The YEAH! Network uses research, advocacy, and community education and collaboration to influence policy and practice in adolescent sexual health. By articulating a common agenda among diverse local, state, and national stakeholders, we are working to create an informed, empowered, and engaged response to teen pregnancy and sexual health disparities in Hampden County.
Mayor Elaine Pluta speaks about the importance of a community wide response to the issue of teen pregnancy. The event (which was covered by channel 3 news ) was attended by members of recently convened Holyoke task force, members of the Holyoke Board of Health, teens from both Girls Inc and the YEAH! Network AAB, as well as community members and parents.
Jacquline Yos, mother of 2 Holyoke teens, speaks about why she supports comprehensive science based sex education in the schools, with translation by Teresa Vazquez.
Kevin Garcia, a long time member of the AAB, speaks about his mind on teen pregnancy and the importance of sex education in the high school. He is surrounded by members of Girls Inc. and the AAB.
The Massachusetts 2008 Birth Data, released last week, highlighted the continued disparity in the teen birth rates in many western Massachusetts communities. The information in the report underscores the continued need for comprehensive and sustained efforts to improve reproductive health outcomes for youth. The YEAH! (Youth Empowerment Adolescent Health) Network, a community coalition in Hampden County, uses advocacy, research, and community education to influence policy and practice in adolescent sexual health. Our response to the 2008 teen birth data will be ongoing: we view this year’s annual report from the Department of Public Health as an opportunity to go beneath the surface of the numbers and to explore several of the unanswered questions raised by the data.
The rates of both Springfield and Holyoke remain in stark contrast to the Massachusetts teen birth rate of 20.1 per 1,000. In 2008, for the fourth year in a row, Holyoke experienced the highest teen birth rate in the state: 115.3 births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19. This represents a 21% increase from the city’s 2007 rate of 95.4 per 1,000. The YEAH! Network is developing research questions that will link these statistics to information about poverty and other demographic information, which will inform ongoing policy reform and other community intervention strategies. While we are encouraged by the 27% drop in Springfield’s teen birth rate for 2008 (61.4 per 1,000, compared with 84.3 in 2007), it is preemptive to suggest that this change can be attributed solely to existing programs in the city. The city of Springfield is in the early stages of making positive changes to address the teen birth rate disparity in the city: a city-wide task force addressing adolescent sexual health has been looking closely at these issues for a little over one year. In August 2009, the Springfield school committee approved a comprehensive sex education curriculum that began implementation this past winter. While these encouraging steps should certainly be applauded, there is still substantial work to do.
The Department of Public Health’s report is useful for providing a snapshot of where we have been, but it is not the whole picture. The take-away message is this: We are on the right track, and it is vital that we do not become complacent at this crucial tipping point. In Springfield, the school-based policies have only been implemented a few months ago. In Holyoke, the task forces are still forming. A coordinated and continuous effort, with full community participation, is the only way to achieve the conditions that foster adolescent sexual health: access to information and education; access to reproductive health services; and access to opportunity for the future. The YEAH! Network research team is excited to investigate the intersecting dynamics behind the data in the birth report, and to work with community-based organizations, local governments and schools, and community residents to create an informed, empowered, and engaged response to this health disparity.
At the last meeting of the curriculum sub-committee, which addressed the need for a comprehensive science based sex education curriculum in Holyoke High School, school committee members expressed concern that comprehensive sex education was not something that voters wanted. This is your chance to tell them different!
The next curriculum sub-committee meeting is this coming Monday, 5 April 2010 at Dean Technical High School (1045 Main Street, Holyoke, MA 01040). The sub-committee meeting begins at 6pm. We need your support to get the school committee to approve adoption of a comprehensive science based sexual health curriculum.
What you can do:
Today: Call your school committee member!
School committee members are elected by ward. First determine which ward you live in. Go to the Elections Division Website for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
On this website, you will enter your street number, street name, city and zip code.
Click on "Find my election information"
On the next screen, in the gray box under the red words "Where do I vote," your ward number will be listed.
Now that you know your ward number, you can find your school committee member's name and phone number by visiting the Holyoke Public Schools Website
School committee members that are undecided on the issue of comprehensive science based sex education include: Yvonne Garcia (ward 2), * and William Collamore (ward 6). They NEED to hear your voice! If you live in Ward 2, 5, or 6 we especially encourage you to call your school committee representative to express your views!
Please, ALL HOLYOKE RESIDENTS, call your school committee representative and tell them that they should vote to support comprehensive science based sex education in the Holyoke schools.
Sample script: Hello, I am a Holyoke Resident of Ward X. I am calling to express my support for a comprehensive science based sex education curriculum in the Holyoke Schools. Holyoke has the highest teen birth rate in Massachusetts and very high rates of sexually transmitted infections: something needs to be done to educate our children so that we can combat these issues. The science based curriculum will give our children the tools they need to protect themselves, to live a healthy life, and to make smart decisions regarding sex.
