May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
Is sex a constant topic
of interest among people you know?
Do you know a teen who is
pregnant?
The United States still
has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any western industrialized
country.
So what can you do?
Dare to be different.
Quick Facts about teen
pregnancy:
•Almost 50% of teens have
never considered how a pregnancy would affect their lives.
•Parenthood is the
leading reason why teen girls drop out of school.
•Eight out of ten fathers
don't marry the mother of their child. These absent fathers pay less
than $800 annually for child support, often because they are poor
themselves.
•Children who live apart
from their fathers are also five times more likely to be poor than
children with both parents at home.
Is it Love?
Fact: 1 in 3 teen girls
say they have been concerned about being physically hurt by their
partner.
Fact: 57% of teens know
someone who has been physically, sexually, or verbally abusive in a
dating relationship.
Charges filed against
Chris Brown for assaulting Rihanna have ignited a media storm that
has thrust the issue of dating violence into the spotlight. Stories
about the couple’s relationship have appeared everywhere from
tabloids to prime time news.
Unfortunately, dating
violence is all too common among teenagers.
One in four teens reports
verbal, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse each year. And one in
11 high school students reports being physically hurt by someone
they were dating.
The three most common
types of dating abuse include: physical, emotional and sexual.
•Physical abuse –
includes pinching, hitting, shoving or kicking
•Emotional abuse –
includes threatening, name calling, teasing, bullying, or keeping a
teen away from friends and family
•Sexual abuse – forcing
someone to engage in a sex act (includes fondling and rape)
In addition to the
physical and emotional threats, dating violence can have lifelong
effects. Teens who are abused are more likely to do poorly in school
and engage in unhealthy behaviors such as sex, drugs and alcohol.
Stress and anger from abusive relationships can cause teens to
develop eating disorders, and in some cases, attempt suicide.
Dating abuse is a serious
problem in the United States, but many times goes unreported because
the person being abused is afraid to tell friends and family.
Warning signs that someone is being abused include: loss of
identity, depression, breakdown of coping skills, visible injuries,
and social isolation. If you or one of your friends is experiencing
dating abuse, please ask for help.
For more information
about dating violence contact:
On Point: 423-899-9188
First Things First:
423-267-5383
The Girl Scouts of
Moccasin Bend:
423-877-2688
Sexting and you
People who think they are
in luv often do crazy things. Some of those things are creative and
fun while others end up getting you burned. Sexting is one of those
things that could end up creating a lot of chaos in your life.
Before you say, “That will never happen to me,” consider the fact
that there are a lot of teens facing serious charges for sexting who
probably said the same thing.
Things to consider before
you hit send:
Nothing in cyberspace is
private. Once it is out there you have no control over where it
goes. One angry ex-boyfriend sent nude pictures that his now
ex-girlfriend had sent him. He sent the text to email and proceeded
to forward it to her parents, grandparents, teachers and many
friends.
Ask yourself: Do I want
to have pictures of myself posted who knows where that could come
back to haunt me?
Do you believe your body
is the best thing you have to offer the person you are dating? Looks
may play a role, but what about your mind, your personality and your
sense of humor? Great friendships and dating relationships are
built on shared interests, common friends and mutual respect.
Relationships that revolve around sex rarely last.
Ask yourself: If I
don’t send pictures of myself to this person will we still be
talking? If the answer is no, then you didn’t have a relationship
in the first place.
What you do now can
impact your future. Many employers search the internet for
information about perspective employees. Remember, what you send in
cyberspace never really goes away.
Ask yourself: Is
sexting worth the risk?
Safety on the Web
Did you Know?
• About 30% of victims
of Internet sexual exploitation are guys!
• Internet sexual
predators tend to fall between the ages of 18 and 55.
• Some sexual predators
never want to meet their victims in real life. Many are satisfied
“cybering” or sharing pics. Some collect conversations or track
vulnerable teens and preteens. Some use webcams to blackmail teens
into doing things on video.
And here's the most
important -- and most encouraging -- statistic:
• The greatest danger
lies in the people you willingly meet in real life, after having
only known them in cyberspace. They're not the slimy fat slobs with
cigars that stalk you at your home. They are people you've invited
in. (Although they may still be slimy fat cigar-smoking creeps!) And
in 100% of the cases Parry Aftab (internet privacy and security
lawyer) has reviewed, teens that are the victims of sexual predators
have gone willingly to meet with them. That means it’s 100%
preventable!
What you need to know:
•Be informed.
•Be careful what you
post.
•Just because you keep
your profile private does not mean it is private.
•What you post can follow
you for a lifetime.
•Having a lot of friends
is cool. But make sure before you confirm someone as your friend
that they are really friend worthy. (Look up Webster’s definition of
a friend)
Creative Dates
1. Go for a hike in
the mountains
2. Watch a funny movie
together
3. Help out in a
service organization together
4. Grab something to
eat and take it to the park for a picnic
5. Go for a walk or
jog
6. Cook a meal
together for one of your families
7. Go to a park,
swing, and play
8. Watch people in the
mall
9. Go for a drive and
explore new places
10. Run errands for
your parents
11. Take your kid
brother or sister out for ice cream
12. Take pictures;
then make a scrapbook together
13. Plant a garden;
take care of it together; enjoy the harvest
14. Look at old family
picture albums
15. Take your dog for
a walk
16. Get all dressed up
and have a candlelight dinner.
17. Go to a historic
site
18. Philosophize under
the stars. Share your hopes and dreams
19. Wash your parents'
cars
20. Play board games
or cards
21. Learn to play a
sport together
22. Read a book
together
23. Bury a treasure
(like a big Hershey's kiss) and make the other person a treasure map
to find it
24. Throw the other
person a surprise party for a special occasion
25. Make a movie
Linked In
·
http://www.stayteen.org/quiz/ Great site for teens which
includes a quiz and discussion guides for National; Day to prevent
teen pregnancy.
·
http://www.loveisrespect.org/ National Teen Dating Abuse
Helpline
View a short
video clip on YouTube with comments from Relationship Smarts
participants and Church Hill Academy school staff (serving at risk
youth).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipY7OldtSwU
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