October 3 , 2007

Employment Opportunities

Abstinence Education Curriculum Reviewer – Medical Accuracy
The Family and Youth Services Bureau is seeking a medical doctor or registered nurse to conduct a review to determine medical accuracy in curricula identified by Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) grant applicants for use in their abstinence education programs. Please direct questions and submit resumes to tbrown@dixongroup.com or fax to (202) 269-9575.

Abstinence Content Specialist
Assist in the development and implementation of technical assistance modules, conference calls, Web casts, and conferences for CBAE grantees. Candidates must possess a bachelor's degree and a minimum of 7 years of general experience and 2 years of professional program-related experience. To apply, please send your resume to Karen Argueta by e-mail, careers@pal-tech.com, or by fax, (703) 522-2471. EOE/AA.

Media Stories

Foes Hit Continued Abstinence Funding
The Washington Times, September 30, 2007

Teach Students About Risk Avoidance
The San Antonio (TX) Express-News, September 25, 2007

Schools Try To Balance Morals, Sex Education
The Milwaukee (WI) Journal-Sentinel, September 24, 2007

New York Just Says No to Abstinence Funding
New York Times, September 21, 2007

Teachers Mixed on Revamped Sex Ed
Florida Today, September 18, 2007

Support for Teenage Moms: Teen MOPS Group Starting in Area
The (IN) Times Mail, September 18, 2007

With Support, Teens Will Feel Comfortable Not 'Doing It'
The North County (CA) Times, September 15, 2007

Number of Teens With HIV/AIDS on the Rise in Oakland County, Michigan
The Royal Oak (MI) Daily Tribune, September 14, 2007

Domestic Violence Among High School, College Students is Alarming
Associated Content, September 13, 2007

Chlamydia: Not in Vogue
CNSNews.com, September 12, 2007

Young Adults Delaying Marriage
USA Today, September 12, 2007

Gonorrhea Cases Up 300 Percent in North Idaho
Bonner County (ID) Daily Bee, September 9, 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.

Parenting Capacities and Health Outcomes in Youths and Adolescents (R21) – National Institutes of Health (Cycle III)
Grant recipients will increase the skills and capacities of parents and caregivers to improve the health outcomes of their young and adolescent children. This includes interventions that help parents to decrease risk behaviors, including sexual behaviors, in their children and to build protective factors. Deadlines for applications: October 16, 2007, and November 5, 2007

Improving the Health and Educational Outcomes of Young People (CDC-RFA-DP08-801) – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The aim of this grant program is to improve the health and well-being of youth and prepare them to be healthy adults. Grants are given in five priority areas, one of which is “HIV Prevention.” Within this priority area, grantees will work with schools to develop programs and policies that help youth avoid, prevent, and reduce sexual risk behaviors. Eligible applicants include State, territorial, and local education agencies and tribal governments.
Deadline for letters of intent: October 23, 2007
Deadline for applications: November 21, 2007

Recent Research

Sexual Risk Attitudes and Intentions of Youth Aged 12–14 Years: Survey Comparisons of Parent-Teen Prevention and Control Groups (2004)
The authors of this journal article, published in Behavioral Medicine [Volume 29(4):155-163], found that when adolescents participated in pregnancy prevention programs along with their parents, the adolescents reported greater intentions to avoid sexual activity than did adolescents who participated without parental involvement. The authors hypothesize that the program facilitates discussion between parents and their adolescent children that they might not otherwise engage in.

Adolescent Romantic Relationships as Precursors of Healthy Adult Marriages (2006)
The authors of this report, published by the RAND Corporation and funded by the Administration for Children and Families, examine the existing literature on adolescent romantic relationships. They pay particular attention to the ways in which these relationships impact future marital relationships. Overall, the authors found that adolescent romantic relationships do lay a foundation for the health of future marriages. They suggest that appropriate youth programs address the prevention of negative patterns in adolescent relationships.

Upcoming Events

New CBAE Funded Grantees Orientation Training via Conference Call
October 30, 2007, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Registration details: TBA
Contact: abstinence@pal-tech.com

National Abstinence Education Grantees Conference
January 28–30, 2008
Baltimore, MD
Registration TBA
Contact: abstinence@pal-tech.com

Abstinence Education Grantees Regional Training
CBAE grantees and State Title V Coordinators in Regions 5 through 7
April 2–3, 2008
Dallas, TX
Registration TBA
For information, contact abstinence@pal-tech.com

Abstinence Education Grantees Regional Training
CBAE grantees and State Title V Coordinators in Regions 8 through 10
May 14–15, 2008
Denver, CO
Registration TBA
For information, contact abstinence@pal-tech.com

Abstinence Education Grantees Regional Training
CBAE grantees and State Title V Coordinators in Regions 1 through 4
June 23–24, 2008
Philadelphia, PA
Registration TBA
For information, contact abstinence@pal-tech.com

Other News/Misc.

National College Health Assessment, Reference Group Executive Summary
In this national survey of American college students, 32.8 percent of respondents (32.5 percent of young men and 33 percent of young women) reported having had no sexual partners over the past year. The report also includes data on other sexual behaviors, including contraceptive use and testing for sexually transmitted diseases, as well as other health topics such as preventive health, depression, violence, nutrition and exercise, and drug and alcohol use.

Quote for the Day

"While correct and consistent use of condoms has been shown to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, it is by no means a safe bet. Recent studies show that condoms reduce the risk of HIV infection by 85 percent and gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes and syphilis by only 50 percent. They are almost entirely ineffective in preventing the spread of human papillomavirus, or HPV, a cancer-causing disease that claims more than 4,000 lives a year in the U.S. In other words, risk reduction is like a filtered cigarette: maybe safer than an unfiltered cigarette, but far more dangerous than not smoking."

(Gary Rose, President, Medical Institute on Sexual Health, The San Antonio (TX) Express-News, September 25, 2007)