sonia K. González at sonia@loveheals.org or 212.529.7935

Capacity Building & Professional Development

The Zuna Institute, the national advocacy organization for black lesbians, is organizing the National Black Lesbian Conference to be held July 10-13 in Las Vegas, NV. The only event of its kind, the conference is the preeminent assembly of black Lesbian activists, educators, community organizers, and professionals and provides attendees with opportunities for leadership development, skills-building, business development, professional networking, and continues to develop and expand the platform for future advocacy. The past three conferences have fostered an environment and provided a space where hundreds of Black Lesbians have convened to enhance their skills through a holistic approach to well being, receive information, commemorate each other, and network with like-minded members of the community. For more information, please visit http://zunainstitute.org

CDC and the Public Health Training Network will offer the six-part web series, A Call to Action for Leaders: The Crisis of HIV/AIDS among African Americans, with parts 1--3 available online beginning July 30, 2008. Please note that this is a change from the original date of June 30. This series is designed to 1) increase awareness of HIV/AIDS in African American communities; 2) highlight innovative, sustainable, and collaborative actions taken by leaders in places where African Americans live, work, play, learn, and worship; and 3) provide links to available resources. David Satcher, former Director of CDC and the 16th Surgeon General of the United States, will serve as senior host of the web series.

Each part of the series is a prerecorded, 30-minute segment, which can be viewed on computers with Internet access and Windows Media Player. The series will be available at http://www2a.cdc.gov/phtn. Parts 1--3 can be viewed beginning July 30, and parts 4--6 can be viewed beginning November 30. A free DVD of this series can be ordered by telephone (800-458-5231) after July 30 (parts 1--3) and after November 30 (parts 4--6).

For more information on the HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB resources and services available through NPIN, please visit us http://www.cdcnpin.org where you can also chat live with one of their Information Specialists. Specialists are also available Mon - Fri 9am - 6pm by calling 1-800-458-5231.

Organizational Development

Organizational development is the process of exploring, identifying, adopting, and fully utilizing the practices, principles, and programs that drive and sustain a purposeful, productive, and powerful organization so it can better adapt to new information, technologies, markets, opportunities, and challenges. In short, organizational development grows the capacity of an organization to fulfill its mission and program objectives.

To learn more about creating and using a Memorandum of Agreement, please visit: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/sos/moa.htm

Announcements

Four HIV/AIDS surveillance slide sets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recently been updated with 2006 data. They are:

• HIV/AIDS Surveillance in Women: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides/women/index.htm
• HIV/AIDS Surveillance in Adolescents and Young Adults:
  http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides/adolescents/index.htm
• AIDS Surveillance - General Epidemiology:
  http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides/epidemiology/index.htm
• AIDS Surveillance - Trends:
  http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides/trends/index.htm

Perception that teens frequently substitute oral sex for intercourse is a myth: Slightly more than half (55%) of 15 to 19-year-olds have engaged in heterosexual oral sex, 50% have engaged in vaginal sex and 11% have had anal sex, according to a new Guttmacher Institute study. However, both oral and anal sex are much more common among teens who have already had vaginal intercourse than among those who have not, suggesting that teens initiate a range of sexual activities around the same time, rather than substitute one for another.

"There is a widespread belief that teens engage in nonvaginal forms of sex, especially oral sex, as a way to be sexually active while still claiming that technically, they are virgins," says study author Laura Lindberg. "However, our research shows that this supposed substitution of oral sex for vaginal sex is largely a myth. There is no good evidence that teens who have not had intercourse engage in oral sex with a series of partners."

Some teens may first experience oral sex immediately prior to vaginal intercourse, while others may initiate vaginal intercourse shortly before having oral sex. While only one in four teen virgins (26 percent) has engaged in oral sex, once teens have had vaginal intercourse, the proportion increases incrementally. By six months after first vaginal sex, more than four out of five adolescents (81 percent) have also engaged in oral sex, and by three years after first intercourse, nine in 10 (92 percent) have done so.

