Free Teens Leadership Training Summary Since 1998, Free Teens USA has given its nationally acclaimed Free Teens Leadership Training and Relationship Intelligence education to more than 100,000 students in New York and New Jersey. Independent analysis of prepost surveys of students who received this education by the New Jersey Department of Health found the following increases (p<.001) in attitudes and intentions to delay sexual involvment.
During the years that Free Teens has offered educational programs in Jersey City and Paterson, birth rates in Jersey City dropped from 516 births to unmarried 10-19 year-olds in 1998 to 317 births in this age group in 2004, a 39% reduction. In demographically similar Elizabeth, which had no abstinence ed program, the reduction was 18%. Birth rates to unmarried girls ages 10-19 in Paterson dropped from 522 births in 1998 to 361 births in this age group in 2004, a 31% reduction. In nearby Passaic City, where there was no abstinence education program, the drop in births in the unmarried 10-19 age group was 19%. Overall, births to unmarried girls ages 10-19 in New Jersey dropped 21% in these years (http://njshad.doh.state.nj.us/birmunage1220.html ). The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has estimated that teen childbearing costs in New Jersey cost NJ taxpayers $3.3 billion between 1991 to 2004, or $27,341 per birth (http://teenpregnancy.org/costs/tables.asp). The average 14% extra reduction in teen births in Jersey City and Paterson (above the statewide average reduction of 21%) attributable to Free Teens abstinence education (145 less births in 2004, roughly 700 less births from 2003-2007) has resulted in a projected savings of $19,138,700 in federal, state and local expenditures for public health care, child welfare, incarceration and lost tax revenue over a 14 year period. What Teachers Say about Free Teens “I liked that the program initiates a dialog with the students. It brought up real issues that the students are either facing or will face.” “Present this to every 11-20 year old!” “If we are to teach a sex ed. course here, I would use this content.” ”Get this to our freshmen NOW!” “These presentations should be given to our students.” “Please do a follow up workshop” “In the urban community, students should definitely hear a clear abstinence centered message! The presentations are excellent and the children enjoyed it greatly!” What Parents Say“Many teenagers grow up in a home where sex education is not spoken about—a no-no. They need to be aware of their body, to take care of it and to respect it.” “This program taught us grownups a lot of information not previously known.” “I like the openness, frankness and the manner in which the program is presented.” What Students Say“I feel that all teenagers should know about this program!” “I liked that the program spoke about how the real world is – about sex, AIDS and commitment.” “I learned the difference between real love and fake love.” Background and Mission The Free Teens Leadership Training program was initiated by Richard Panzer in 1989. Mr. Panzer holds a BA from Yale University in Media and Communications and a Doctorate in Educational Communication and Technology from New York University. He is also a certified Family Life Educator. The Free Teens program is an intensive pregnancy and HIV prevention education curricula used in 6th through 12th grade health classes, youth clubs and churches. Free Teens uses highly motivated and trained presenters and impactful media including slide/PowerPoint presentations, billboards, theater groups, newsletters, websites, video DVDs and multimedia assemblies to communicate its message. The Free Teens curriculum has been used by schools and community organizations in 38 states and in many countries around the world and translated into 10 languages. It has been reviewed by the National Clearance House for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCHADI) and found to be "medically accurate, in conformance with public health principles and policies, an appropriate for the intended audience." A companion curriculum called Relationship Intelligence that emphasizes such themes as self-leadership, stages of intimacy, healthy relationships and the benefits of marriage, was rated as one of the top three curricula on marriage and relationships in the country by the Institute for American Values. Many dynamics make up this effective teen leadership training program that helps youth avoid the traps of low expectations and bad choices that contribute to so many failed lives. Negative attitudes that lead to self-destructive behaviors are challenged. At the same time teens are awakened to the power of their own dreams and future goals. Core values are explored so teens can see themselves as contributors to society, not victims. No one can choose the circumstance of their birth or what happens in the world around them, but they can choose how to respond to life's realities. This is the essence of self-leadership that Free Teens seek to impart to each youth it comes in contact with. The Problem The traps of low expectations and bad choices among teens can be seen most clearly in the tragedy of premature teen sexuality. While progress has been made (53% of American teens in 2005 had never had sex compared with 46% of U.S. teens who were virgins in 1991, and the U.S. teen birth rate declined in 2005 for the 14th straight year, with a small increase in 2006), the U.S. out-of-wedlock teen birth rate is still distressingly high when compared to other industrialized countries. For teens it is more than twice as high as Canada or England and nine times as high as the Netherlands and Japan. This exposes millions of teens to the serious consequences of sexually transmitted diseases and the social and economic consequences of unmarried pregnancies. In the United States, 15 million people, including 3.8 million teenagers 15-19, are infected every year with STD. That’s 10,000 teens infected every day. While effective treatments exist for many of these, a number are incurable, viral diseases, some of which can be fatal. Further, teens need to learn not just about risk-avoidance, but also about the meaning and purpose of sexual intimacy and the fuller joy that can be experienced in lifelong, committed unions. The risks of teen sex and rewards of delay go beyond the physical. High school girls who abstain from sex are three times less likely to become depressed or to attempt suicide. High school boys who abstain are two times less likely to become depressed and ten times less likely to attempt suicide (American Journal of Preventive Medicine 29 (3), October 2005). Teens who abstain from sex are half as likely to drop out of high school, twice as likely to graduate from college and can expect to earn $370,000 more in income over their lifetimes. (Analysis of National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health by Rector, Pardue & Martin, Heritage Foundation Backgrounder, No. 1772, January 28, 2004) Free Teens USA's Track RecordFree Teens abstinence educators have been active in urban areas containing "high needs" populations teaching in public schools and leading after-school neighborhood outreach programs. Free Teens Leadership Training presentations have been given to more than 100,000 6th to 12th grade students in Hudson and Passaic Counties in New Jersey and Westchester and Orange Counties in New York since 1999. Six thousand parents participated in Free Teens programs since 1999. Three hundred youth participate in after-school clubs that meet each week in Newark, Paterson and Jersey City in New Jersey and in Mt. Vernon, Yonkers and Harlem, N.Y. From 1998, when Free Teens started abstinence education in Jersey City and Paterson, until 2004 birth rates to unmarried girls ages 10 to 17 in Jersey City dropped 43%. Birth rates to unmarried girls ages 10 to 17 in Paterson dropped 34%. (http://nj.gov/health/chs/birthchar04.htm) International AIDS Prevention OutreachIn 2004, Free Teens decided to take action to reduce the pandemic of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa bytraining 70 youth leaders, clergy and community organizers in Zambia in the use of its Free Teens Leadership Training and Relationship Intelligence curricula . Zambia, a large country at the heart of sub-equatorial Africa, one in six adults in Zambia is infected with HIV, leading to nearly 100,000 deaths each year and 710,000 AIDS orphans. Life expectancy at birth has fallen below 40 years. (http://www.avert.org/aids-zambia.htm) Since the training in 2004, Free Teens has continued to send educational materials and support for continuing AIDS prevention activities in Ndola and Kitwe, the second and third largest cities in the country. How the FREE TEENS Program Works - Five Stages to Success
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Additional Resources: Teen Sex Trends & Risks Research on Sex Education AIDS Worldwide International Culture Multimedia Newletter Links Visit our other Free Teens Websites: FreeTeensYouth.com CultureMachine.com myspace.com/freeteensusa
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