Teen pregnancy effort focuses on guys
St. Clair County rate is higher than statewide average
BY ALIANA RAMOS
News-Democrat
Wise Guys, a teen pregnancy prevention program that focuses on male youths, will be coming to the metro-east this fall.
The program is available because of an $80,000 grant the state awarded to the St. Clair County Health Department in June for teen pregnancy-prevention programs.
"In general, men have been left out of prevention efforts," said Paula Brodie, the health department's director of community programs. "What we want to do specifically with Wise Guys is to focus on young men. They have a responsibility as well as young ladies to prevent pregnancy."
The latest figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health show that although the rate of teen births is decreasing, the percentage of teen births in St. Clair county is 4 percent higher than the percentage of teen births in Illinois.
In 2003, 9.7 percent of births in Illinois were to teen mothers, while in St. Clair County the rate was 13.7 percent.
"This is a new approach," Brodie said. "We have to begin to work with young men and the partners of the young women we work with."
Brodie said the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation has been subcontracted to offer the Wise Guys program for to community centers, religious organizations and schools beginning in September for boys ages 11 to 17. The plan is to present the program to 200-300 males in the first year.
The Wise Guys curriculum includes a variety of topics including: personal and family values; communication; sexuality; dating violence; abstinence and contraceptives; sexually transmitted diseases; goal-setting and decision-making.
According to Wise Guys literature, the program also includes a parental involvement component which aims to train parents of young males in communication techniques, teaching self-responsibilty and giving human sexuality information.
One of the activities that is part of the curriculum is having each of the boys rank a list of 15 personal values in order of importance. The values include: "making it on my own," "living by my religion," "being good in sports" and "preparing for my future."
In 1995, Wise Guys was recognized by the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina as the "Best Practice Model" and was an award winner for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in 2003.
Whitney Steele of the health department said any money left over from the grant will be used for revising the department's Baby Think It Over program and adding parental involvement workshops.
The Baby Think It over program involves 2 to 3 days with a simulated infant and a week of classes that focus on youth development. Steele said the program will not include contraceptives but will center on decision-making, self-esteem, responsibility and personal power.
BY ALIANA RAMOS
News-Democrat
Wise Guys, a teen pregnancy prevention program that focuses on male youths, will be coming to the metro-east this fall.
The program is available because of an $80,000 grant the state awarded to the St. Clair County Health Department in June for teen pregnancy-prevention programs.
"In general, men have been left out of prevention efforts," said Paula Brodie, the health department's director of community programs. "What we want to do specifically with Wise Guys is to focus on young men. They have a responsibility as well as young ladies to prevent pregnancy."
The latest figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health show that although the rate of teen births is decreasing, the percentage of teen births in St. Clair county is 4 percent higher than the percentage of teen births in Illinois.
In 2003, 9.7 percent of births in Illinois were to teen mothers, while in St. Clair County the rate was 13.7 percent.
"This is a new approach," Brodie said. "We have to begin to work with young men and the partners of the young women we work with."
Brodie said the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation has been subcontracted to offer the Wise Guys program for to community centers, religious organizations and schools beginning in September for boys ages 11 to 17. The plan is to present the program to 200-300 males in the first year.
The Wise Guys curriculum includes a variety of topics including: personal and family values; communication; sexuality; dating violence; abstinence and contraceptives; sexually transmitted diseases; goal-setting and decision-making.
According to Wise Guys literature, the program also includes a parental involvement component which aims to train parents of young males in communication techniques, teaching self-responsibilty and giving human sexuality information.
One of the activities that is part of the curriculum is having each of the boys rank a list of 15 personal values in order of importance. The values include: "making it on my own," "living by my religion," "being good in sports" and "preparing for my future."
In 1995, Wise Guys was recognized by the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina as the "Best Practice Model" and was an award winner for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in 2003.
Whitney Steele of the health department said any money left over from the grant will be used for revising the department's Baby Think It Over program and adding parental involvement workshops.
The Baby Think It over program involves 2 to 3 days with a simulated infant and a week of classes that focus on youth development. Steele said the program will not include contraceptives but will center on decision-making, self-esteem, responsibility and personal power.
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