THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 2, 1996 TAG: 9604300174
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
The seven panel members all had one thing in common.
They had been teen parents.
``Teen pregnancy and AIDS come to people who choose lifestyles that lead to those things,'' Angie Gavit said.
``I had no free time,'' James Young said. ``I became an adult too early.''
The panel addressed the third annual Coalition Meeting of Real Alternatives to Pregnancy, or R.A.P., a Norfolk Department of Public Health program that combats teen pregnancy and the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Held last week in Old Dominion University's Webb Center, the panel members shared their perspectives with some 300 teenagers, parents, teachers, counselors and staff from other youth groups.
The theme focused on teens taking a more active part in solutions to the problems. Topics of abstinence, birth control, peer pressure, self-esteem, the misery of teen pregnancy and AIDS all were covered.
``The coalition makes me think a lot about my future,'' said Nicole Barker, a sophomore from Maury High School. ``A lot of kids are out there doing what they shouldn't be, especially the younger ones, like 10 and 11. They need to be taught or they'll find out the hard way.''
Although the audience was mostly African American and female, some young men did attend.
``I came here to learn,'' said Deon Richardson, an eighth-grader at Blair Middle School. ``It takes a man to have a baby and a man to take care of a baby. I think the panel is doing a great job on giving advice.''
The discussion included presentations from local and state health officials. Norfolk's health director, Dr. Valerie Stallings, told the audience that 1,000 teens get pregnant in the city every year and that in 1993 and '94, Norfolk had more positive HIV births than any other jurisdiction in the state. The statistics captured the attention of many teens present.
In keeping with the meeting's theme, the R.A.P. program is now more than ever focusing on teens teaching prevention to other teens and has an ambassador group of four area high school girls. Called the Life Savers, they are graduates of an educational program on preventing teen pregnancy and AIDS. The Life Savers give lectures and programs at schools and to organizations around the city.
``I think we're making a difference,'' said Tameka Harris, a Life Saver who is sophomore at Maury High School. ``People are listening to us.''
Richard Rhodes, a counselor at Azalea Garden Middle School, said he thinks that R.A.P.'s teen-talk philosophy is promising.
``I feel when you've got teens talking to each other and older teen parents, the message can come across more effectively than from some of the traditional authority figures,'' he said.
While the forum emphasized teen communication, the role of parents also was a focal point. Panel members stressed that adults must put aside old habits of avoiding sensitive issues and be more open to their children's questions.
After the discussion, the meeting broke into instructional workshops in the areas of AIDS education, adolescent fatherhood, and the role of the religious community in addressing teen pregnancy and AIDS.
``The workshops offer a dialogue between teens and adults to share resources and strategies for prevention,'' said Lisa Manley, coordinator for the R.A.P. program.
Joyce Luenstroth, chairperson of the meeting, said this was by far the largest turnout for any of the program's annual gatherings.
``I'm overwhelmed with the amount of teenagers,'' Luenstroth said. ``What I'm hoping will happen is that these young people will hear and learn what's being said today and go out and do something about these issues, like maybe organizing a teens AIDS awareness club.''
Many students said they had learned much about issues such as the choices available to them and some of the specifics of avoiding pregnancy and AIDS.
``There was a lot of information,'' said April Reyes, a freshman at Norview High School. ``These are issues that teenagers have to deal with. It's reality.''
The meeting ended with a skit of students depicting the scare of an unwanted pregnancy, which turned out to be a false alarm. But the script was realistic and seemed to hit very close to home with many in the audience.
``There's no doubt about it,'' Nicole Barker said. ``I'm waiting until I'm married.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SCOTT McCASKEY
From left, counselor Gwen Earle, Willie White and Deon Richardson
came from Blair Middle School to hear a panel of teen parents
discuss pregnancy and AIDS during the Real Alternatives to Pregnancy
program at ODU.
by CNB