Black Women's Group Fights ATL Teen Pregnancy

ATLANTA--The Center for Black Women's Wellness, Inc. (CBWW) recently received one of six Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Replication of Evidence-based Programs grants received in the state of Georgia. This grant, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), supports the replication of effective teen pregnancy programs as well as the testing of new, innovative approaches to combating teen pregnancy. This five-year initiative provides CBWW with $2.7 million to reach and engage more Atlanta youth than ever before in order to combat teen pregnancy.

"We are extremely excited about this opportunity to strengthen our efforts to reduce teen pregnancy by providing critical life skills to youth, while fostering communication between parents and their children," states Jemea Dorsey, Chief Executive Officer for the Center for Black Women's Wellness. "Since Georgia ranks #10 among states with the highest rates of teen pregnancies, this grant allows us to build upon our many years of experience to further combat teen pregnancies among area youth."

CBWW will implement an evidence-based curriculum, known as the Teen Health Project, for female and male youth ages 12-17. The curriculum also includes parent education sessions which address parent-child communication. Finally, a group of youth will get nominated by their peers to serve on a Teen Health Council to plan and implement monthly activities and quarterly events with a teen pregnancy and HIV-prevention theme. The initiative will work with youth residing in Neighborhood Planning Unit V (NPU-V) and Neighborhood Planning Unit L (NPU-L) in Atlanta and partner with several youth-serving agencies to ensure that a broad cross-section of youth and parents benefit from the program.
The grant comes from a pool of $155 million being awarded to states, non-profit organizations, school districts, universities, and others. "These grants address a major problem facing American young people and their families," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "Teen pregnancy short-circuits the futures of young parents and their children. It is critical that we work with states and communities to give our young people the tools and information they need to make wise decisions that will ensure their health and success."

About the Center for Black Women's Wellness, Inc.

The Center for Black Women's Wellness, Inc. (CBWW) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that provides free and low-cost services to empower black women and their families, toward physical, mental and economic wellness. Established in 1988, CBWW has assisted more than 12,000 metro Atlanta women. Visit www.cbww.org for more information.