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Upcoming Workshops
ANNUAL DIRECTOR'S MEETING
Date: September 23
Trainers: SC Campaign Staff
Location: SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Office
Intended Audience: MAPPS, CAPP, New Morning Foundation Directors
Fee: None
Overview: This meeting is designed to give each of you the maximum opportunity to interact with your colleagues throughout the state. The SC Campaign acknowledges the need to expand learning and to think through how to be creative and innovative about incorporating science based approaches into your programs.
Registration available online at www.teenpregnancysc.org.
LINKING DETERMINANTS AND INTERVENTIONS III
Date: September 30
Trainers: Dr. Douglas Kirby
Location: SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Office
Intended Audience: Adolescent Reproductive Health Professionals
Fee: $75
Overview: This workshop, the last of a 3-part series, was developed by Dr. Douglas Kirby to discuss three key determinants: values, attitudes, and parent-child communication. These three determinants have been proven to be highly related to youth sexual behavior and therefore programs must have strategies in place to address them. This workshop is designed to highlight research in the field around the three determinants and will model interventions and activities that have been successful in having an impact on them.
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10,604 Reasons to Be Concerned
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Even in a "calm" year I spend a great deal of time making media appearances talking about the issue of teen pregnancy prevention. Leave it to suffice that this year - the perfect storm of teachable moments and front page stories - has left me quite busy!! From Gloucester, MA to the Governor's office in Alaska; from Hollywood to the MTV Video Music Awards, the issue of teens and their sexuality has been at the forefront all year long. Make no mistake that Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin can literally and singlehandedly "stop the press."
What about all of the teens in South Carolina who get pregnant in a given year, you ask? DO they stop the press too? Who is writing and talking about them? Sadly, too few people are talking about them far too oten. Fortunately the past 12 months have given us an opportunity to raise awareness of the issue of teen pregnancy - hey, take the attention however you can get it! I remember vividly one interview I did after news of Jamie Lynn's pregnancy broke. The media personality asked me point blank "should we be concerned?"
"Should we be concerned?!" I replied. "Absolutely we should be concerned! And, here's why.
Click here for Forrest's complete blog.
Click here for 2006 teen pregnancy data. |
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The BUZZ- Lynne Spears Speaks Out
Mother of teen parent Jamie Lynn and pop super-star Britney Spears is finally having her say. Spears appeared on NBC's Today Show to promote her new book 'Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World.'
Click here for full article and to watch clips of the interview. |
APP Certificate Applications Now Being Accepted 
The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Certificate Program is accepting applications from now until October 1 for January 2009 enrollment. This 120-hour non-credit professional certificate, co-sponsored by the SC Campaign, USC-Arnold School of Public Health and USC Academic Enrichment and Conferences, is one of the first of it's kind in the US. It will inevitably provide numerous benefits for professionals, employers, and the field of adolescent reproductive health.
Seventeen exceptional professionals are already enrolled in the program and you could be next! Please visit our website for additional information. Less than one month left to apply for January 2009 enrollment in the APP Certificate Program! |
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2009 Summer Institute Planning Committee Seeks New Members
Planning for the 2009 Annual Summer Institute is underway and we are recruiting new members for the planning committee. Meetings are held once a month at the SC Campaign office and promise to be productive, stimulating and fun!
If you are interested in being involved in planning this great event, please contact Jeannette Barton at 803-771-7700 or jbarton@teenpregnancysc.org. |
National HIV Testing Mobilization Campaign
With the recent release of CDC data indicating both a higher incidence of new HIV infections than previously thought (56,000 new infections every year) and flat rates of HIV testing for many years, getting the word out about the importance of HIV testing is more important than ever. Studies show that as many as one-fourth of those who are HIV-positive do not know that they are infected because they have never been tested. People who are HIV-positive but do not know it are not getting the care and treatment they need and might be passing the infection to others. In fact, it is estimated that they are responsible for more than 50 percent of new infections. HIV testing can make a real difference in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.
To help spread the word about the importance of HIV testing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has created a "Take Control" Campaign to mobilize communities to encourage its members to get tested for HIV.
The goals of the Campaign are to do the following:
1.) Increase the number of people who get tested for HIV;
2.) Promote local, community-level discussions about HIV-related stigma and risk behaviors and increase the number of people engaged in these discussions;
3.) Increase the number of new partnerships and collaborations addressing HIV/AIDS while maintaining existing relationships.
This campaign is sponsored by HHS Office of HIV/AIDS Policy.
Click here to learn more about the campaign. |
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Family Economic Security Profile: South Carolina
State policies that promote the economic security of our nation's families can help offset larger economic and social conditions that make it difficult for families to get by and get ahead. This four-part profile, developed by the National Center for Children in Poverty, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, provides data on South Carolina's low-income children and families and highlights state policy choices regarding families' work attachment and advancement, income adequacy, and asset development.
