January 15, 2007

Media Stories

Abstinence Education Really Works
The Indianapolis (IN) Star, January 10, 2007

Condoms are Not AIDS Solution
The Rutland (VT) Herald, January 10, 2007

Editorial: Fathers and Sons
The Kankakee (IL) Daily Journal, January 10, 2007

Unprotected
The Washington Times, January 9, 2007

Wolf Bill Would Require Health Ed in Schools
The Cambridge (MA) Chronicle, January 8, 2007

Sex Study is Planned Parenthood Propaganda
The Des Moines (IA) Register, January 7, 2007

Forum: Better Health for Teens
The Washington Times, January 7, 2007

Binge Drinking Is Common Among High School Students, Tied to Other Risky Behaviors
Kansas City (KS) InfoZine.com, January 6, 2007

Sociologists Explore Role of Religion in America
Religion News Service, January 4, 2007

Promiscuity and Zealotry
The Omaha World-Herald, December 30, 2006 (free registration required)

Government Subsidizes Cohabitation
Ethics & Religion, December 30, 2006

Abstinence Message Restricted: Districts Cancel Programs Because of State-Law Ban
The Los Angeles (CA) Daily News, December 29, 2006
Note: FYSB is currently investigating the ACLU's claims that abstinence-only education violates California State law.

Tweens in Transition: Middle-Schoolers Face Risks and Temptations Once More Common Among Older Teens
The Indianapolis (IN) Star, December 28, 2006

The Ties That Bind: The State of Marriage in America (A Four-Part Series)
The Washington Times, December 26–29

Funding Opportunities

Faiths Partnership Grant Program – Silicon Valley Community Foundation
The foundation offers small grants ($500 to $5,000) to increase the capacity of faith-based organizations and congregations that serve Northern California communities.
Deadline for applications: March 2, 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

Population Effect of Increased Access to Emergency Contraceptive Pills: A Systematic Review (January 2007)
The authors of this article, published in the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology [Volume 109(1): 181–188], examined the effects of increased access to emergency contraceptive pills, also known as the "morning after pill," by analyzing 23 research studies in the medical literature. The authors (who are affiliated with Family Health International, Princeton University, and Johns Hopkins University) found that increased access has enhanced the use of the emergency contraception pills, but has not reduced rates of unintended pregnancy or abortion.

Environmental, Social, and Personal Correlates of Having Ever Had Sexual Intercourse Among American Indian Youths (December 2006)
In this article, published in the American Journal of Public Health [Volume 96(12):2228–2234], the authors examined risk factors associated with sexual activity among Native American youth in Minnesota. They found that the strongest correlates of becoming sexually active were the presence other high-risk behaviors such as substance use and exposure to violence.

Recent Trends in Teenage Pregnancy in the United States, 1990-2002 (December 2006)
This report from the National Center for Health Statistics presents detailed pregnancy rates for teenagers from 1999 to 2002. Among the key findings is the fact that the teen pregnancy rate has declined 10 percent since 2000 and 35 percent since the historic high in 1990. This new rate (76.4 pregnancies per 1,000 females aged 15-19) is a historic low for the United States since such statistics have been monitored.

Upcoming Events

Technical Assistance Web Cast
"Community Saturation Model: Partnering With Your Community"
January 31, 2007
Contact: Frank Bazela, (703) 243-0495, abstinence@pal-tech.com
Registration is required by January 29, 2007, but is free of charge

Onsite Media Relations Trainings
Jeffrey Rosenberg of Rosenberg Communications will conduct these 1-day media trainings for 12 Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) grantees (or groups of grantees operating in neighboring areas) selected through an application process. Each training session will take place in 2007 at the site chosen by the grantee or collaborative group.
Contact: Diane Mentzer at abstinence@pal-tech.com
Deadline for applications: February 5, 2007

Abstinence Education Evaluation Conference
"Strengthening Programs Through Scientific Evaluation"
March 19–20, 2007
Baltimore, MD – Renaissance Harborplace Hotel
Registration is required by March 1, 2007, and will open in winter 2006-2007
Note: Hotel registration deadline is February 16, 2007

Abstinence Education Grantees Regional Training
CBAE Grantees and State Title V Coordinators in Regions 1 Through 4
April 24-25, 2007
Boston, MA – The Omni Parker House
Registration will open in February 2007
Contact: Frank Bazela at abstinence@pal-tech.com
Note: Each grantee is invited to send one person; participation is limited to the first 50 people who register.

Abstinence Education Grantees Regional Training
CBAE Grantees and State Title V Coordinators in Regions 8 Through 10
May 24-25, 2007
San Francisco, CA – The Hilton Fisherman's Wharf
Registration will open in March 2007
Contact: Frank Bazela at abstinence@pal-tech.com
Note: Each grantee is invited to send one person; participation is limited to the first 50 people who register.

Abstinence Education Grantees Regional Training
CBAE Grantees and State Title V Coordinators in Regions 5 Through 7
June 28-29, 2007
Chicago, IL – Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro
Registration will open in April 2007
Contact: Frank Bazela at abstinence@pal-tech.com
Note: Each grantee is invited to send one person; participation is limited to the first 50 people who register.

Other News/Misc.

Donor Development and Fundraising
This 26-page technical assistance module covers the basics of fundraising and donor development. The document was developed as part of Pal-Tech, Inc.'s contract to support CBAE grantees.

Leaps of Faith
In this National Review cover story (January 6, 2007), the authors examine the rise in partnerships between faith-based organizations (FBOs) and government agencies. They profile a number of faith-based programs (including abstinence education providers) that receive Federal funds, highlighting the challenges of providing secular services in a religious setting.

Focus on Staff

CALVIN EDWARDS brings more than 20 years of experience working with charitable, educational, and religious institutions to his work with FYSB's abstinence education grantees. His firm, Calvin Edwards & Company (CEC), coordinates site visits to grantees and advises Federal staff on grantee organizational development, activities, and management practices. Founded in 2001, CEC commits itself to "maximizing the good of giving." Prior to founding CEC, Edwards worked as a senior manager at Ronald Blue & Co., was the chief operating officer of Peter Lowe International, and served as executive vice president of Walk Thru the Bible. He earned a bachelor of arts degree with a double major in literature and religion from Pacific Union College, a diploma in education from Avondale College, a master of divinity from Andrews University, and an M.B.A. from Georgia State University. Edwards came to the United States from Australia in 1979 and is now a naturalized American citizen. He is married with two children.

Quote for the Day

"The higher the cultural standard is set, the farther actual behavior rises to meet it. In turn, the lower the culture sets the standard, the farther below it actual behavior will sink. . . . Once the standard falls to the level of recreational sex—about where it is now—we shouldn't be surprised to find that exploitative sex has become the norm for many or that date rape has become a major problem."

(William Kilpatrick, Why Johnny Can't Tell Right from Wrong [p.75], 1992)