Second Annual Give to the Max Day
The second annual Give to the Max Day will be held on Tuesday, November 16th. The goal of the day is to inspire unprecedented levels of charitable giving in the state of Minnesota. Last year, you supported MOAPPP with gifts totaling $5,000! This year, MOAPPP will designate any gifts received through our Give to the Max Day page to a collaborative project with the Youth Performance Company to tell the world about our new organizational name (coming soon!) and the important work we do in the state. The first $5,000 in gifts will be matched, dollar for dollar, by the MOAPPP Board and staff!
MOAPPP Staff Transition
Since early 2008, Julie Schultz Brown has served as MOAPPP’s Development Director, directing grant writing, individual donor cultivation, corporate giving and event planning. She also managed many communications activities: acting as MOAPPP’s Facebook voice, writing the Monitor and crafting the annual report. Julie recently accepted a new position with the Saint Paul Public Schools as Director of the Office of Innovation and Development. We wish her warm congratulations, while already missing her infectious energy and humor. Please join us in thanking Julie for her transformative work for MOAPPP.
Teen Outreach Program in the News
Be sure to check out this wonderful story in the Star Tribune about the Teen Outreach Program in Brooklyn Center High School. As part of its federal teen pregnancy prevention project, Hennepin County will support expansion of TOP to schools in Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Hopkins, Minneapolis, New Hope and Robbinsdale.
There has been longstanding interest in TOP in Minnesota, and a longstanding MOAPPP connection. This press release (PDF) from the Junior League of Minneapolis details how MOAPPP’s founder and first Executive Director, Nancy Nelson, facilitated bringing TOP to Minnesota in the late 1980s, how Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis (now The Family Partnership) expanded programming in the city, and how these efforts led to the formation of MOAPPP as part of the Minnesota Statewide Teen Pregnancy Prevention Project in 1991.
With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Minnesota Department of Health, MOAPPP facilitated bringing the current version of TOP to the state over the last few years, and currently works with Wyman, Inc. in St. Louis, MO to ensure all TOP sites are running well.
TOP program outcomes include decreased teen pregnancy rates, improved grades and decreased school dropout. For more information about replicating TOP in your community, contact Jocelyn Broyles at 651.644.1447, x 19 or [email protected].
Call for Exhibitors for MOAPPP’s 20th Annual Conference, May 5-6, 2011
Please join us as an exhibitor for the 20th Annual MOAPPP Conference, May 5-6, 2011 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. The MOAPPP Conference convenes approximately 400 social service and health care providers, educators, advocates, program directors and youth who work to promote adolescent sexual health, prevent adolescent pregnancy, HIV and STIs, and support pregnant and parenting teens in Minnesota. Visit the conference page of the MOAPPP website for more information and an application.
Do You Work with Adolescent Mothers or Fathers? Please Help Us by Completing This Survey!!
The Minnesota Young Father Action Collaborative, staffed by MOAPPP, is looking for information to help us in our work. Please visit this link and take the survey. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes but will help us tremendously. Thanks very much!
Other Announcements
National Recognition for Aquí Para Tí of Hennepin County
Congratulations to the Aquí Para Tí (Here for You) program at Hennepin County Medical Center for being recognized by the National Multicultural Institute’s (NMCI) with the Leading Lights Diversity Award. The award celebrates individuals and nonprofit organizations that are extraordinary leaders in forwarding NMCI’s mission of building an inclusive society that is strengthened and empowered by its diversity. Aquí Para Tí is a comprehensive, bicultural, clinic-based, youth development program, provides medical care, behavioral health consultations, coaching, health education and referrals to Latino youths aged 11 to 24 years and their families. Aquí Para Tí’s Medical Director, Dr. Veronica Svetaz, is part of MOAPPP’s Advisory Board, and the program received MOAPPP’s Community Partner award in 2009.
Community Workshops on the State Budget
Minnesota’s Citizens League is launching a series of 25 community workshops across the state, giving Minnesotans an opportunity to weigh in on the troublesome state budget situation. The workshops will be informative, fast-paced and interactive—illuminating the current reality of the state budget, examining future trends and asking participants to identify values and priorities they think should help frame state budget decisions for the coming decade and beyond. Findings will be presented to the newly elected governor and Legislature in January 2011.