Click here to view full profile. |
Women at Heart
A heart health forum and exhibition for women will be held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on Saturday, September 20 from 8:30AM-12:30PM. Join other women for this free event featuring free heart health screenings, cooking demonstrations, dancing, food, prizes, and a keynote speech from Yvette Freeman of NBC's ER. Registration is required for screenings that require a 12-hour fast.
For more information or to register, call 803-296-CARE or click here. |
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Your Outdated Infant Simulators are Worth Money!  Realityworks has doubled the trade-in discount for outdated infant simulators. Like cell phones, computers and other 21st century tools, new products are less clunky, more effective, and easier to use, but unlike other advancements, your original investment still has value!
Click here to find out how you can save. |
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Do Pregnant Women Have Rights?
Columbia College is hosting a free forum entitled, Do Pregnant Women Have Rights on September 30 at 3:00pm. Immediately following the forum is the stage production, Birth. Both events are part of Birth on Labor Day (BOLD), a global movement to make maternity care mother-friendly.
Special guest will be Shafia Monroe, Founder and President of the International Center for Traditional Childbearing, and community activist devoted to infant mortality prevention, breast feeding promotion, and increasing the number of midwives of color.
Click here for more information about this event. |
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Workshop Opportunities
Six Risks Behaviors of Adolescents Workshop
Topics for this workshop include, nutrition, smoking, injuries, alcohol and other drugs, and HIV/STI/teen pregnancy. This workshop is intended for health education teachers, community based health educators, school nurses, school social workers, and other youth service providers. There is no cost for this workshop. Registration deadline is September 19.
For additional information about this workshop contact Aaron Bryan at 803-734-4702 or akbryan@ed.sc.gov.
South Carolina HIV/STD Conference
The South Carolina HIV/STD Conference (October 15-17) is designed for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, other clinicians, HIV/STD educators, social workers, other health professionals, service providers, teachers, students, people living with HIV and all interested community members. Our mission for this interdisciplinary conference is to provide opportunities for professionals and community members to engage in dialogue and share past successes, common concerns, and hopes for the future. In response to the overlapping epidemics of HIV and STDs, it is essential to build on successful prevention, treatment, and care strategies.
For more information, click here.
North Carolina School Community Health Alliance
Save the Date for North Carolina School Community Health Alliance's Annual Conference - October 16 & 17, 2008 at the Clarion Hotel in Greensboro, NC. This conference is for individuals, organizations, staff and those who want to learn more about School Based/School Linked Health Centers.
For more information, click here.
TECHNO HEALTH: Health Education Conference
Save the Date for SC DHEC's Techno Health Conference to be held on October 23, 2008. Communication is at the core of effective public health. DHEC's mission to promote the public's health depends more and more on the ability to use new technology and to connect with all users. Join them at Brookland Baptist Church Conference Center in West Columbia to learn more.
For additional information, contact Molly Hayes at 803-898-3304.
Girls Circle: How Girls Grow
The Girls Circle is a model of structured support groups for girls from 9-18 years. It is designed to foster self-esteem, help girls maintain authentic connection with peers and adult women in their community, counter trends toward self-doubt, and allow for genuine self-expression through verbal sharing and creative activity. Two-day staff trainings are provided by Girls Center at the Youth Learning Institute in Pickens, SC. Training dates for 2008 include: October 23-24.
For more information or to register, click here.
Healthy Teen Network 2008 National Conference and Scholarship Opportunity
This year's conference will address the increasing diversity of today's youth and ways that professionals can effectively address the challenges this poses. This year's theme is Speaking Many Languages: Respecting Diversity, Believing in Equity. The dates are October 29 - November 1 and the location is Albuquerque, New Mexico.
For more information or to register, click here. SISTA Training
SC DHEC will be offering a training of facilitators for SISTA (Sisters Informing Sisters on Topics about AIDS) November 12-14, 2008. This group-level, gender-and-culturally-relevant intervention, is designed to increase condom use among African American women. Five peer-led group sessions are conducted that focus on ethnic and gender pride, HIV knowledge, and skills training around sexual risk reduction behaviors and decision making. The intervention is based on Social Learning theory as well as the theory of Gender and Power. Those trained in SISTA will also be able to facilitate the science-based program SiHLE, the teen version of SISTA. Early registration is recommended.
For more information contact James Harris, Jr. STD/HIV Division Training Coordinator at 803-898-0480 or harrisj@dhec.sc.gov
The Center for Family Life Education
Save the date now - November 13, 2008 in Somerset, NJ - and plan to join Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern NJ for their annual Sex Ed conference. Just as in past year's, this year's conference promises to be an exciting and useful learning forum!
