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Upcoming Workshops
Understanding the Federal Budget: Conference Call
(Part 1 of 3)
This conference call will overview what monies are included in the federal budget for teen pregnancy prevention as well as what you need to know about the distribution process so your organization can be prepared.
Date: January 20, 2010
Time: 10:00am - 11:00am
Presenter: Forrest L. Alton, MSPH, CHES
Stay tuned for more information on how to register for this and other upcoming trainings. | |
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Save the Date for 2010 Training and Networking Opportunites
Want to give yourself and your organization the gift that just keeps giving? Then get out your 2010 Calendar and be sure to Save the Date for the SC Campaign's first professional and organizational development opportunities of the New Year!
January, 20th (10-11am)
Understanding the Federal Budget: Conference Call (Part I)
February 3rd (9am - Noon)
Grant Writing Secrets (Part II), Columbia, SC
Februrary 17th (9am - 1pm)
The Media: A Hidden Partner in Achieving Sustainability, Columbia, SC
For the first time ever, the Federal budget in 2010 will include a dedicated funding stream for research proven, comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention programs. While this provides reason to be optimistic, it also serves as a reminder that proactive preparation will be crucial for all who hope to leverage these federal funds to improve, expand, and sustain our programs. Therefore, the first three trainings of the year focus on pursuing this fiscal opportunity and harnessing the power of the media to build sustainability.
Beyond February, we will continue to focus on building organizational health; we will also offer some of your favorite traditional trainings with some new flavor. Look for opportunities to network with other professionals, build your classroom facilitation skills, and enhance your knowledge around human sexuality. Of course, we will also be hosting our 11th Annual Summer Institute!
The SC Campaign also recognizes that attending traditional trainings can be challenging for a variety of reasons, so we will once again be providing you with professional development opportunities via non-traditional mediums like conference calls and webinars. Look for all of these events and more in your official January - July 2010 Training Calendar arriving in your mailboxes at the first of the year. Looking forward to working with you in 2010! |
REACH Upstate Celebrates 25 Years
On December 3, a group of founders, Board leaders, staff members, and friends of REACH Upstate in Spartanburg, SC gathered to celebrate the organization's 25th Anniversary. What began as the brainstorm of the Junior League of Spartanburg in 1979 in an effort to prevent child abuse and neglect has expanded and grown over the years. REACH Upstate, formerly Family Care Council, Inc., now serves residents of Spartanburg County and the Upstate through classes in parenting, teen pregnancy prevention and substance abuse prevention.
The SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Executive Director Forrest Alton spoke at the event, offering words of both praise and challenge. He celebrated the fact that teen pregnancy rates among 15-17 year olds in Spartanburg County for 2007 were the lowest they have been in at least 25 years but challenged attendees to recommit and reinvest in REACH Upstate which is currently the only organization in the county with such a focus on teen pregnancy prevention. Founder Jennifer Biber, Interim Executive Director Heather Patchett, and Mayor Bill Barnett also shared and acknowledged that the success of the organization lies in the community members' great dedication to the young people of Spartanburg County. |
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SC Campaign Holiday Hours 
Our offices will close at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 and will reopen on Monday, January 4,2010. Best wishes for a joyous holiday season and a happy new year! |
The Buzz: Poll finds sexting common among young people  Sexting - sharing sexually explicit photos, videos and chat by cell
phone or online - is fairly commonplace among young people, despite
sometimes grim consequences for those who do it. More than a quarter of
young people have been involved in sexting in some form, an Associated
Press-MTV poll found.
Click here to read more
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Check Out Our Latest Blog:
What would you do with fame?
Fifteen minutes! That is the amount of fame that we are told to expect in life. Not that much when you stretch it out over the course of many years. But what are you going to do with those precious minutes?
Over the past few weeks we have seen the results of so many who have chosen to use their fame for, shall we say, less than sterling exploits. The sexual escapades of athletes, movie stars, "people who to be honest I really don't know what they do except show up on magazine racks" have become the fodder of news articles.
Click here to read more |
Research Corner
New Report from National Fatherhood Initiative Surveys Mothers' Feelings About Fathers
The National Fatherhood Initiative recently released the first-ever comprehensive, national survey of mothers' views about fathers and fatherhood. Mama Says: An National Survey of Mothers' Attitudes about Dads was conducted by University of Texas Office of Survey Research and included a sample of 1533 mothers. Findings show that:
- 91% of fathers and 93% of mothers agree that there is a father absence crisis in America,
- Moms said that "work responsibilities" were the biggest obstacle to dad's success in fathering, and
- Most moms think dad is replaceable.
