Teen Pregnancy
Prevention Alliance

 Did you know that there were nearly 1100 babies born to Polk County teens in 2003? This places Polk County 15th highest in Florida for teen births.

 

History of Polk TPPA:

The Polk Teen Pregnancy Prevention Alliance (TPPA) formed as a committee of the Healthy Start Coalition by a small group of women interested in preventing adolescent pregnancy in Hardee, Highlands, and Polk Counties.

TPPA was formally established in 1994 as an action group of the Healthy Start Coaltion of Hardee, Highlands, and Polk Counties. TPPA is comprised of members from sectors of the community including, but not limited to: private business, public health, social services, law enforcement, schools and the faith community. In 1999, the Coalition was awarded funding from Polk Works, the Polk County Health Department, and Polk Board of County Commissioners, and with in-kind funding from the Coalition, to bring a Polk County Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative and house it at the Coalition.

Statement of Purpose:

The complex nature of teen pregnancy touches all Polk County communities and residents, either directly or indirectly. It is the communities' responsibility, and in their best interest to provide the opportunity for all Polk County children to succeed and achieve maximum self-sufficiency.

In 2001, the average birth rate for teens 15-19 years of age for Polk County residents was 74.05 per 1,000 as compared to 47.33 for Florida as a whole. The average birth rate for teens under the age of 18 for Polk County residents was 16.87 per 1,000, whereas the state as a whole was 10.21. The average birth rate for teens aged 10-14 for Polk County residents was 1.79 per 1,000, compared to 0.96 for the state as a whole.

The goal of TPPA is to identify ways in which the Polk Community can work together to reduce the Polk County birth rate by 33 percent for teens under the age of 18 by the end of the year 2005 based upon the 2000 birth rate for the same population, which was 19.14.

Alliance Structure:

TPPA is divided into five committees:

For Teens: Did you know that 23 teens give birth every week in Polk County?

Don't become a statistic. You have hopes, dreams, and a future...getting someone pregnant, becoming pregnant, or contracting a STD may make it harder to fulfill your dreams.

Wanna know what your peers think about sex? Check it out here...

http://www.teenpregnancy.org

Got Questions? Here's where to go for the answers!

TALK TO YOUR PARENTS OR AN ADULT YOU TRUST

American Social Health Association http://www.iwannaknow.org
National Great to Wait, Florida Dept. of Healt http://www.greattowait.com
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy http://www.teenpregnancy.org
Planned Parenthood Federation http://www.plannedparenthood.org

Want to join the fight against teen pregnancy?

Join the Youth Leadership Team - help us plan activities like the annual Just Wait Teen Summit. Tell us why you think Polk has such a serious problem with teen pregnancy! Call (863) 297-3043 or click here to register.

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For Parents: Did you know that recent studies suggest that 55 percent of all 15-year-olds have had intercourse at least once in their lives?

DON'T FEEL HOPELESS...TALK TO YOUR KIDS!

Start now...It's never too late!

Here are Ten Tips For Parents To Help Their Children Avoid Teen Pregnancy developed by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (for more details go to www.teenpregnancy.org):

1. Be clear about your own sexual values and attitudes.
2. Talk to your children early and often about sex, and be specific.
3. Supervise and monitor your children.
4. Know your children's friends and their families.
5. Discourage early, frequent, and steady dating.
6. Take a strong stand against your daughter dating a boy significantly older than she is. Don't allow your son to develop an intense relationship with a girl much younger than he is.
7. Help your teenagers to have options for the future that are more attractive than early pregnancy and parenthood.
8. Let your kids know that you value education highly.
9. Know what your kids are watching, reading, and listening to.
10. These first nine tips for helping your children avoid teen pregnancy work best when they occur as part of strong, close relationships with your children that are built from an early age; but it is never too late to improve relationships with your children.

Other resources for parents:

Campaign for our Children http://www.cfoc.org
Center for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov
Great to Wait, Florida Department of Health http://www.greattowait.com
National Parent, Teacher Association http://www.pta.org
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy http://www.teenpregnancy.org
National Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting, and Prevention http://www.noappp.org
Planned Parenthood Federation http://www.plannedparenthood.org
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. http://www.siecus.org

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For Faith Leaders: Did you know that every two weeks, one 10 to 14-year-old girl gives birth in Polk County?

People who have worked with youths have long believed that religious faith and a strong moral sense are critical in protecting them from premature sexual activity and pregnancy. The role of faith is vital in preventing adolescent pregnancy.

TPPA has drafted the Faith Community Commitment. This Commitment seeks the faith community's participation to do at least one thing for its youth that might minimize the potential for teen pregnancy. Examples include a human sexuality class for the seventh graders or a seminar to teach parents how to talk to their children about sexuality. To date, nearly 100 faith-based organizations have signed the commitment.

Wondering what you can do as a faith leader?

Here are Nine Tips to Help Faith Leaders and Their Communities Address Teen Pregnancy developed by the Religion and Public Values Task Force of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (for more detailed tips go to www.teenpregnancy.org):

1. Address the need teens have for spiritual fulfillment and help them find answers to the many challenging problems they face.
2. Encourage parents to talk with their children about sex and morality within the context of your faith tradition.
3. Enlist adults in your faith community to help young people.
4. Make sure the children and teenagers in your faith community understand what your faith tradition says about sex, love, and marriage in general and teen pregnancy, in particular. Use clear and unambiguous language.
5. Learn about contemporary youth culture - what your young people are reading, listening to, watching, and doing.
6. Organize supervised group activities for teenagers in your faith community.
7. Reach out to teenagers who are not involved in any faith community.
8. Celebrate achievement and excellence.
9. Reach out to other faith communities, neighborhood organizations, and institutions that work with young people.

We have a variety of teen pregnancy prevention materials that your organization can use. Give us a call at (863)297-3043 for more information.

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