Community Spotlight Community Spotlight: Healthy Teens Coalition of Manatee Holds 3rd Annual Teen Pregnancy Prevention Recognition Awards

BRADENTON — On Tuesday, the Healthy Teens Coalition of Manatee County, Inc. (HTC) recognized local individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to

reducing teen pregnancy rates and to increasing the health and welfare of youth in the county during its Third Annual Teen Pregnancy Prevention Recognition Awards. In addition, the

HTC’s Teen Health Educator program recognized its 2015 training graduates.

May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, and as part of on-going efforts and activities throughout the month, the HTC presented the following awards at the event: Lynette Edwards: Adult of the Year – Lynette Edwards has been a visionary leader who is not afraid to tackle a problem, no matter how controversial, when she sees her community in need.

In 2010, Manatee County saw a dramatic spike upward in the number of teen births, particularly in teens ages 14 and under. Mrs. Edwards spearheaded the grant application that became the school district’s It’s yoUR Choice Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, which has now been positively impacting teens for over 4 years, with over 15,000 students having participated in the program. She now serves as the Chair of the Manatee County Children’s Services Advisory Board.

Charlie Kennedy: Elected Official of the Year – As a teacher, basketball coach and mentor, Charlie Kennedy has dedicated the last 10 years of his career to teenagers. Most recently, as a new school board member, he is working at the policy level to further affect positive change for students in Manatee County. He has been a vocal supporter of the Healthy Teens Coalition and teen pregnancy prevention, both before and following his election.

2014 Elected Officials of the Year-Manatee County Commission: John Chappie, Robin DiSabatino, Carol Whitmore,   Charles Smith, & Betsy Benac; Charlie Kennedy, 2015 Awardee

Manatee Glens: Nonprofit of the Year – Manatee Glens has been a generous, valued partner in the community’s fight to reduce teen pregnancy over the last four years. They are a partner with Healthy Teens Coalition, as well as with the Manatee County School District’s It’s yoUR Choice Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program where they teach thousands of 6th grade students about social media safety and the risks of sexting. Manatee Glens staff have been active HTC members and have been instrumental in the Teen Health Educator program, which trains young leaders to educate their peers on health issues, including teen pregnancy prevention.

Marquel and Willie Simmons: Young Adults of the Year – As Teen Health Educators for the last two years, brothers Marquel and Willie Simmons have contributed hundreds of hours to educating their peers about health issues in diverse settings, from the juvenile detention center, to the youth shelter, to church groups, to schools. They also speak to community officials on these issues and served as presenters at the school district’s first Black Males in Crisis community summit last February.

Teen Health Educator Graduation

In addition, the HTC recognized its inaugural class of 2014 Teen Health Educators and presented certificates to the 2015 training graduates. The program trains young leaders to educate their peers on health issues, including teen pregnancy prevention.

The 2014 teen educators were Cheyenne Doeberl, Susan Flores, Reggie Gardner, Sarah Gentile, Sofia Gallegos, Walter Preston, O’Sha Shaw, Marquel Simmons, Willie Simmons, Ashley Spivey, Maggie Valencia, and Flor Zamora.

The 2015 class members are Jesse Danke, Elisabeth Fleming, Jonathan Ibarra, Kiarra Louis, Tabitha Lowe, Cara Peters, Leslye Trujillo, and Maribel Velasquez.

Why it matters

Since coordinated, comprehensive community interventions were implemented four years ago, Manatee County has seen a 38% drop in births to teens aged 17 and under and a 56% drop

among teens aged 14 and under. During this same time period, the county moved from 11th highest to 32nd highest in the state’s rankings for teen births. While this is a positive change of 23 spots, significant improvement is still needed.

Even with the dramatic progress that has been made over the last four years, the rate of repeat births to teen parents in Manatee is almost twice the state rate. And most births (67%) are to mothers 18 and 19 years old. Statistically, only 38% of girls who have a child before age 18 will graduate from high school. And their children are nine times more likely to grow up in poverty.

This cycle of poverty costs Manatee County tax payers $11.1 million, annually.

National research shows that the formula for reducing teen pregnancy is comprehensive education plus access to reproductive health care that is readily accessible.

The Healthy Teens Coalition of Manatee engages teens, parents, community leaders, and policy-makers in its mission, which is: to reduce risky behavior in young people by providing them with the knowledge and skills to make informed choices about their physical, mental, and emotional well- being.