CHAC to introduce new teen pregnancy program CHAC to introduce new teen pregnancy program (December 17, 2004)

Services include counseling, online assessment tool

By Roseanne G. Pereira

Realizing a long-term strategy is needed to help prevent teenage pregnancy, the Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC) will be starting a new program this January.

The new initiative, called the Adolescent Health Program (AHP), is a response to studies showing that significant numbers of middle school students have become sexually active.

"Students are inundated with media; parents are not providing them resources, so we're stepping in," said Nicole Gwire, who will be leading AHP.

CHAC has been providing counseling services for children, teens and their families in Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills since 1973. CHAC is one of the five nonprofits benefiting from the Voice Holiday Fund this year.

Its new teen pregnancy program will begin in January 2005 and focus on prevention for middle school students likely to exhibit high-risk behavior. A grant of $250,000 awarded to CHAC by the California Endowment Fund will help fund the project.

AHP will help enhance the effectiveness of the already existing Blossom Project, a program where young, often teenage, parents visit schools and give presentations to students. Using dance and rap, presenters share their firsthand knowledge of the hardships of having children too early in life.

"We're very real. We're honest about everything we talk about," said Darelda Medina, one of the founding members of the Blossom Project. According to Medina, the students get a reality check when they see the Blossom Project women in action.

"All the participants are from Mountain View, attended the same schools as they did and are not much older than they are. So they see it could happen to them if they're not careful," said Medina.

After the performance, students ask presenters questions, but Blossom presenters do not have the time or resources to do a more thorough follow-up.

Now, AHP will be able to continue where Blossom leaves off. Teachers and counselors can refer students to an online assessment tool developed by Kaiser that will ask students questions about their sexuality and record their responses.

Although therapy through human interaction will also be provided, "sometimes students are more comfortable going online and dialoguing with a computer," Miller said. CHAC counselors can then look at the data from the assessment tool to allocate the proper resources to students.

Another aspect of AHP will be added individual and group counseling that will specifically target high-risk kids. Group therapy is important so "adolescents know they are not the only one who thinks a particular thought, or has had a particular feeling or experience," said Gwire. "The open discussions help students grow together in a positive way."

Speaking about a common scenario at Blossom presentations, Medina said, "Before, if we were concerned about a girl who seemed to have a lot of questions, the best we could do was just give her a number to call and hope for the best.

But, with the advent of AHP, "we won't leave the kids hanging anymore," she added.

E-mail Roseanne G. Pereira at rpereira@mv-voice.com

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