The project will include a series of workshops to engage people from underrepresented communities. The state budget impacts the lives of all Minnesotans and people of color in particular. If Minnesota is to meet the demographic and economic challenges it faces, it’s important that policy makers hear the priorities, concerns and hopes leaders of underrepresented communities have for the state. Visit the Citizens League website to sign up, or for more information.
World AIDS Day, December 1, 2010
The international theme for World AIDS Day 2010 is “Universal Access and Human Rights,” to address the critical need to protect human rights and attain access for all to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. It also acts as a call to countries to remove laws that discriminate against people living with HIV, women and marginalized groups. This theme will be promoted under the overall campaign slogan from the last five years of, “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.” To read more about the international theme, visit the World AIDS Campaign website at www.worldaidscampaign.info.
A national variation to the World AIDS Day theme is, “AIDS – equal treatment for all!” Theme specific posters, buttons, ribbons, pens, pencils and key chains are available for purchase at www.lifejackets.com.
Minnesota Department of Health has updated its online World AIDS Day fact sheets, tip sheets and calendar for 2010 at www.health.state.mn.us. A Governor’s Proclamation and corresponding news release will be developed and distributed in November.
In the News
State Differences in Adolescent Birth Rates
This state-by-state report (PDF) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses geomapping to show the disparate adolescent birth rates for all 50 states. It reiterates what MOAPPP’s Adolescent Sexual Health Report (PDF) showed in April:
Minnesota ranks among the 10 states with the lowest overall teen birth rate, but among the ten states with the highest teen birth rate for African American girls. In addition, rates are significantly above average for Minnesota’s Hispanic/Latina girls. MOAPPP’s report (PDF) also shows that rates for American Indian and Asian/Pacific Islander girls far outpace national rates for their respective populations.
MOAPPP supports community-driven responses to teen pregnancy, HIV and STI prevention, and works to promote evidence-based approaches that have been shown to make a difference for young people’s futures.
New Resources
Risk and Protective Factors of Adolescent Pregnancy
The goal of this report (PDF) from authors Laurel Edinburgh and Andrea Mayfield is to inform parents, social workers, probation officers and health care providers about the unique role sexual violence plays in increasing the risk of unplanned adolescent pregnancy.
Cyberbullying
Visit this website from the Children, Youth and Families Education and Research Network at Rutgers University to find information and resources for parents and educators on cyberbullying.
What If We Took Research Seriously: What Would Teen Pregnancy Programs Look Like?
Child Trends Senior Scholar Kristin Anderson Moore, Ph.D., received the Healthy Teen Network’s Researcher of the Year award at its annual conference in October. Dr. Moore’s keynote presentation, What If We Took Research Seriously: What Would Teen Pregnancy Programs Look Like? (PDF), offered:
- A broader definition of teen pregnancy prevention
- Common characteristics of effective prevention approaches
- Examples of programs that help teen parents and their families thrive
- Methods for applying data and research to drive program quality
Predictive Relationship Between Adolescent Oral and Vaginal Sex
The goal of this study was to establish the relationship between oral and vaginal sex and whether adolescents used oral sex as a means of delaying intercourse or if oral sex increased the likelihood of having vaginal sex. Results found that oral sex is often a precursor to adolescents having vaginal intercourse. Among sexually active adolescents, most initiated vaginal sex after or within the same six-month period of oral sex initiation. The authors conclude that evidenced-based interventions and provision of preventive services aimed toward reducing sexual risk should be expanded to include the role oral sex plays in adolescent sex behavior. Read the abstract here.
New Research
Adolescent Dating Violence
The Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma devoted two special issues, Volume 19, Issue 5 and 6 to the topic of adolescent dating violence.
- Issue 5: Adolescent Dating Violence, Part I: Gender, Race, and the Social Ecological Context
- Issue 6: Adolescent Dating Violence, Part II: Relational Dynamics as Sources of Risk and Resilience
How African American Families Discuss and Promote Healthy Teen Dating Relationships
The study used focus groups with African American parents and adolescents to explore the process and content of parent-adolescent communication about sex. Results of the study indicate:
- Family history of child sexual abuse often motivates discussions.
- Mothers are described as the primary parent discussing sexual issues with children.
