MOAPPP March 2010 E-Monthly

MOAPPP March 2010 E-Monthly

Thanks to these generous sponsors for their support of our 19th Annual Conference!

Leader Level

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    Funding made possible in part by cooperative agreement #U58/CCU524993-05
  • Children’s Trust Fund, Minnesota Department of Human Services

The 2010 conference brochure will be here soon, and you know what that means…get ready to register!
The MOAPPP Annual Conference is Minnesota’s most comprehensive training event covering current research, educational resources, policy initiatives and emerging issues related to adolescent sexual health, pregnancy prevention and support for adolescent parents. It promises to be two days filled with renowned speakers, challenging, informative, skill-building workshops and many opportunities for networking and conversation. Early Registration deadline is April 16, 2010. For more information, visit the MOAPPP conference page.


Calling all YouTubers: What does it mean to be a healthy young person?

If you are between the ages of 13 and 24, or know someone who is, we invite you to create a 30-to-60-second video public service announcement that answers the question “what does it mean to be a healthy young person today?” Selected videos will premiere on May 7, during MOAPPP’s Annual Conference. They will also be featured on MOAPPP’s YouTube channel, and prizes of a $100 gift card will be awarded to three of the youth-created PSAs. For additional information including submission rules and eligibility requirements, visit the MOAPPP conference page.


Call for Exhibitors

Join us as an exhibitor for the 19th Annual MOAPPP Conference! Visit the MOAPPP conference page for more information and an application.


LAST CALL FOR NOMINATIONS – MOAPPP Annual Awards

We will accept nominations until March 12 in the following categories:

  • Advocate of the Year
  • Outstanding Individual of the Year
  • Program of the Year
  • Teen of the Year

To nominate a person or organization in any of these categories, please complete a nomination form (PDF) and send it to Brigid Riley, MOAPPP Executive Director at [email protected].


2010 Legislative Session Underway

The Minnesota 2010 legislative session began Thursday, February 4. The legislature will be addressing several pressing issues this year, including resolving a 1.2 billion dollar deficit. MOAPPP’s legislative priorities for 2010 include preserving state funding for adolescent sexual health and adolescent parent services, as well as advancing a responsible sex ed bill at the Capitol. It will be important for legislators to hear from you throughout the session as they make significant policy decisions. Receive timely and relevant updates and action alerts by signing up for the MOAPPP Advocacy Network today. View the full agenda.


It’s That Easy! Initiative is on Facebook

It’s That Easy! is now on Facebook. Become a fan today!

The It’s That Easy! (ITE) Initiative has launched a Facebook fanpage. Have you attended an It’s That Easy! Facilitator training? Becoming a fan will help you stay informed about current happenings with ITE. Are you a Parent Educator who has not attended an It’s That Easy! Facilitator training? Becoming a fan is a great way to find out when and where the next training will take place. Become a fan of the It’s That Easy! Initiative TODAY!


Curriculum Review Panel is Recruiting New Panel Members for 2010

MOAPPP convenes the Minnesota Sexuality Education Resource Review Panel (MSERRP) to review and recommend sexuality education and HIV prevention curricula and resources for use in schools and communities. We are seeking new panel members who are committed to comprehensive sexuality education and who represent a variety of perspectives and experiences. If you have any questions about the panel or are interested in serving on MSERRP, please contact Jocelyn Broyles at [email protected] or 651-644-1447 x19 or download the application (PDF). Return the application by fax, mail or email by March 20, 2010.


May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

It’s not too soon to start planning how your organization can promote May as National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (NTPPM). Observed each May by states and communities throughout the country, NTPPM seeks to involve communities in promoting and supporting effective teen pregnancy prevention initiatives. A great resource is a publication by Advocates for Youth: National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (NTPPM) Planning Guidebook (PDF). This guidebook provides strategic tips and examples to help local communities plan and implement activities for NTPPM. It also includes fact sheets, guidance for involving youth and working with the media and sample forms.


National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is May 5, 2010. Plan early how to engage your young people and encourage them to take the National Day Quiz. For details about the day, check out the National Day brochure (PDF) and find ideas on how to participate.

