December 31, 2006

Media Stories

Abstinence Only
The Ocala (FL) Star-Banner, December 23, 2006

Sex Ed and HIV Prevention Education in U.S. Schools 'Fiercely Politicized' and 'Highly Problematic,' Article Says
The Kaiser Network, December 22, 2006

Abstinence Education Advocates Criticize Results of Guttmacher Sex Study
LifeNews.com, December 21, 2006

Pro-Family Advocates Cast Doubt on Guttmacher's Reported Premarital Sex Stats
Agape Press, December 21, 2006

Take the Federal Money and Promote Abstinence
The Press of Atlantic City (NJ), December 18, 2006

New Mexico Abstinence Coalition Sues Governor for Allegedly Withholding Information on How It Spends Federal Sex Education Funds
The Kaiser Network, December 18, 2006

Why Teens Do Risky, Stupid Things
United Press International, December 15, 2006

State Under Fire From Abstinence Group
The Santa Fe New Mexican, December 15, 2006

Funding Opportunities

Health and Education Grants Program – Detroit Lions Charities
The Detroit Lions Charities is accepting applications for its health and education grants program to benefit children in the Michigan area.
Deadline for applications: December 31, 2006

Parenting Capacities and Health Outcomes in Youths and Adolescents (R01) – National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH invites research applications aimed at increasing the parenting skills and capacities of parents and caregivers to improve the health outcomes of their young and adolescent children.
Deadline for applications: January 3, 2007

General Grants Program – Robins Foundation
The Robins Foundation provides grants to organizations serving the Richmond, Virginia, metropolitan area. The foundation looks for programs that have a lasting impact on the lives of participants and the community.
Deadline for preliminary applications: February 1, 2007

Health, Education, and Inner-City Services Grants – Teammates for Kids Foundation
The organization is soliciting funding applications for programs that help children in the areas of health, education, and inner-city services. Funding priorities for health programs include the promotion of healthy lifestyles.
Deadline for applications: February 1, 2007

Recent Research

Abortion Access and Risky Sex Among Teens: Parental Involvement Laws and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (May 2006) – In this research paper (presented at the American Law & Economics Association 16th Annual Meeting), the authors study the relationship between parental consent/notification laws and sexual activity among youth. They found that, in States with strict parental involvement laws, rates of sexually transmitted diseases are lower. The authors assert that when abortion is no longer viewed as “pregnancy insurance,” adolescent girls are more likely to abstain from sex or to use more effective methods of contraception. (This article has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization.)

The Parent-Child Relationship and Opportunities for Adolescents’ First Sex (February 2006)
The authors of this article, published in the Journal of Family Issues [Volume 27(2):159–183], use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to evaluate the impact of parent-child relationships on the initiation of sexual activity among adolescents. Among their key findings is that adolescent girls are more likely to remain abstinent if they enjoy close relationships with their fathers. Additionally, for girls, regular religious service attendance and a perception of parental disapproval of sexual activity increased the likelihood of remaining abstinent. For both boys and girls, not dating or dating infrequently, as well as anticipating guilt if they engaged in premarital sex, were each associated with refraining from sexual activity.

Development of a Scale to Measure Adolescents' Beliefs and Attitudes About Postponing Sexual Initiation (November 2004)
The authors of this article, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health [Volume 35(5):425.e1–425.e10] developed an assessment tool to measure attitudes and beliefs associated with postponing sexual initiation among adolescents. They describe the development of the instrument, as well as the results they derived from administering the 12-item scale to a cohort of adolescents who had not yet initiated sexual intercourse. Factors reported by respondents as most important for delaying sexual activity were concerns about pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. However, higher scores (indicating stronger determination to postpone sexual initiation) were also associated with higher self-esteem; more frequent attendance at religious services; less peer pressure to have sexual intercourse; nonuse of alcohol, illicit drugs, and cigarettes; and no intention to initiate sexual intercourse in the next year.

Upcoming Events

Getting It Right: Cover Letters, Letters of Inquiry and Concept Papers
Webinar (Internet- and telephone-based seminar) for nonprofits on developing funding applications
New England Network for Youth
11:00 a.m.–noon, January 11, 2007,
Registration is currently open

Abstinence Education Evaluation Conference
“Strengthening Programs Through Scientific Evaluation”
March 19–20, 2007
Baltimore, MD – Renaissance Harborplace Hotel
Registration will open in winter 2006-2007

Other News/Misc.

Guide to Starting a Youth Program (National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth)
This new publication pulls together an array of online information about how to start and manage a nonprofit organization or project that serves youth and their families. The authors address the following topics: generating ideas, launching the organization, finding funding, locating best practices, and evaluating outcomes and practices. The guide includes Web addresses geared toward grassroots organizers and youth service professionals.

The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On (Thomas Nelson Publishers)
The author of this 212-page book, a former rock journalist and now a writer with the New York Daily News, uses lessons from her past in the New York City singles scene to encourage others who have “been around the block” to leave a cycle of insecurity and embrace a fulfilling life of purity. Based on her life experiences and her faith, the Jewish-born Christian provides motivational and spiritual messages to counter the ones put out by society. She considers the true meaning of sex, how to deal with temptation, and why shared values in relationships matter. She also provides guidance on how to heal from past relationships in order to make a new start. Throughout the book, she addresses distinctions between choosing to be abstinent and choosing to be chaste.

Focus on Staff

FRANK BAZELA is the conference support specialist for the Community-Based Abstinence Education Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building Contract at Pal-Tech, Inc. Frank joined the contract, which helps the federally funded abstinence education grantees maximize their ability to deliver the abstinence-until-marriage message to our Nation’s youth, in February 2006. Frank coordinates logistics for technical assistance Web casts, conference calls, and offsite conferences. He also manages registration for events ranging in size from 50 to 500 people. Frank gained valuable conference experience working for a range of companies including Marriott International, Meadowlands Country Club, the Walt Disney Company, and Trade Winds Beach Resort. Frank holds a bachelor of science degree in recreation and tourism management from Pennsylvania State University. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he currently resides in Fairfax, Virginia.

Quote for the Day

"Through abstinence education, we can completely affect the death rate of our infants because teen pregnancy will be reduced, sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS will be reduced. So that net that needs to be large enough to reel in every risk – I believe it is the message of abstinence and abstinence until marriage."

(Teresa Thrash, Kalamazoo Community-Based Abstinence Initiative, remarks during the Roundtable on Religion and Social Policy Annual Conference, December 5, 2006)