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| July 31, 2006
Media Stories
Abstinence Educators Cheer Study Results Sex Education May Get Adolescents To Delay Sex Muzzling Sex Education on Anything but Abstinence Group Touts Abstinence Education Curing a Disease That "Wasn't" NCCo Youths Take Abstinence Pledge Marriage Programs To Get a Boost From Feds Raised Up Right Fund – Foundation for the Mid South The Influence of Religiosity and Spirituality on Health-Risk Behaviors in Children and Adolescents Community Programs – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States, 2005 (June 2006) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance report examines the prevalence of and trends in preventable health-risk behaviors, including sexual activity, among U.S. youth. The report reveals that from 1991 to 2005, the percentage of youth who had ever had sex, as well as the percentage of those who were currently sexually active, decreased significantly. Impact of an Adolescent Sex Education Program That Was Implemented by an Academic Medical Center (July 2006) – The authors of this article, published in The American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (Volume 195[1]:78-84), conducted a Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (ACF)–supported study of approximately 25,000 adolescents participating in a Texas sex education program. The researchers found that the curriculum, implemented by an academic medical center, resulted in increased knowledge and a shift in attitude toward delaying sexual activity. Technical Assistance Web Cast on Medical and Scientific Accuracy Healthy Marriage Teleconference Training Technical Assistance Conference Call on Evaluation Technical Assistance Web Cast on Communications Technical Assistance Conference Call on Medical and Scientific Accuracy West Coast Abstinence Education Grantees Regional Workshop National Abstinence Education Grantees Conference Abstinence Education Evaluation Conference Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building for Abstinence Education Grantees Materials from the National Abstinence Education Grantees Conference (February 2006) Materials from the Regional Abstinence Education Grantees Meetings in Atlanta (May 2006) and Kansas City (July 2006) Technical Assistance Conference Call Transcripts and Handouts Technical Assistance Archived Web Casts and Handouts
Born to immigrant parents and raised in Michigan, Harry is married to Michele, who teaches high school and coaches girls in cross country and track. Harry also has a son and a daughter in college. Prior to coming to Washington, he served for 20 years as a faith-based youth leader at his church. He also served for 10 years on his local school board and chaired a business-education partnership in his community. Harry has played a unique role in helping shape the national agenda on youth, bringing "on the ground," pragmatic experience to policy development and debates. A leader in the Federal administration’s effort to promote Positive Youth Development, Harry believes that youth are a sum of their total experience and should not be viewed as a series of problems to be fixed. Rather, he sees young people as a balance of behaviors, some of which need to be celebrated, others strengthened, and still others managed through self discipline. He believes strongly in the Positive Youth Development approach because it builds on the premise that when supported by caring adults, youth are capable of making positive and healthy choices. "Young people across our Nation are looking for a reason to do well and to become part of something bigger than themselves," he says. "These young people need encouragement and high expectations from the adults in their lives." Harry has a deep appreciation for youth workers, such as those he taught and championed at Starr. "Youth workers hold the future of young people in the palm of their hands every day," he says. "Typically not much older than the youth they teach, they work in some rough and tough environments, with little safety and even smaller paychecks, because they believe they can help young people make a difference." If he can claim himself as one of their number, Harry says, it is the highest honor he will ever achieve. Quote for the Day "As abstinence-only programs have become more common, rates of teenage pregnancy and out-of-wedlock childbirth in the United States have indeed dropped—by one-third for girls ages 15 to 19 in the years from 1991 through 2003. In New York State, rates not only of teen pregnancy and birth but also of most sexually transmitted diseases have been declining." (Samuel B. Freedman, New York Times, July 19, 2006) |
HARRY WILSON is Associate Commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau in the Administration for Children and Families. Before coming to the post in 2001, Harry worked with Starr Commonwealth, a Michigan Positive Youth Development program, for almost 25 years. Starr has a documented history of success in turning around the lives of troubled and vulnerable youth. The organization acts on the belief that a safe and healthy environment combined with strong adult role models, positive peer relationships, spiritual development, and opportunities to serve others are key elements in transforming young people's lives.The Abstinence Education E-Update comprises links to Web sites with information on current events, research, funding opportunities, and other items related to abstinence-until-marriage education. Inclusion of this information does not imply endorsement by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY). Moreover, the points of view or opinions expressed on these Web sites do not necessarily represent the official position, policies, or views of FYSB, HHS, or NCFY.
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