Other Announcements

National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Tuesday, March 10, 2010

March 10 will mark the fourth annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day which seeks to raise awareness of the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of women and girls. For more information about the 2010 observance or to download posters and other resources, visit the website. Watch the MDH website for local fact sheets, updates and activities.


National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Friday, March 20, 2010

March 20 will mark the fourth annual National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This day is an opportunity to increase awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS on American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. “A Celebration of Life” will continue as the observance’s slogan. For more information about National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and for downloadable resources, visit:

  • www.nnaapc.org
  • www.happ.colostate.edu
  • www.itcaonline.com

National STD Awareness Month

National STD Awareness Month will take place in April 2010 and CDC will continue to host its website dedicated to the observance. Other resource links include:

  • www.itsyoursexlife.com
  • www.cdc.gov
  • www.health.state.mn.us
  • www.wraptesttreat.com
  • www.nomasstds.com

Also, as part of National STD Awareness Month, you’re invited to participate in a sexually transmitted disease (STD) Webinar/Conference Call regarding the release of the STD and HIV Section’s 2009 year-end STD data. The tentative date for the webinar has been set for 2:00 – 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 6. For any questions regarding the forthcoming webinar/conference call, contact Luisa Pessoa-Brandão at 651-201-4032, or by email at [email protected].


A Healthy Conversation About Teen Relationships

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is sponsoring a community forum and would like to hear from you. From February 22 through March 5, they invite you to share your best thinking in an important discussion about healthy teen relationships to advance the field, learn from one another and find solutions to the issues young people face.


Free Science-based Curriculum – and a Stipend to Teach!

Reducing the Risk (RTR) is a 16-lesson, classroom-based curriculum that has been shown to delay the onset of intercourse and reduce the rate of unprotected sex among teens. Researchers are looking for 8th-12th grade teachers throughout the United States who can teach RTR in their classrooms starting in the fall of 2010. The goal of this two-year project is to develop and evaluate an online training to help high school teachers increase their ability to teach the RTR curriculum.

Each teacher will receive:

  • A $450 stipend
  • The RTR curriculum and accompanying materials valued at $200, including:
    • an RTR curriculum (teacher’s guide)
    • student workbooks for your RTRworks! study class
    • a supplemental activity kit, which includes all the material you need to successfully teach Reducing the Risk

RTRworks! is also looking for school administrators who can help us find qualified teachers for this project, and, if needed, give approval for teachers to participate. If you are a superintendent or principal, or in any way responsible for the curricula used in your district, please review the material on this website.


Opportunity for Muslim Youth-Service Organizations

Advocates for Youth has announced a capacity-building opportunity for community-based, Muslim youth-serving organizations and institutions. Your organization may receive publications and materials; written and electronic correspondence; telephone consultations; on-site training; and/or a seed grant in the amount of $5,000 to implement an HIV/STI and teen pregnancy prevention project. Services offered through this initiative are tailored to fit the needs of your organization. For more information, download the information packet (PDF). The application form and/or proposal are due by March 31, 2010, 4:00 p.m. CST.

For Youth

Calling all YouTubers: What does it mean to be a healthy young person?

If you are between the ages of 13 and 24, or know someone who is, we invite you to create a 30-to-60-second video public service announcement that answers the question “what does it mean to be a healthy young person today?” Selected videos will premiere on May 7, during MOAPPP’s Annual Conference. They will also be featured on MOAPPP’s YouTube channel, and prizes of a $100 gift card will be awarded to three of the youth-created PSAs. For additional information including submission rules and eligibility requirements, visit the MOAPPP conference page.


March 24, 2010
Youth Lobby Day

Minnesota State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

This FREE event for youth sponsored by the Coalition for Responsible Sex Ed will focus on being an effective advocate in the legislative process about issues surrounding responsible sex ed and minors’ access to confidential care in Minnesota. Minnesota youth will gather at the Capitol to send a message to legislators about the urgent need for a sex ed statute in Minnesota. Register here today!

Learn more about the Coalition for Responsible Sex Ed at www.coalitionforsexed.org.