"The study has clear policy implications," says Lindberg, a senior research associate at the Guttmacher Institute. "While oral and anal sex carry no risk of pregnancy, engaging in these behaviors can nevertheless put teens at risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Counseling and education should take into account total STI risk by addressing the full range of behaviors that teens engage in, including oral and anal sex. It is crucial that teens receive evidence-based education and counseling about STI risks and protective behaviors for all types of sexual activity. The federal government's exclusive emphasis on abstinence-only-until-marriage programs does not give teens the skills and information they need to be safe.'

"Non-Coital Sexual Activities Among Adolescent" by Laura Lindberg et al., is currently available on the Journal of Adolescent Health's Web site and is scheduled to be published in the July 2008 issue of the journal. The study analyzes data on 15 to 19-year-olds from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. Although this is the first time the federal government has measured the prevalence of both oral and anal sex and so no direct trend data are available, comparisons of these data with those from other nationally representative surveys (such as the National Survey of Men, the National Health and Social Life Survey, and the National Survey of Adolescent Males) find little change in oral sex among opposite-sex partners in the past decade.

Funding Opportunities

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Local Funding Partnerships establishes relationships between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and local grantmakers to fund promising, original projects can that significantly improve the health of vulnerable people in their communities. Through this partnership, a local grantmaker proposes a funding partnership with RWJF to support a community-based project that focuses on the health or health care problems of people who are not reached by traditional health and social services or for whom existing systems are fragmented and insufficient. Local Funding Partnerships provides grants of $200,000 to $500,000 each, which must be matched dollar for dollar by local grantmakers. The deadline for proposals is July 8, 2008. For more information, please visit http://www.rwjf.org/files/applications/cfp/cfp_RWJFLFP2009.pdf

Resources

• Advocates for Youth's Parent Sex Education Center http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/parents/index.htm
• ETR's resources on Parent Child Connectedness http://www.etr.org/recapp/column/column200401.htm

3. New from the Center for Law and Social Policy

Healthy Marriage and the Legacy of Child Maltreatment: A Child Welfare Perspective
by Tiffany Conway and Rutledge Q. Hutson. The twelfth in a series on Couples and Marriage Research Policy, this brief looks at marriage from a notably different perspective than previous briefs in the series. This brief explores how childhood experiences, specifically child maltreatment and involvement with the child welfare system, impact the potential for a healthy, lasting marriage. The brief summarizes the research on the barriers to a healthy marriage and what is known about the long term impacts of child maltreatment and foster care. Finally, the authors offer recommendations for addressing the unique needs of couples in which one or both partners have experienced childhood maltreatment. 12 pages.

Congressional Action Needed to Ensure Low-Income Adults Receive Critical Employment and Training Services Under the Workforce Investment Act
by Allegra Baider. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) authorizes the nation's federally funded workforce development system, which provides critical employment and training services to individuals and employers. However, since the enactment of WIA, the share of low-income adults receiving intensive and training services has steadily declined. This paper provides an analysis of the structural issues within the law that are contributing to these declines and offers recommendations on how Congress can reverse these trends by reinvesting in workforce development and transforming WIA through reauthorization. 16 pages.

Low-Income Workers and Families Hardest Hit by Economic Decline Need Help Now (Updated)
by Neil Ridley, Elizabeth Lower-Basch, and Matt Lewis. American workers and families are being squeezed between a declining labor market and increasing costs for food, fuel, and other basic needs. This paper describes the economy's impact on vulnerable adults and youth, and lays out recommendations for action that can make a real difference in the lives of low-income workers and their families. 12 pages.