Monday, April 5th 2010: Come to the school committee meeting!
The curriculum sub-committee meeting starts at 6pm. Come at 6pm! If the sub-committee votes to approve sex education, they will pass it on to the full school committee meeting, which begins at 7pm.
Let the committee members know that you, as a voter, support comprehensive science based sex education Speak out: for the health of Holyoke, for the economic prosperity of Holyoke, and for a brighter future for Holyoke's children!
All are welcome - parents, teens, young adults: the voices of ALL Holyoke residents count!
We need YOUR help to ensure passage of the sex education curriculum. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help you find your school committee representative, or to talk to you more about this issue.
Thank you!
*CORRECTION (April 9, 2010) We mistakenly included school committee member Davin Sheehan's name as undecided on the issue of implementing comprehensive science based sex ed. Mr. Sheehan had decided to support CSE before the school committee meeting, indeed helped to educate other school committee members about the issue, and was one of the members who helped to pass this effort. Our apologies to Mr. Sheehan and to any reader's for this misinformation.
Today the YEAH Network Adolescent Advisory Board (AAB) and Ambassadors from Girls Inc. met with Mayor Elaine Pluta in the City Council Chambers. They discussed their concerns about teen sexual health, presented the most recent data and shared what they felt contributed most to the high rates of teen birth and sexually transmitted diseases in the community.
Key Issues identified by the teens:
The poor self image of some young girls in Holyoke due to the perception that Holyoke girls "just get pregnant."
Incomplete or poorly taught sex education in the public schools
The need for sex education at the middle school level in order to prevent unhealthy sexual health behaviors
The teens made recommendations that included:
Better sex education
Involving teens in the process of implementing changes
A “big one:" getting parents to talk to teens about sexual health issues
Increased access to work opportunities for teens in order to keep teens engaged in positive work
Working on these issues at a faster pace, especially since the high rates of teen birth and sexually transmitted infection has been a chronic problem in the community.
The teens specifically asked Mayor Pluta how they can help implement the recommendations of the Redevelopment Committee of the City Council that focus on reducing the high rates of teen birth and sexually transmitted infections in Holyoke.
It was amazing to see the leadership and confidence of these young women and men! The meeting ended with a discussion about specific steps that the teens can take in the next few weeks to be part of Holyoke’s plan to improve the sexual health of teens.
Next steps: 1. The YEAH Network Adolescent Advisory Board, under the direction of Teresa Vazquez, will be hosting a table at the Holyoke Health Center on Friday afternoon to collect signatures from Holyoke residents supporting comprehensive science based sexual health education.
2. Members of the Adolescent Advisory Board will attend the School Committee meeting on Monday, March 15th to support the approval of the sex ed curriculum.
Since the last meeting of the Holyoke Latino Leadershop Roundtable, Mayor Elaine Pluta held a meeting taking a first step towards forming a citywide taskforce to address the high rates of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancies among youth in Holyoke. At the meeting YEAH Network staff and partner organizations emphasized the recommendations that came from the Holyoke Roundtable on March 22. We also advocated for:
The task force to include parent and teen representation
The task force to encourage the Holyoke Public School Curriculum Subcommittee to move forward with approval of the chosen science based sex education curriculum (After the meeting, the YEAH Network was informed that the curriculum will be presented to the committee on Monday, March 15th.)
The task force to move forward with implementation of the recommendations from the Redevelopment Committee of Holyoke City Council regarding the high teen birth rates in the city.
On March 22, the YEAH! Network, in partnership with Enlace de Familia, organized the 2nd Latino Leadershop Roundtable on Teen Pregnancy. The purpose of the meeting was to develop a process for engagement with city residents and policy leaders. Together, they can work to address the high rates of teen births and sexually transmitted diseases in Holyoke. We had a great turn out and an engaging discussion.
Here are some highlights:
A diverse group representing schools, parents, health care workers, policy makers, community activits, community based organizations and academia participated in the discussion
Key themes that the group identified as important to consider when addressing the high teen birthrate:
Comprehensive sex education in the schools is just one component - other sectors of the community need to be involved, as well.
The issue should be framed to reflect a broader concept of teens' sexual health, incorporating healthy relationships and prevention.
Build the capacity of parents to talk to teens about sexual health as well as provide information and opportunities for parents to become involved in advocating for the reproductive needs of youth
Maximize the utilization of community organization programs that address adolescent sexual health
Next Steps:
The YEAH! Network will support the City Council Resolution recommendations, which Mayor Pluta may implement
We will work to increase community awareness and support for the Resolution
As Holyoke moves forward to address one of the most persistent adolescent health issues int he commnity, the YEAH! Network will be working with key stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable response.
