Back Off Baby: I’m in School

1. Back Off Baby: I’m in School Presenters: Felicia Tuggle, LMSW Leslie Heard Presentation to: College Access and Success Challenge Conference Date: February 18-19, 2014 Georgia Department of Human Services

2. Vision, Mission and Core Values • Vision • Stronger Families for a Stronger Georgia. • Mission • Strengthen Georgia by providing Individuals and Families access to services that promote self-sufficiency, independence, and protect Georgia's vulnerable children and adults. • Core Values • Provide access to resources that offer support and empower Georgians and their families. • Deliver services professionally and treat all clients with dignity and respect. Manage business operations effectively and efficiently by aligning resources across the agency. • Promote accountability, transparency and quality in all services we deliver and programs we administer. • Develop our employees at all levels of the agency. 2

3. Presentation Objectives

4. Why does unplanned pregnancy matter to colleges?

5. What does the data suggest? • Only 2 out of 10 students at two-year institutions report getting information on pregnancy planning and prevention from their college • 82% of students reported that having a child while still in school would make it harder to accomplish their goals • More than 3/4 of students report that preventing pregnancy is very important to them, yet 1/3 of these students said it was likely they would have sex without using birth control in the next three months. http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/briefly-unplanned-pregnancy-and-community-colleges.pdf

6. We have to help them COMPLETE their education Image used courtesy of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy

7. Common myths colleges have Unplanned pregnancies mainly occur to teens By the time they arrive at college, students already know everything about how to prevent pregnancy This topic does not belong in a college classroom It’s not our responsibility to teach students about sex If a woman has had a child, she should know how to prevent unplanned pregnancy

8. Strategies for Bridging the Disconnect Incorporate into student support services Connect students to resources Raise awareness Leverage Existing Program Funding

9. http://gaprep.dhr.state.ga.us

10. What is PREP? Personal Responsibility Education Program • Federally funded program to educate youth on both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS - and 3 of 6 legislatively mandated adulthood preparation subjects

11. States Receiving Funding by Year of Receipt

12. Georgia’s PREP Initiative • Mission • To provide evidence-based programming to high priority youth ages 10-19 in an effort to educate and promote personal responsibility • Vision • Through a unified state initiative, provide high risk youth in 10 Georgia counties with free access to evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs and supplemental adult preparation subjects • Goals • Educate youth to make healthy and responsible decisions • To reduce the risk of pregnancy, HIV and STI’s among high priority youth ages 10-19 (up to 21 if pregnant and/or parenting)

13. How/Why were the 10 Counties selected ? Teen Birth Rate (15-19) National Average= 41 /per 1,000 Georgia = 52 /per 1,000 STI Infection Rate (15-19) National = 434,758 /per 100,000 Georgia= 17,273/ per 100,000 Data Source: 2010 Oasis Data

14. PREP Implementation Settings

15. What have we learned from youth? At Entry: • 83% of surveyed PREP participants report having had sexual intercourse • 80% of surveyed PREP participants report intention to have sexual intercourse in the next 6 months • 55% of surveyed PREP participants report using a condom in past 3 months • During the 6 months prior to participating in PREP • 55% had not received information on birth control • 55% had not received pregnancy testing • 55% had not received STD testing or treatment Vulnerable Youth + Risky Behaviors = Negative Outcomes

16. What Impact has PREP made? At Exit: • 45% of participants were more likely to abstain from sex in next 6 months • 63% of participants were less likely to have sex in next 6 months • 85% of participants were more likely to use or ask a partner to use some method of birth control • 86% were more likely to use or ask a partner to use a condom

17. At exit, surveyed PREP participants reported they were more likely or much more likely to: • Care about doing well in school (85%) • Continue education (74%) • Set personal goals (85%) • Form healthy positive relationships (79%) • Positively manage conflict in relationships (75%) • Say no/resist peer pressure (90%) • Manage money carefully (80%)

18. CAMPUS IMPLEMENTATION Albany State University Albany, Georgia

19. OBTAINING CAMPUS BUY-IN • Identify all stakeholders who need to come to the table • Meet with proper campus officials • Provide an overview of the program including funding sources & evidenced based curriculum • Present data and statistics pertaining to HIV/STDs and Pregnancy Rates on College Campuses • Explain the benefits of having a program like this on the campus and how the curriculum can help reduce the risks of HIV/STDs & Pregnancies • Seal the Deal

20. BARRIERS TO BUY -IN • Convincing matured campus officials of the need for programming of this type on college campuses. • Ensuring that there would be no liability on the behalf of the University.

21. ESTABLISHING AN MOA • Who are the parties involved? • What is the purpose of the agreement? • What are the mutual interests of the program? • What are the responsibilities of parties involved? • Who are the contacts for all parties involved? • What are the terms of the agreement to include period, modification and/or termination?

22. STUDENT RECRUITMENT Initial Recruitment Process Current Recruitment Process Set up a booth in the Student Union from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. on Fried Chicken Post a Flyer on the Booth like “Earn Money While Learning About Sex” Present hand-out about program outlining class schedule and other requirements Give an incentive to each student who completes a registration form • Student Activities Email Blasts • Speaking to ASU 1200 Classes which are required of all Freshman • Flyers under the dorm doors • Word of Mouth

23. PROGRAM STRUCTURE DESIGN A PROGRAM STRUCTURE THAT IS APPEALING TO YOUR AUDIENCE • Two Nights per week from 6:30-8:30 • A hot meal is served each night • Incentives are provided each night for class participation • Candy and other goodies are provided for some of the curriculum courses • Make sure the pieces fit well for effective program implementation

24. FACULTY PERCEPTIONS • Some Faculty members have inquired if other students of appropriate age can participate • Some Faculty members have inquired if they can enroll their relatives into the program • Faculty who are aware of the program are very supportive • Faculty believe that it is a much needed course on the college campus • Faculty have allowed PREP Facilitators into their classrooms to introduce the program and show their support. • Some also offered their students extra credit if they participate in the classes

25. STUDENT PERCEPTION OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS • Many students who have completed the course always comes back to the next course • Many graduated students help recruit their friends • Students request the classes to be on-going • Students request the classes to be a requirement for all ASU students • Participating students are actively engaged in the class through conversation and feed back • Participating students attend class each night on time and remain until class is complete for the night • Participating students almost always ask at the last class “Does it have to end here?”

26. STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS WITH COLLEGES • Do your homework…know the data on College Pregnancies & STDs • Know what audience you want to target • Establish creative methods in obtaining the interestfrom that audience • Do your research on which evidenced based curriculums will be most effective for your target audience. • Develop a portfolio with pertinent plan data to present to Campus Officials • Know what Campus office has the final approval • Schedule a meeting(s) with the proper Campus Officials • Have a few key people who work on the Campus to help ensure that the responsibilities outlined in the MOA for the Campus are being met

27. HAVE TRAINED AND MOTIVATING FACILITATORS • Have lesson copies and handouts ready at least two days prior to facilitation • Pre-print newsprint headings to save time during facilitation • With Relationship Smarts...know your audience. Some contents may not fit the crowd in which you are presenting • Make sure all media equipment is properly working to avoid delays during class time • Study so that you will know your material. The more familiar you are with the lesson content will enable you to teach the lesson more fluently which saves times • BE ENGAGING • Know your group...get to know them by name • Make class fun...give great incentives and have good food

28. THANK YOU GEORGIA PREP