For more information, click here. |
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In the News
Teen Pregnancy Rates Up for the First Time in 14 Years
Anderson Independent - Teen pregnancy rates in South Carolina recorded an increase for the first time in 14 years for teens of all races. The latest statistics are from 2006 and they indicate that 10,604 girls in South Carolina ages 10-19 became pregnant that year, according to the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. There were 9,543 teen pregnancies in 2004.
Click here for full article.
Teen Pregnancy Rates Up in SC After a Decade
Myrtle Beach Sun News - Teen pregnancy rates are on the rise in South Carolina after a decade of decline, and groups that work with adolescents say they need to re-energize efforts to teach contraception and abstinence.
Click here for full article.
Teen Pregnancy Rates on the Rise WLTX - More than 10,000 South Carolina teens became pregnant in 2006, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The numbers represent an increase for the third straight year. According to the report, the statewide pregnancy rates among girls aged 10 to 19 was 35.9 per 1,000.
Click here for full article and video.
Positive Trends in Preventing Teen Pregnancy Stalled: Officials Say Cause for Concern
Times and Democrat - Following 14 years of declines in teen pregnancy rates, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has reported an increase in the number of pregnancies to teens of all races in South Carolina.
Click here for full article.
Palmetto Health Helps Students be the Best They Can Be
WACH - While students are getting ready for a new school year, community advocates at Palmetto Health are gearing up to help local middle and high school students.
Click here to watch video.
Palin Plays Well in S.C., Political Pundants SayThe State - Buried within the questions surrounding Palin and her family is the national problem of teenage pregnancy. Nationally, teen pregnancy rates have dropped during the past 15 years, according to federal data. But South Carolina's teen birth rate remains among the highest in the nation. The state ranked 10th highest for birth rates for 15-to 19-year-olds in 2005, the latest year that records are available, with 51 births per 1,000 teens. Local communities are working to aid expectant teens.Click here for full article. |
Grants Available
State and Regional Programs Supported
The Wal-Mart Foundation's State Giving Program awards grants at the state and regional level to programs that have a strong impact within the communities the company serves. Advisory Councils in all 50 states and the District of Columbia will determine how best to distribute State Giving Program funds. The program's priority funding categories include: Education, targeting the needs of underserved young people ages 12-30; Job Skills Training, specifically support services to help people improve their work-related skills; Health, with a focus on access to healthcare and the promotion of healthy lifestyles; and Environmental Sustainability, including recycling programs, outdoor classrooms, etc. The minimum grant size for this program is $5,000. Deadline: September 25 & December 19 Click here for more information.
State Farm Companies for Global Youth Service Day
Youth Service America and the State Farm Companies Foundation offer up to $1,000 for youth-led community improvement projects across the United States and Canada and to help teachers and service-learning coordinators engage students (ages 5-25) in projects for Global Youth Service Day, April 24-25, 2009. Deadline: October 15 Click here for more information.
Lowes Toolbox for EducationLowe's
Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) knows how hard you work
for your kids and your community and we're dedicated to helping your
parent-teacher group achieve even more for your school. Apply for our
Toolbox for Education Grant now and build on your already impressive
parent group success with Lowe's. Deadline: October 17 Click here for more information. |
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Website of the Week:
Do Something! Do you have young people who want to get involved in their communities, but may be low on funds? If so, Do Something has a great list of grants for young people who want to take local action and tips on how they can join projects that are already in progress in their area. This organization has an array of grants from animal action to plum grants, which are given on a weekly basis.
Click here to see our website of the week.
Day of Action
Calling All Teen Outreach Programs!
Thousands of communities around the nation will mobilize on September 27, the Day of Action, to demonstrate the impact service has, and could have on our country and the power of citizens to create large scale change. This website has information on ways you can register to attend an event or create your own event.
Click here to see our website of the week. |
September is National Infant Mortality Awareness Month  Friday, September 19 is designated as Infant Mortality Awareness Day. The infant mortality rate in South Carolina is 9.0 per 1,000 live births, significantly higher than the United States rate of 6.9. South Carolina has the 4th highest rates of infant mortality compared to all states in the nation. "The leading cause of infant mortality in the nation and in our state is due to the numerous consequences of prematurity. Fully 65% of infant deaths occur in the immediate neonatal period due to lung disease, infections, delivery complications and congenital abnormalities. Unfortunately, our state has a rate of premature birth which is 50% higher than the national average. So while we need to continue to focus on advancements in neonatal care, we also need to prioritize research on the cause of premature birth and discover how to reduce its incidence," stated Bryan L. Ohning, M.D., Ph.D, Medical Director - NICU, Children's Hospital, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center.
To learn how you can help improve the health of babies in South Carolina visit www.marchofdimes.com/SouthCarolina. | |
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