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The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy provides statewide leadership to prevent adolescent pregnancy and to promote quality services for pregnant and parenting teens and their children through policy analysis, education, research and advocacy.

News

In the Media

The Alliance has been featured in several news stories recently. To read the articles please click on the following links:

Less affluent areas see increase in teen births
Boston Globe, 3/16/08
for pdf version click here

New approach on Latina teen pregnancy
Springfield Republican, 3/9/08
Co-authored by Alliance Board Member Dr. Sarah Perez McAdoo
for pdf version click here

Spike in Gloucester High pregnancies alarms officials
Gloucester Daily Times, 3/7/08
for pdf version click here

Our view: GHS pregnancy spike needs a communitywide response
Gloucester Daily Times, 3/10/08
for pdf version click here

Teen STD rate not surprising to some area health experts
Sentinel and Enterprise, 3/12/08
for pdf version click here

 

The National Campaign Comes to Massachusetts
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy will be presenting at two events on Monday, April 7.

Workshop: Engaging and Supporting Latino Families
This free workshop will showcase strategies for supporting Latino families to encourage communication with their children about teen pregnancy prevention. Refreshments will be served. 10am-noon, YWCA of Central Massachusetts. Space is limited! To RSVP, please email humber@massteenpregnancy.org

Youth Empowerment Adolescent Health Network (YEAH! Network) Semi-Annual Meeting
The National Campaign will be presenting on their Latino Initiative at this interactive gathering that will address teen pregnancy in Holyoke, Chicopee, and Springfield. Other topics for the meeting include comprehensive health education and developing community solutions to teen pregnancy in Hampden County. Dinner will be served. 3pm-6:30pm. Baystate Health Education Center, 361 Whitney Avenue, Holyoke. For more information please email Dr. Sarah Perez McAdoo at hampdencountyteen@yahoo.com

 

Teen Birth Rates Increase Significantly in Many Massachusetts Communities

On February 13, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released Massachusetts Births 2006. The statewide teen birth rate continued its slow decline, reaching 21.3 births per 1,000 teen girls ages 15-19 in 2006, down 2% from the following year, when the rate was 21.7 per 1,000. While this is good news, there are still substantial ethnic and racial disparities; the Latino teen birth rate in 2006 (72.7 per 1,000) was nearly 6 times that of White teens (12.4 per 1,000).

Many communities, such as Lawrence, Springfield, New Bedford, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Framingham, Leominster, Plymouth, and Cambridge witnessed double-digit increases in the teen birth rate between 2005 and 2006. Leominster had the highest increase, at 73%.

Several communities with perennially high teen birth rates saw significant decreases in 2006. Pittsfield’s rate dropped 6%, Revere’s dropped 19% and Chicopee’s dropped 19%.

Note: community-specific data are based on 2005 population estimates and will be updated as soon as more recent estimates are available.

For our fact sheet on selected communities in Massachusetts please click here

For our press release please click here.

To read the full Department of Public Health report please click here.

 

The Alliance is hiring!

The Alliance is hiring a Policy Program Manager. To view the position listing and apply, please visit Idealist.org

 

2009 Fiscal Year Budget Recommendations

The Alliance recommendations for the 2009 Fiscal Year Budget are now posted. We are urging increased funding for teen pregnancy prevention to address significant teen birth disparities for Latino youth.  National teen birth data indicates an increase in the teen birth rate for the first time in almost 15 years.

The Alliance is also advocating for resources to create a young parent bridge to community college and promote educational opportunity for all teen parents.

To see our FY 09 budget recommendations, click here.

The Governor’s FY09 Budget is due out on Wednesday January 23, 2008.  This is the first step of a long process of finalizing the state budget for 2009. The House of Representatives and the Senate will develop their own budgets and negotiate according to their own priorities and will send the final draft to the Governor, who in turn will approve or veto it. We urge you to contact your state representatives and senators to share the important work you do on behalf of Massachusetts youth. 

Click here to find out who represents you.

Be sure to check our website frequently for changes and updates to the budget process. We need your support and energy to influence legislators and ensure that teens’ voices and perspectives are heard! 

 

Save the date for our 2008 Teen Parent Lobby Day!
Thursday, April 3
Massachusetts State House, Boston


Partners in Prevention Community Partnerships

The Alliance is currently partnering with nonprofit organizations serving youth in five Massachusetts communities. The Partners in Prevention project, with generous funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, assists these partners in selecting, implementing, and evaluating science-based approaches to teen pregnancy prevention.

Lawrence

Health Quarters

Holyoke and Springfield

The YEAH! (Youth Empowerment Adolescent Health) Network

Southbridge

Health Awareness Services/Pregnant and Parenting Teen Program, Oxford Public Schools

Attleboro
Community Care Services

For more information on this project, please contact the Prevention Program Manager at fletcher@massteenpregnancy.org


Upcoming Workshops!

GLBTQ Youth

Thursday, April, 17 2008
9:00am - 12:00pm
Community Room, Third Sector New England
89 South Street
Boston, MA 02111

Presenter: Colby Berger
The Home for Little Wanderers

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual, youth are at greater risk to become pregnant or get a partner pregnant.  Surprised?  This workshop will address this statistic and give an overview of the unique challenges that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender & questioning (LGBTQ) youth face in the child welfare system.  Risks experienced by LGBTQ young people are reduced when providers learn to talk about sexual orientation & gender identity and learn how confront homophobia and create safe spaces.  We will explore the impact of language, identity development and share best practices in working with LGBTQ youth.

To register online click here.

For more information about this workshop please email: claire@massteenpregnancy.org

 

Sex in the Media: The Alliance’s Annual May Event

Thursday, May 1, 2008
9:30am – 12:00noon
Suffolk University Law School
73 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02108

Presenter: Alan Michel, MFA
HOME, Inc.

The media – it defines the world teens live in, and media messages about sex surround us. How can we as providers help youth become critical consumers of media? In this workshop, participants will learn how to integrate media literacy into their work with youth. We will look at the model of social media and media literacy as health strategies for teens, considering opportunities for using the media as a starting point for behavior change and pregnancy prevention. The presenter will frame the discussion using the Centers for Disease Controls' VERB model, examples of public information campaigns, and will examine popular media such as MySpace and YouTube. Participants will work in teams to create a media literacy session or strategy to implement with teens.

Networking time and a continental breakfast will be included.

To register online click here.

For more information about this workshop please email: claire@massteenpregnancy.org


To see all upcoming workshops click here


Click here to learn more about how
PREVENTING TEEN PREGNANCY SAVES TAXPAYER DOLLARS



Alliance in the News

Abstinence and the Classroom: Boston Globe Op Ed (4/29/07) by our Director of Public Policy, Patricia Quinn

Our 2007 Teen Parent Lobby Day, received state-wide press coverage in the following newspapers (click to read article): Berkshire Eagle, Boston Globe, Boston Metro, Gloucester Times, Holyoke Republican, Lowell Sun, North Adams Transcript, Reading Advocate, Worcester Telegram


New Resources Available
To view our new report, From the Community, for the Community: Bridging Research and Practice in a Local Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, click here. In addition, we have also posted a resource manual for those working with pregnant teens in English and Spanish, entitled Baby Steps. To view these documents, please click here.


*HIV Content Notice: *      
CDC Announcement: The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy Website contains HIV prevention messages that may not be appropriate for all audiences.


Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy
105 Chauncy Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02111
617.482.9122 Main, 617.482.9129 Fax

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