Youth rally for teen pregnancy prevention and after-school

Boston, MA – On Thursday February 4, at 10 AM hundreds of youth and service providers from across the Commonwealth will come to the Great Hall at the State House to tell the story of how youth programs have changed their lives. Teen pregnancy prevention programs will be featured at the event and youth speaker Natalie Nyambura will share her experience with the teen pregnancy prevention program at the United Teen Equality and Lowell Community Health Center.

“Twenty-five percent of youth who leave school say teen parenting played a major role,” says Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy.  “If we want to reach the state goal to reduce dropout by 50% in 5 years, if we want to turn around underperforming schools, than we better prevent teen pregnancy.”

Historic declines in teen birth, teen pregnancy, and abortion rates saved Massachusetts $144 million dollars in one year alone. But Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy reports that rates are no longer moving in a positive direction.  “In 2007, the teen birth rate in Massachusetts increased for the first time in over 15 years, and we expect another increase in the 2008,” says Quinn.   “At the same time, teen pregnancy prevention funding and sex education is disappearing.  We know what works—now let’s resource it!”

New interest in evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention at the federal level makes it even more important that Massachusetts not fall behind. “Massachusetts could be positioned to take advantage of these funds if we keep our teen pregnancy prevention infrastructure,” says Quinn. Teen pregnancy prevention programs provide more than just sexual health education proven to prevent teen pregnancy, they teach young people basic life skills such as how to foster healthy relationships and confront peer pressure. They provide youth with the skills they need for lifelong, healthy decision making.