4. New from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released a new report on the impact of early childhood experiences and health on the health and behaviors of adolescents and adults.  What their research has identified can be helpful to practitioners working with youth.  To access the report. Click on the following:  

http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/commissionearlychildhood062008.pdf

5. From the Office of Juvenile Justice

Subject: A Dangerous Trend with Teens
An update from an ANA organizational affiliate, the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) 

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy reported this past January that more teens abuse prescription drugs than any illicit drug other than marijuana. According to the report, more than 2.1 million teenagers abused prescription drugs in 2006.  Teens mistakenly believe that this kind of abuse is safer, but research shows that it is not, and can serve as a gateway to other substances.  64% get the drugs directly from their parents and grandparents medicine cabinets! 

The National Association of School Nurses has partnered with PriCara and the McNeil Lehrer Productions to develop a program to combat this trend.  We are encouraging parents, teachers and community groups to use the materials to raise awareness.  The program has three components:

1) A series of four minute videos for use in middle school and high school classrooms.  The videos feature subject matter experts and teens. Topics include myths, the teen brain, the impact of abuse, and media literacy.  Each video has science and language arts curricula that tie back to national standards.    A fifth video is targeted toward parents and would be ideal for PTA or community meetings.  These materials are free, and available at www.nasn.org <http://www.nasn.org/>  or
http://www.macneil-lehrer.com/thenews/themedic/

2) A free online tool kit with materials on prescription drug abuse among teens.  There are downloadable resources for students, teachers, community, parents and nurses. Spanish language materials are coming. These materials are available at www.nasn.org <http://www.nasn.org/>

3) A continuing education program on prescription drug abuse for health care professionals.  This will be published with the Journal of School Nursing and a monograph is available in the tool kit. 

OJJDP Bulletin Examines Violence by Teenage Girls

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has published “Violence by Teenage Girls: Trends and Context.” The first in a series of publications from OJJDP’s Girls Study Group, the bulletin assesses trends of juvenile arrest rates for violent crimes, focusing on
simple and aggravated assault. It also examines the context in which girls and boys offend, including the type of victims targeted and environments where offenses commonly occur.

Resources:

“Violence by Teenage Girls: Trends and Context” is available online only
at http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=240649

For further information about OJJDP’s Girls Study Group, visit
http://girlsstudygroup.rti.org/.

6. New from the Child Trends E-Newsletter

Ten Promising Practices for Fatherhood Programs

An increasing number of programs focus on improving fathers' involvement with children and families. What features of fatherhood programs really matter?  A new National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse brief authored by Child Trends examines experimental evaluations of fatherhood and parenting programs to identify ten promising practices: 

• Teaching methods and materials that are culturally appropriate for fathers being served.
• Staff members who believe in the program and have relevant training and coaching.
• A high staff-participant ratio.
• One-on-one relationships between staff and participants.
• Clear, specific program goals.
• Theory-based approaches that have influenced parenting behaviors in other contexts.
• Varied teaching methods that focus on fathers as individuals.
• Sufficient time to complete important core program activities.
• Incentives to engage fathers and families.
• Curricula replicated with fidelity.

A more detailed report provides additional information about the evaluated fatherhood programs.

Local Events & Notices

From the NM Public Education Dept. – Office of School Health

2008 National HIV Testing Day  -  Tools and Information from the CDC

<http://www.cdcnpin.org/images/Special/banner_nhtd.gif>

June 27th is National HIV Testing Day (NHTD). Across the country, thousands of HIV counseling and testing sites, state and local health departments, and community-based organizations will participate in NHTD events. To assist you in promoting your event, the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) has produced a refreshed suite of five bilingual (English/Spanish) posters. These new executions complement the 2007 series of posters, which we also encourage you to use as they are not dated. All these posters are available to order, and all materials can be downloaded in PDF format at www.hivtest.org <http://www.hivtest.org/> .  NAPWA also offers partners customizable HIV/AIDS fact sheets, which are available at www.napwa.org.