Various Summer Dates, 2010
ThreeSixty Youth Journalism Camps

ThreeSixty brings diverse voices into journalism and related professions by using intense, personal instruction in the practice and principles of journalism. They strengthen the civic literacy, writing skills and college-readiness of Minnesota teens. Apply now for their summer journalism camps and prepare yourself to work for ThreeSixty’s staff. For more information and to apply, visit www.threesixtyjournalism.org.

In the News

Teen Dating Violence

Read this editorial from the American Family Physician journal to learn how family physicians are in an ideal position to break the cycle of teen dating violence through awareness and identification of abuse in dating relationships, and by educating adolescents and their parents about the possibility of abuse within teen relationships.

New Resources

Now on DVD: The Power Source Professional Training

The Lionheart Foundation is pleased to announce the availability of The Power Source Professional Training on DVD. This training series (on 4 DVDs) was developed to enhance and support the effective delivery of the Power Source Program. From now until March 15, 2010, the Training DVDs (Set of 4) are being offered at 1/2 price to organizations/programs on the Power Source email list. This offer will not be repeated. Click here to order.


Did You Miss the Webinar on Replicating Effective Programs?

On February 22, National Campaign staff conducted a webinar/conference call to provide general information on evidence-based programs, tips on how to successfully replicate programs in your community, and resources that may help you as you consider whether to apply for the funding. This was the second in a series of calls and webinars designed to help groups and individuals prepare for the new federal funding for programs to prevent teen pregnancy—details of which are expected to be released in the spring. Visit www.thenationalcampaign.org for more information and to download the recorded event.


Healthy Teen Network Launches New Online Evidence-Based Resource Center

With more than $100 million federal dollars coming out this fiscal year for communities to implement evidence-based or innovative programs to reduce teen pregnancy, now is the time for your organization to prepare to submit a successful application. From customized trainings and technical assistance to online resources, Healthy Teen Network can help you prepare for this funding. For more information visit the Evidence-Based Resource Center today!

New Research

It’s Your Game: Keep it Real – Delaying sexual behavior with an effective middle school program

The authors tested the effects of a theory-based, middle-school HIV/STI and pregnancy prevention program, It’s Your Game: Keep it Real, in delaying sexual behavior. Students in the comparison group had a 29 percent greater risk of initiating sex by the ninth grade compared with those who received the curriculum. In addition, students in the comparison group had a 1.76 times greater risk of initiating oral sex and a 2.67 times greater risk of initiating anal sex by ninth grade than those who received the curriculum. Read the abstract here.


Journal of Adolescent Health Special Supplement: Positive Youth Development

CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health (DRH) and Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), in partnership with colleagues at the University of Washington and the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, have published a special supplement focusing on Positive Youth Development Promoting Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Review of Observational and Intervention Research, in the March 2010 Journal of Adolescent Health. The supplement includes review articles on connectedness, confidence and character as predictors of sexual and reproductive health outcomes, and commentary on the future of positive youth development. View the supplement abstracts.


Parents’ Perspectives on Talking to Pre-teenage Children About Sex

Although parent-child communication about sex can significantly affect children’s sexual behavior, many parents do not talk to their children about sex. Researchers found that parents believed it is important to talk to their children about sex and believed that doing so can be effective, but many had not done so. Primary barriers were parents’ perception that their children are too young and not knowing how to talk to their children about the subject. The authors concluded that interventions aimed at encouraging parents to talk to their children about sex should enhance parents’ understanding of the stages of children’s sexual development and focus on the parents of young children. Read the entire article (PDF).

MOAPPP promotes It’s That Easy: Helping Parents Raise Sexually Healthy Children in response to this issue. This training helps parent educators learn tools and techniques to engage parents/caregivers in developmentally appropriate approaches to raising sexually healthy children. More resources for parent educators can be found hereIt’s That Easy information can be found here.


Sexual Values and Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Latino Youths

Understanding Latino youths’ sexual values is key to informing HIV prevention efforts. Few studies have examined associations between culturally based sexual values and behaviors among Latinos. This article does so. Researchers conclude that it is important to integrate themes of virginity and sexual desire into intervention curricula so youth can better understand how these sexual norms influence their developing sexual identities and behaviors. Read the abstract here.


