AGENCIES GO “HIGH TECH” TO COMBAT TEEN PREGNANCY, STDs

Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 26, 2006 – The problems of teen pregnancy and teens acquiring sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are so serious in our area that Rosalie Manor Community & Family Services, in collaboration with the Milwaukee Alliance for Teaching Abstinence (MAFTA), has launched a new informational web site, www.acryingshame.info, for teens, their parents, and the community as a whole.

The new site continues the organizations’ efforts to stress abstinence until marriage and, simultaneously, to reduce teen pregnancies and STDs. MAFTA is comprised of Rosalie Manor, Best Men (a program of the Milwaukee Public Schools), New Concepts Self Development Center, and the Northcott Neighborhood House.

“The new site is packed with authoritative information presented in an easy to read manner,” said Al Castro, executive director of Rosalie Manor. “In a time when Milwaukee is second in the nation in the rate of teen births and Wisconsin leads the entire country in the percentage of African American teen births, people need easy access to information that is useful.”

Teens and parents, he noted, are not alone in their need for information about abstinence, the prevalence of sexual activity among young people, and the responsibilities and unwanted consequences of being sexually active.

“This is more than just a matter of concern for teens and their parents,” Castro explained. “Teen pregnancy, STDs and the need for abstinence information and education are issues that need to be addressed by the entire community. The dangers facing our kids are self-perpetuating, and the health and wellbeing of our community for generations to come is at risk.”

Taking decades-old problems into the public eye via 21st Century technology is just one step in the “A Crying Shame” campaign. Advertisements screening in local movie theaters and coming soon on Milwaukee radio stations focus on the consequences of teens engaging in sexual activity, and tie-in to the web site where the message that “Abstinence IS the Best Choice” for preventing unwanted pregnancies and STDs is driven home.

“No parent wakes up in the morning and hopes that his or her child will have sex that day,” Castro stated. “We all want to protect our kids, and sometimes it’s difficult to figure out how to go about it. The information on www.acryingshame.info will help considerably.”

The website provides information on youth and parent programs, teens’ questions and answers, suggestions for parents on talking to their children about sex and abstinence, and ideas for community involvement.

Rosalie Manor is a non-profit social services agency that has served Milwaukee area youth and families for 98 years. For further information about Rosalie Manor, call Dawn Groshek, Director of Development, at 414-449-2868, ext. 203.