Teenwise Minnesota Announcements
Teenwise Minnesota Video
Teenwise Minnesota gets results. In 2012, after 21 years of hard work, Minnesota's teen birthrate has hit an all-time low. So how DO we do it? Through our award winning trainings, publications, advocacy, resources and our signature event, the Teenwise Minnesota Annual Conference.
Check out our new video highlighting the Teenwise conference and how we contribute to the healthy development of teens in Minnesota.
Other Announcements
Curriculum Mapping Project Needs Your Expertise!
Teenwise Minnesota is partnering with the Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Education and the Healthy Youth Development Prevention Research Center to explore how Minnesota teachers and educators can use the national sexuality education standards that were released in February 2012. We will be mapping the standards to some of the common curricula being used with Minnesota youth. The first meeting of the Mapping Project will be July 18, 2012 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Minnesota Department of Education, 1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville, MN. If you are interested in participating, contact Mary Thissen-Milder at mary.thissen-milder@state.mn.us.
For Youth
United We Stand...For Birth Control!
Advocates for Youth has initiated the above named campaign, driven by young people, to persuade elected officials that birth control should be covered with no co-pay by insurance, regardless of an organization's religious affiliation. In order to lend your voice, follow this link and download/print a poster, sign it and then take a photograph of yourself. Pictures will be posted on Facebook.
In the News
Supreme Court Rules on Affordable Care Act
On June 28 the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is constitutional. This ruling is an affirmation of the reform efforts currently underway in Minnesota to improve health and lower the cost of care. The ruling signifies important protection for citizens across Minnesota: affordable insurance for small business, young people can stay on their parents insurance until age 26, and guaranteed coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. There is still much to figure out in terms of impact on adolescent health care but it is likely that the ruling will result in preventive care without copays, including contraception and that MN school-based health centers could receive funds through the ACA.
U.S. Teen Pregnancy Rate at Historic Low
The U.S. teen pregnancy rate has plummeted 40 percent between 1990 and 2008 (the most recent data available) and is now at a historic low, according to a new report (PDF) released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The teen pregnancy rate in 2008 now stands at 70 per 1,000 women age 15-19; down from its 1990 peak of 117 per 1,000. Other highlights from the report include:
- Between 1990 and 2008, rates of teen pregnancy have declined by almost one-half among non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks, and by about one-third among Hispanic teens.
- Although rates have declined among all racial and ethnic groups, 2008 pregnancy rates for non-Hispanic black (122 per 1,000 age 15-19) and Hispanic teens (112 per 1,000 age 15-19) were two to three times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic white teens (45 per 1,000 age 15-19).
- Between 1990 and 2008 pregnancy rates declined for teens of all ages—the rate for those age 10-14 is the lowest ever reported; the rate for those 15-17 declined by almost half; and the rate for those 18-19 declined by about one-third.
CDC Recommendations for Chlamydia Testing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released a recommendation that women ages twenty-five and younger be tested yearly for chlamydia. Pregnant women and those exhibiting symptoms are also encouraged to speak with a physician about testing.
Senate Committee Preserves Funding for Teen Pregnancy Prevention
On June 14, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an FY 2013 bill which holds steady the level of funding for teen pregnancy prevention efforts. This includes monies budgeted for the Office of Adolescent Health's (OAH) support for evidence based programming and ongoing evaluation. To learn more about the bill and its potential impact, read the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy press release (PDF).
New Resources
New Information on the Millennial Generation
Advocates for Youth has compiled research and data on the so-called "Millenials," young people aged 30 and under. Among many other items, this report highlights the broad support by millennials for marriage equality as well as comprehensive sex education; especially when they are compared to Baby Boomers and seniors.
Teens and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
The federal Office of Adolescent Health recently released a newsletter focused on young people and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The newsletter contains strategies for parents, communities and health care providers.
New Research
A Portrait of Teen Fathers
Although an important part of the teen pregnancy dynamic, relatively little is known about teen fathers. Child Trends' latest research brief, The Characteristics and Circumstances of Teen Fathers: At the Birth of Their First Child and Beyond (PDF), presents a statistical portrait of teen fathers' characteristics at the time that their first child was born; their relationship status at the birth of that child; their subsequent experience fathering a child, if any; and their residential status at birth and in young adulthood.
New Report Highlights Link Between Teen Pregnancy and High School Dropout
In 2008, births to teens who lived in counties and cities where 25 persistently low-achieving schools are located accounted for 16 percent of all teen births in the United States, according to a new report (PDF) released today by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. These same 25 school districts also accounted for 20 percent of all high school drop outs in the United States. The new report, produced in collaboration with America's Promise Alliance, underscores the clear link between teen pregnancy and dropping out of school and highlights what a number of communities across the United States are doing to directly confront these issues.
CDC Releases 2011 Data on Health-Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults
The report (PDF) presents findings on six categories of priority health-risk behaviors among adolescents and young adults; these behaviors contribute to unintentional injuries and violence, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behaviors that can result in unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV infection), unhealthy dietary behaviors and physical inactivity. Information on the prevalence of obesity and asthma is also provided. The report includes a trend analysis of 1991-2011 data and information on how the data are being used by federal, state and local agencies and nongovernmental organizations to analyze and improve policies and programs to reduce priority health-risk behaviors among adolescents and young adults.
