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Communities
of Faith and Teen Pregnancy Prevention
This edition
of Topic in Brief
includes the following sections:
The February 2002 edition of ReCAPP focuses on the connection between communities of faith and teen pregnancy prevention. We will focus on the ways educators can work with communities of faith to meet the sexuality education needs of youth and their parents.
Used here, the phrase "communities of faith" refers to places of worship, organizations, services or groups which bring together and serve people sharing a common religion or faith. The term "clergy" refers to religious officials.
"Religion can play a significant role in promoting the understanding of sexuality as an affirming expression of equality, mutual respect, caring and love," according to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) in the Religion, Spirituality, and Sexuality Report, (February/March, 2000). Undoubtedly, many teenagers look to their religious communities as an important social resource. According to the Search Institute, "Each week, millions of young people participate in religious services and programs... that provide opportunities for growth," (www.search-institute.org/congregations/). Moreover, religiosity may be a protective factor for teenagers; research suggests some religious youth delay sexual activity. According to Keeping the Faith: The Role of Religion and Faith Communities in Preventing Teen Pregnancy (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2001), "teens who attend services frequently are less likely to have permissive attitudes about sexual intercourse," and those "who are more religious hold more conservative views regarding sex." Generally speaking, research on the effects of religion on teen sexual behavior is weak. However, the potential for communities of faith to play a role in reducing sexual risk-taking appears promising. "Eighty-three percent of (American) teens say that religion is 'an important part of their life,' . . and 39 percent of teens say that their 'morals, values and/or religious beliefs' are the largest influence on their decisions about whether to have sex." (Faithful Nation: What American Adults and Teens Think About Faith, Morals, Religion and Teen Pregnancy, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2001) While a recent survey found that 90% of faith congregations offer programs for youth, the potential for collaboration between reproductive health and sexuality educators and faith congregations is far from realized. "Seventy percent of adults and more than 70% of teens said that churches and other houses of worship 'should be doing more to help prevent teen pregnancy.'" (Faithful Nation: What American Adults and Teens Think About Faith, Morals, Religion and Teen Pregnancy, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2001) Many attribute this lack of collaboration to the philosophical divide between sexuality educators and religious leaders, or a variety of other reasons (e.g. ignorance, not knowing where to start, no policy statement), yet there are many champions in faith-based communities who are strong proponents of sexuality education. According to a 1998 survey conducted by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, 89% of clergy agreed that sexuality needs to be part of the congregation's educational program, and 95% agreed that "individuals can benefit from dialogue within the congregation about sexuality issues." (A Time to Speak: Faith Communities and Sexuality Education, 1998) Perhaps clergy and others in faith communities are unsure about where to start or who to contact to initiate discussion or development of a policy statement incorporating sexuality education into their communities. In any case, there are sufficient reasons to explore collaboration between sexuality educators and religious leaders.
Partnering
with communities of faith can be very advantageous for educators. Such
a partnership might offer opportunities for educators to interact directly
with teens, support the work of clergy and adult volunteers providing
youth programs, and help parents talk with their children about sensitive
subjects including sexuality and pregnancy prevention. For sexuality educators
interested in reaching out to communities of faith, the following tips
may prove useful:
For more information about partnering with communities of faith, check out this month's Educator Skill.
Organizations and web sites with information for educators working with communities of faith:
Suggested books, curricula, resource guides, and articles:
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