Teen birth rates again rise

Last year was the second year in a row that teen birth rates rose. Since 2005, the teen birth rate increased by 2% after 14 years of consistent decline. When it was reported that the teen pregnancy had risen across ethnic groups, popular responses ranged from, “see what happens when abstinence-only is taught in classrooms?” to “see what happens when there’s not enough abstinence-only taught in classrooms?” Of course, youth development professionals know that the issue is far more complex than that. While national and state education policies play an important role in determining what gets taught in the classroom, often the reality is that young people get a steady stream of mixed messages about health and sexuality.

Some adolescent health professionals suggest several reasons for the increases: a possible decrease in the use of contraceptives, socioeconomic changes, and differences in relationships and attitudes are some of the theories. The Obama administration’s intentional shift towards embracing science and evidence-based programming is a welcome development. We know what works: giving young people medically accurate information and supporting them with comprehensive sexuality education, including ways to strengthen relationships with both family and partners.

Want to get involved? Click here to learn more about The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Click here for more information from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, and here for research briefs from Child Trends.

Hoosiers Support Legislation to Coordinate Youth Services and Programs

MCCOY Urges Community to Support the Federal Youth Coordination Act by Joining the 36 Organizations and 100 Individuals Who Have Signed a Letter of Support

MCCOY is asking the community to sign a letter of support for the Federal Youth Coordination Act (H.R. 7004). This bill seeks to create a White House Office on Children and Youth, which would strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of youth programs and services. The letter is directed to Representative Mark Souder of Indiana's 3rd Congressional District, who is a member of the Education & Labor Committee. As of Tuesday, 100 individuals and 36 organizations have signed the letter of support.
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Meet ROY: Resources Online for Youth!

It's finally here - central Indiana's new, searchable database of youth activities and opportunities! ROY is now gathering information from youth-serving organizations about their programs and activities. Creating a profile is FAST, EASY and absolutely FREE (music to a non-profit's ears).

Just visit www.roymccoy.org, scroll down to the bottom right and click on "Create a new account". If you can't finish filling out your profile in one setting, it's not a problem. Just log out, then log back in later to fill in the blanks

Need some help getting to know ROY? We have dedicated a page on our website to this very purpose. Click here to learn more about the project and its purposes or download cheat sheets of required information.