April 30, 2007
Media Stories
The Joy of Abstinence
The Boston (MA) Globe, April 26, 2007
Abstinence Study Abstained From the Larger Truth
The Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN) Star Tribune, April 25, 2007
Abstinence the Star in Sex-Ed Lesson
The Denver (CO) Post, April 25, 2007
10-Year Study Seen to Undercut Abstinence Emphasis (free registration required)
Education Week, April 25, 2007
Abstinence: A Choice for Some, a Reality for Others
The Harvard University Crimson, April 24, 2007
TMS Teachers, Counselor Disagree With LWV Article
The Paper of Montgomery County (IN), April 19, 2007
Government Unworried by Abstinence Report
Reuters, April 16, 2007
Abstinence Education Programs Proven Effective
Standard News Wire, April 13, 2007
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Statement on Abstinence-Only Program Evaluation
PRNewswire.com, April 13, 2007
Funding Opportunities
The National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth maintains a listing of organizations identified as potential funding sources for abstinence education programs. The listing includes grant descriptions and contact information.
Transitional Living Program and Maternity Group Homes – Administration for Children and Families (Grant No. HHS-2007-ACF-ACYF-CX-0111)
Maternity group homes will provide a safe shelter for up to 18 months of services with adult supervision, parenting education, child care, life and interpersonal skill building, career counseling and job skills training, counseling, and medical care as appropriate. Other services may include transportation, abstinence education, family planning, and pregnancy prevention services.
Deadline for applications: May 8, 2007
Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) Demonstration Program – Administration for Children and Families (Grant No. HHS-2007-ACF-OCS-EJ-0035)
Grantees will deliver capacity building services to faith-based and community organizations through the provision of training, technical assistance, and sub-awards. Specifically, they will build capacity in five areas: (1) leadership development, (2) organizational development, (3) program development, (4) revenue development strategies, and (5) community engagement. Eligible applicants include State, county and local governments; institutions of higher education; tribal governments; nonprofit organizations; and small businesses.
Deadline for applications: May 16, 2007
Adolescent Family Life (AFL) Demonstration Projects – Office of Public Health and Science (Grant No. PA-APH-07-001)
The primary purpose of the demonstration program is to find effective means, within the context of the family, of reaching pre-adolescent and adolescent children before they become sexually active and encouraging them to abstain from premarital sexual activity. Programs may also reach out to adolescents who have already become sexually active, encouraging them to return to abstinence and supporting them in doing so.
Deadline for applications: June 1, 2007
The Influence of Religiosity and Spirituality on Health Risk Behaviors in Children and Adolescents – National Institutes of Health
The purpose of this program is to study the effects of spirituality and religiosity on early alcohol and drug use and sexual behavior, particularly in the area of HIV transmission.
Deadline for applications: June 5, 2007
Recent Research
Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs (Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.)
In this federally-funded evaluation of four abstinence education programs, the researchers found that abstinence education participants and nonparticipants were equally likely to have remained abstinent, with 49 percent having remained abstinent in both groups, and 55 to 56 percent having remained abstinent over the last 12 months. Evaluators noted that peer support of abstinence was a significant predictor of future sexual abstinence. The evaluators make recommendations for enhancing existing and future programs. Please refer to the Media Stories section of this newsletter for discourse related to the results of this study, and to the Additional Resources section for a summary of research supporting abstinence education programs.
Effectiveness of Abstinence Education Programs: An Annotated Bibliography of Recent Research (Family and Youth Services Bureau/National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth)
This document summarizes eight studies demonstrating: (1) the contribution of increased abstinence to the recent decline in teen pregnancy; and (2) the effectiveness of abstinence education programs in changing adolescent sexual attitudes and behavior.
Upcoming Events
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
Deadline for conference registration is May 9, 2007
Deadline for hotel registration is April 27, 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
Deadline for conference registration is June 13, 2007
Deadline for hotel registration is May 29, 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.
Gracias Papa (Virginia Department of Health)
This program is a sexual-violence-prevention campaign designed to help Latina adolescents avoid coercive and unhealthy relationships. The campaign consists of radio spots in Spanish and a fotonovela (comic book style brochure) in English.
Quote for the Day
"(F)riends' support for abstinence is a significant predictor of future sexual abstinence... promoting support for abstinence among peer networks should be an important feature of future abstinence programs."
("Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs," Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., April 2007) |