Upcoming Events
July 22-27, 2012
TISHE 2.0
Building on a decade of success, TISHE 2.0 (Training Institute in Sexual Health Education) will offer participants a more robust professional development experience than ever before. Intended for more seasoned professionals who provide sexuality education in school or community-based settings, this intensive week-long institute will transform professionals' thinking about effective delivery of sexuality education for our nation's youth. TISHE 2.0 is coordinated by Answer and SIECUS. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.
July 25 and August 8, 2012
Minnesota AIDS Project HIV Summer Institute Series
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Minnesota AIDS Project
1400 Park Avenue, Minneapolis
July 25 - Sexually Transmitted Infections and the Connection with HIV Transmission
Untreated STIs can lead to a higher risk of acquiring HIV and people with HIV are more susceptible to STIs. This training will cover STI transmission, prevention and treatment as well as the effects of co-infection.
August 8 - Hepatitis C and HIV
Hepatitis C is the most common co-infection for individuals living with HIV. This training will help participants understand the connections between HIV and Hepatitis C. This training will outline transmission, prevention and treatment of Hepatitis C and explain implications of living with both HIV and Hepatitis C.
For more information, visit www.mnaidsproject.org. RSVP for the series at communityeducation@mnaidsproject.org.
July 30-August 1, 2012
August 2, 2012 (for graduate students only)
2012 Summer Institute in Adolescent Health
Equal Access, Equal Say: Achieving Health Equity for All Young People
Minnesota Department of Health - Mississippi Room
1645 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul
For young people today, inequitable social conditions in schools, families and communities can lead to dramatically differing paths to adulthood, some healthier than others. During the 2012 Summer Institute in Adolescent Health, delve into the myriad conditions that underlie disparities in health, visit settings where these disparities are being challenged, and talk with youth and the professionals who work with them to realize health equity for all young people. Learn strategies and gain new skills in the creation of supportive environments, the provision of responsive services and the engagement in effective advocacy for the advancement of health equity for all young people. For more information and to register, click here.
September 11, 2012
Minnesota Reproductive and Sexual Health Update
University of Minnesota, St. Paul
We're pleased to announce keynote speaker Sharon Schnare (RN, RNP, CNM, MSN, FAANP) will join us to share the latest research and technology in birth control. Additional topics include:
- Trends and research in sexually transmitted infections
- Contraceptive counseling and motivational interviewing
- Health Care Reform and its impact on the field of reproductive health
- An open Q&A session with Sharon Schnare
- And more!
Mark your calendars, and don't miss out on the latest in reproductive health practice, research, and technology! Watch for additional details this summer, or check hcet.org for updates.
September 14, 2012
Keeping Our Youth Safe on the Internet
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
TIES Building
1667 Snelling Avenue North, St. Paul
The purpose of this class, sponsored by the Minnesota Youth Intervention Programs Association, is to teach parents and youth intervention professionals the most current best practices of Internet safety. By attending this training, you will learn about the strategies of sexual predators, how to help kids deal with cyber bullying and also about various strategies for monitoring computer activities. This includes learning more about filtering software and how to implement it in the home, schools, and out of school time program. For more information and to register, visit www.mnyipa.org.
September 25, 2012
Youth Homelessness: Appropriate Intervention and Prevention Strategies
12:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Mounds View Community Center
5394 Edgewood Drive, Mounds View
Whether you work with youth in the urban, suburban, or rural areas of Minnesota this workshop has been developed for you. You will leave with a better understanding of what it means to be homeless, why so many of Minnesota's youth are finding themselves in this situation and what you can do to best help a homeless youth in your program or classroom setting. Learn from skilled practitioners in the field from all three geographical regions in Minnesota. Understand some basic steps that you can take to help prevent high-risk youth from becoming homeless in the first place. Hear from a panel of homeless or formerly homeless youth and engage in an important dialogue about reversing this alarming trend and providing the support that homeless, or high-risk for homelessness youth need. For more information and to register, visit the Minnesota Youth Intervention Programs Association website: www.mnyipa.org.
Funding Opportunities
Competitive Abstinence Education Grant Program
The Administration on Children, Youth and Families' Family and Youth Services Bureau will be accepting applications for the implementation of the Competitive Abstinence Education (CAE) Program. Grantees under this program will be expected to develop a targeted and medically-accurate approach to reducing teen pregnancies through abstinence education. Abstinence education programming is one intervention in a continuum of services that seeks to prevent teen pregnancy. The purpose of the CAE program is to provide funding for additional tools to address the rates of teen pregnancy among adolescent youth who are at greatest risk of STDs/STIs and most likely to bear children out of wedlock. Program plans will focus on the social, psychological and health gains to be realized by delaying initiation of sexual activity and engaging in healthy relationships.
The deadline to apply is August 6, 2012, and the anticipated number of awards is 6 to 23 funded at $200,000-$800,000 over the two-year project period. Total funding available is $4.6 million. Eligible applicants include public and private entities, including faith-based and community organizations.
For a complete list of eligible entities and more information about the funding, view the funding announcement.