Additional new and refreshed tools for 2008 include the following:

*Personal Public Service Announcements, or PPSAs. These were created by college students and encourage viewers to get tested for HIV. We encourage all our partners to embed these peer-generated clips on Web sites and other online assets such as blogs. To get the embed code, please go to the Campaign Tools page on HIVTEST.org (http://www.hivtest.org/press_files/news.cfm) and launch a PPSA clip. You will locate the code above the screen shot. We also encourage you to forward these clips to friends and family.

*KNOWIT campaign buttons: these can also be posted on your Web site.  By texting their ZIP code to KNOWIT (566948), users can get the nearest HIV testing facility.

We also encourage you to register your NHTD event and have it listed on www.hivtest.org by completing a registration form online (http://www.hivtest.org/National_HIV_Testing_Day_Event_Submission_Form.pdf). This listing will help inform the public, the media, and partners in the field about the events taking place locally and nationally to recognize this important day, and to encourage at-risk individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing.

From the NM Department of Health

The State of New Mexico's, Department of Health has implemented an Indicator Based Information System for Public Health (NM-IBIS). This site provides access to public health datasets and information on New Mexico's priority health issues.

·                                 Home - This section of the site contains general information about the NM-IBIS website, New Mexico's Public Health data, and other general topic pages.

·                                 Indicator Reports - The Indicator Profile Reports section of the NM-IBIS website contains reports on health indicators. These brief reports provide more up-to-date information than is typically found in paper reports and is formatted for quick reference.

·                                 Dataset Queries - This section of the NM-IBIS website provides custom queries of selected publicly available, public health datasets. It allows a user to get numeric data using custom, user-defined selections.

Here is the link to IBIS 

http://ibis.health.state.nm.us/home/Welcome.html 

And the link to the teen birth section 

http://ibis.health.state.nm.us/indicator/view/BirthTeen.15_19.Year.NM_US.html 

You can now navigate to NM-IBIS via the NMDOH Health Data page: http://www.health.state.nm.us/epi/hdata.html

And also the Community Health Assessment Program page: http://www.health.state.nm.us/epi/chap/index.html

Public Health Division - Health Promotion

For those of us interested in root causes of infant-preschooler mental health, the findings from this study are not surprising, but it's useful to have evidence supporting what we already know, including:

• births resulting from unwanted (subset of unplanned) pregnancies are at greater risk of child abuse/neglect, poor mother-child attachment, cognitive defects;

• a parent(s) in a high-conflict relationship is a key contributing factor to (higher) turmoil that creates troubling environment for children

For those of us interested in tailoring teen pregnancy prevention messages to acculturating Latino teens, the findings from this longitudinal study 1997-2003 with 8,984 teens 12-16 years, including the following:

• first generation Latinas are least likely to have had sex before age 16; third generation Latinas are most likely

• first generation Latino teens are least likely to use birth control at first sex; 3rd generation Latinos most likely

From the Commission on the Status of Women

NEWLY REMODELED COMMUNITY WORK ROOM

OFFERED BY COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN 

Women Seeking Employment Have Free Access to Computers, Internet, Fax 

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (June 17, 2008) – The NM Commission on the Status of Women unveils their newly remodeled Women’s Community Work Room.  The room, designed to allow women to use computers, fax and copying services, the Internet and receive one-on-one mentoring, re-opens on Thursday, June 19, 2008.  All services are offered free of charge.  

The Women’s Community Work Room now offers a resource multi-media library, new computers, and state-of-the-art software programs that assist clients in learning resume, interviewing and typing skills.  

“In addition to offering women the tools to look for work, prepare a resume or meet other needs, the Commission also provides a supportive and safe environment,” states Lorraine Bantista, Coordinator of the Commission’s Displaced Homemakers Office.

The Women’s Community Work Room is available on a first-come, first-serve basis or by appointment weekdays from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The room is located at 300 San Mateo Blvd. NE, Suite 101, one block north of the Central and San Mateo intersection and can be contacted by calling 222-6600 or toll-free at 1-800-432-9168.   