Click here to read the full report
Teens and Sexting
As texting has become a centerpiece in teen social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly concerned about the role of cell phones in the sexual lives of teens and young adults. A new survey from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project found that 4% of cell-owning teens ages 12-17 say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via text messaging, a practice also known as "sexting"; 15% say they have received such images of someone they know via text message.
Focus group findings show that sexting occurs most often in one of three scenarios:
1. Exchanges of images solely between two romantic partners
2. Exchanges between partners that are then shared outside the relationship
3. Exchanges between people who are not yet in a relationship, but where often one person hopes to be. Click here to read the full report
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In the News
President to sign new teen pregnancy prevention initiative into law
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy - On Sunday, December 13, the United States Senate passed its package of FY 2010 Appropriations bills, including the Labor HHS appropriations bill, which contains funding for a new teen pregnancy prevention initiative. President Obama is expected to sign these bills into law by December 18th, at which point $100 million will be available for competitive grants to organizations in states and communities for evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs!
Click here to read more
State's teen pregnancy rate rises
The Gaffney Ledger - There was no reason for celebration among those with the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in Columbia after a report from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) revealed the state's teen pregnancy rate had again increased.
According to the state health agency, the overall rate of teen pregnancies in the Palmetto State increased 2 percent between 2006 and 2007. Following 14 years of declining rates, the number of pregnancies in the age group of 10-19 has increased 10 percent since 2004, the year the current streak began. Click here to read more
Teen pregnancy rates on the rise locally
Upstate Today - The State Department of Health and Environmental Control has reported that teen pregnancies among all races have increased in South Carolina in recent years, and statistics show Oconee and Pickens Counties aren't immune.
Following 14 years of declining rates, including a 10-year period from 1994 through 2004 when South Carolina teen pregnancy rates decreased by 19 percent, the trend has since been reversed. Between 2004 and 2006, the rate of teen pregnancy in South Carolina increased from 33.1 per 1,000 to 35.9 per 1,000, or 8 percent.
Click here to read more
Gaps found in young people's sex knowledge
CNN -Most sexually active unmarried young adults believe pregnancy should be planned, but about half do not use contraception regularly, according to a study published Tuesday.
The survey of 1,800 people age 18 to 29 was conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
"What is surprising is just how wide the gap is between single young adults' intentions and behavior on this very important issue," said Bill Albert, chief program officer at the organization.
Click here to read more |
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Grants Available
Youth Service Projects Supported in the U.S. and Canada
Pay It Forward Foundation Mini-Grant Program
The Pay It Forward Foundation was established to inspire students to realize that they can change the world, and to provide them with opportunities to do so. Pay It Forward Mini-Grants are designed to fund one-time service-oriented projects that are identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community, and that include learning goals for the youth participants. Projects must contain a "pay it forward" focus - that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially. Schools, churches, and community youth groups (with an adult sponsor) in the U.S. and Canada may apply for funding. The application deadlines are September 15 and February 15 of each year; however, requests may be submitted at any time. Visit the Foundation's website to download the Mini-Grant guidelines. |
Website of the Week:
The Child Trends website is a great resource for information on teen pregnancy and risky adolescent sexual behavior! Child Trends aims to help program providers develop strategies for preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. As a result, this website provides a variety of free resources including; fact sheets, peer-reviewed articles, and research briefs. Interesting information currently available on this website include; Parents Matter: The Role of Parents in Teen's Decisions About Sex; Teen Perspectives on Romantic Relationships; and Ten Reasons to Keep the Focus on Teen Childbearing.
Click here to view this website. |
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DHEC WORKSHOPS & INFO  Behavior Change Counseling
Date: January 22, 2010
Trainer: Jim Sacco, MSW
Alternative Therapies for Women's Health Care & Contraceptive Update
Date: February 26, 2010
Trainer: Dr. V. Leigh Beasley
Location Information: Statewide Satellite Broadcasts @ Peeples Auditorium in Columbia.
For More Information: All communications regarding training should be directed to James Harris, Jr. STD/HIV Division Training Coordinator, at 803-898-0480 or by e-mail at harrisj@dhec.sc.gov | |
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