- Fathers primarily role model ideal male partnership behavior for sons and daughters.
- Parents seek to prevent daughters from experiencing sexual abuse or emotional manipulation by partners and focus on instilling a sense of responsibility to and respect for romantic partners in sons.
- Parents prioritize and express the need for tools to influence their adolescent’s socialization as romantic partners. Mothers and fathers approach this process differently.
- Family-focused interventions to prevent unhealthy relationships can build on parent’s efforts.
Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Relationships Among High School Students
The purpose of this study was to describe sexual behaviors, sexual violence and sexual identity among a population-based sample of adolescents according to the sex of their sex partners, considering separately those with partners of both sexes. Results of the 2005-2007 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Surveys were used. Of sexually active adolescents, 9.3 percent reported a same-sex partner, a higher estimate than other published rates. Those who reported both male and female partners reported behaviors that placed them at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. Pediatricians and school health providers must inquire about behaviors, not identity, to determine STI risk, and STI education should be appropriate for youth with same-sex partners.
Adolescent Sexuality Research
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 39, October 2010 has devoted an issue to topics related to adolescent sexuality and are offering free access to the issue during the month of November. Research articles included in this issue are:
- Sexuality Related Social Support Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth
- Relationship Trajectories and Psychological Well-Being Among Sexual Minority Youth
- Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Parent-Adolescent Communication About Sex: A Representative Statewide Analysis
- School Climate for Transgender Youth: A Mixed Method Investigation of Student Experiences and School Responses
- Sexual Orientation, Parental Support, and Health During the Transition to Young Adulthood
- Acculturation Strategies and Mental Health in Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth
- Early Adolescent Sexual Initiation and Physical/Psychological Symptoms: A Comparative Analysis of Five Nations
- Assessing Causality in the Relationship Between Adolescents’ Risky Sexual Online Behavior and Their Perceptions of this Behavior
- Older Romantic Partners and Depressive Symptoms During Adolescence
MOAPPP Events
No MOAPPP events scheduled for November.
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.
No Coalition events in November.
Other Events
Multiple Dates
Every Student Connected Workshop Series
Location: To Be Determined
- December 3, 2010: Cyberbullying
- January 21, 2011: Connecting with Native American Students and Families
- February 18, 2011: Alternatives to Suspension
- March 11, 2011: Best Practices for Cultural and Family Liaisons.
The Every Student Connected Workshop series is sponsored by The Family Partnership (formerly Family & Children’s Service). Please contact Jeannette Raymond at [email protected] or 612.728.2093 to sign up for email notices regarding upcoming workshops. Also contact Jeannette with suggestions of cultural and family liaisons who might present in March to an audience of about 100 people.
Multiple Dates
Youth Development Brown Bag Webinar Series
- “Understanding Youth Development: A guide to program design,” Kari Robideau, M.S.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010 - “Being an Ally to LGBTQ Youth,” Kara Gravely-Stack & Joshua A. Boschee
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 - “Underage Drinking: Implications for communities,” Dr. Sharon Query
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 (re-scheduled from November to February) - The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development: What have we learned?,” Dr. Sharon Query
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - “Communicating with the Net Generation,” Kari Robideau, M.S. & Karyn Santi, M.Ed.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Extension Services of North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota are partnering to offer a series of six webinars on youth development topics. Each webinar will provide live, interactive learning experiences that you can participate in at your own computer over the lunch hour. Participants are able to ask the instructor questions and get answers in real time while the presenter conducts discussions, questions and polls. For more information and to register, visit www.ndsu.edu.
January 24-25, 2011
Minnesota Fatherhood & Family Services Summit
Kelly Inn, St. Cloud
Mark your calendars for the Minnesota Fatherhood & Family Services Summit. Keynote presenters include Bill Doherty (MN), Carolyn and Phil Cowan (CA), and Michael Hayes (TX). Presenters will address topics of co-parenting, family relationships, parenting and paternity education, child well-being and much more.
This conference is ideal for professionals working in areas of corrections, child support, child welfare, early education, early childhood programming, fatherhood programs, family law, teen pregnancy prevention, maternal/child health, family relations, social work, violence prevention and related fields. For more information and to register, visit www.mnfathers.org.