From the Center for Non-Profit Excellence

A Collaboration of United Way of Central New Mexico’s Corporate Cornerstone

 companies and Albuquerque Community Foundation

Working to build the capacity of non-profits

July 21 & 22-Two Day Grantwriting Session in Albuquerque!

Grantwriting USA and the Center for Nonprofit Excellence have teamed up to offer a very generous discount-  originally priced at $425.00, Grantwriting USA agreed to offer New Mexico nonprofits a $100 discount and CNPE will match their discount-making the cost to you only $225.00. 
 

Participants will learn how to write and review winning proposals, including:

·       grant proposal components

·        customizing proposals

·        how to initially approach funders

·        how to develop relationships with funders

·        differences between government and foundation proposals

·        reporting progress

·        how to handle denials  

·        how to find and track relevant grant opportunities

When you register, include code "CNPE" to receive your $200.00 discount!

Seating is limited to 40 participants!

Click Here to Register Now

Arts and Cultural Services Grants:

Education Grants:

Health and Human Services Grants:

www.centerfornonprofitexcellence.org

From the New Mexico Community Foundation

New Mexico Health Training Institute in Gadsden for ISS Providers

Trainings for teachers:

a.  How to implement the sexuality component of NM PED Health Education Student Performance Standards and Benchmarks in the classroom;

b. Skills for teaching sexuality education;

c.  Ensuring medically accurate information related to contraception and sexually transmitted infections in the classroom; and

d.   Adolescent development, sexuality, rights and access issues.

 Trainings for district personnel (agency administrators, youth service workers and medical, mental health and legal professionals who address adolescent sexual health issues.  Trainings may include lectures, roundtables and panel discussions covering the following topics:

e.    Health Behavior Theory;

f.     Contraception;

g.    Sexually Transmitted Infections;

h.    Unintended Pregnancy;       

i.     Adolescent development, sexuality, rights and access issues;

j.     Tools to support administrators and school board members in responding to state            requirements for documenting compliance with the new standards and benchmarks; and

k.    Strategies for school and agency staff in engaging parents in teen pregnancy prevention.

 For more information contact: 

Renee Paisano-Trujillo at the NM Community Foundation

Cell:  505-231-1545

Tel: 505-821-6735

email: rpaisano@nmcf.org

www.nmcf.org

Message from the Young Fathers’ Project

FATHERS DAY AT THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

The Young Fathers’ Project in Santa Fe participated in the 2ND ANNUAL FATHERS DAY CAR SHOW which included a free BBQ, a live DJ and a Graffiti Contest.  The event was held to honor all Fathers and help support the NMYFP in Santa Fe.  The event was held at the Santa Fe Children's Museum.
Sponsors included: Youth Works and the Santa Fe Children's Museum

Referral form for the New Mexico Young Fathers Project

If you know a struggling young father under the age of 26 – We can help! Download the form and send your referral to Cathy Ahiyite, Fax (505) 254-8741 or email to nmtpc@nmtpc.org, in the Albuquerque Area.  If you are in the Las Cruces area, send the referral form to Gary Madrid, gm.nmtpc@sbcglobal.net or call (575) 532-1536.   If you are in the Santa Fe area, send to Mr. Barry McIntosh, kbmac@cybermesa.com or call (505) 428-1412.

For information on the Young Fathers’ Project please call:

Albuquerque

(505) 254-8737

(505) 254-8741 Fax   

Barry McIntosh                        Carlos Balladares                               Robert Valencia

Parent Educator                      Santa Fe Site Case Manager             Santa Fe Site Case Manager

(505) 699-7431                       (505) 428-1412                                   (505) 428-1412

Ramon Arroyos                                   Gary Madrid

Dona Ana Adolescent Pregnancy       Las Cruces Site Case Manager

Prevention Coordinator

(575) 532-1536                                   (575) 532-1536

Gilbert Ramirez, MSW

Clinical Oversight

(505) 254-8737