Characteristics Associated with Sex After Periods Of Abstinence among Sexually Experienced Young Women

Adolescent pregnancy prevention is difficult because adolescent sex is intermittent. Understanding why sexually experienced adolescents have sex after a period of abstinence will help clinicians to tailor counseling. This article examines the relationship between intermittent sexual experiences and individual characteristics. Researchers conclude that clinicians may want to ask adolescents not only whether they are sexually active but also when they last had sex to provide the most targeted and timely sexual health counseling. Read the abstract here.

MOAPPP Events

April 12, 2010
What About the Baby? Nurturing Healthy Attachment in Young Families

9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Proctor Area Community Center
100 Pionk Drive, Proctor

Early learning happens in the context of relationships. This workshop focuses on the importance of relationship—between adolescent parents and their children and between young families and the professionals who work with them. It offers insight into the strengths and challenges faced by young parents, the competing developmental agendas of adolescent parents and their children, and strategies for promoting relationships that lead to the healthy development of both parent and child.

For more information, see the flyer and registration form (PDF). Click here to register online. Questions? Contact Sue Fust at 651.644.1447 x 15, [email protected]Scholarships are available.


July 20-22, 2010
Safer Choices: Training of Educators
NOTE: CHANGE OF DATE

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on July 20 and 21
8:30 a.m. – noon on July 22
Minnesota Department of Education
1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville

Safer Choices is an evidence-based curriculum taught over two consecutive years, 10 lessons in Year One (Level One) and 10 lessons in Year Two (Level Two). Safer Choices involves teachers, parents, and community members to have a positive influence on adolescents’ decisions regarding sex and help them feel supported in making healthy choices. In addition to the highly interactive training, each participant receives a copy of the Safer Choices curriculum, student workbooks and activity kit. For more information and to register, see the flyer and registration form (PDF). Click here to register online. Registration scholarships are available. Questions? Contact Jill at 651.644.1447 x 18, [email protected].

Coalition for Responsible Sex Ed Events

MOAPPP is a founding member of the Coalition for Responsible Sex Ed. The Coalition advocates for policies on sexuality education and access to confidential health care for minors. Here is a list of Coalition events for 2010. For additional information, visit www.coalitionforsexed.org.

March 24, 2010
Youth Lobby Day

Minnesota State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

This FREE event for youth will focus on being an effective advocate in the legislative process and issues surrounding responsible sex ed and minors’ access to confidential care in Minnesota. Minnesota youth will gather at the Capitol to send a message to legislators about the urgent need for a sex ed statute in Minnesota. Register here today! Learn more about the Coalition at www.coalitionforsexed.org. Find organizational members here. Join as an individual or as an organization here.

Other Events

April 7, 2010
The 2010 Minnesota Annual Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Conference:
Prevention Works! Taking the Message Home

St. Cloud Civic Center, St. Cloud

This year’s conference features in-depth workshops on nationally recognized strategies that participants can use in their home communities to promote the well-being of children, families and communities. Featured presenters include Prevent Child Abuse America President Jim Hmurovich, the “Good Enough Moms” Marti Erickson and Erin Erickson Garner, Cordelia Anderson, Casa de Esperanza’s Ambar Cristina Hanson and Olga Trujillo, and more! Visit www.pcamn.org for full information and to register as a participant or an exhibitor. Early Bird rates apply until March 16. Don’t miss this chance to be part of raising spirits, inciting hope and encouraging action for thriving Minnesota communities!

Funding Opportunities

Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative – Community Grants Program

The Office of Minority and Multicultural Health of the Minnesota Department of Health is currently soliciting proposals for the Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative (EHDI). The EHDI grant funds are provided to close the gap in the health status of African Americans/Africans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos in Minnesota as compared with whites in the following priority health areas: breast and cervical cancer screening, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, HIV/AIDS and sexually-transmitted diseases, immunizations for adults and children, infant mortality, teen pregnancy, unintentional injuries and violence as well as social determinants of health.

Eligible applicants include but are not limited to faith-based organizations, social service organizations, community non-profit organizations, community health boards, tribal governments, and community clinics throughout Minnesota. A copy of the full Request for Proposals may be obtained at www.health.state.mn.us/ommh.