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OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

Strategic Collaboration

Regional Coalition Meeting

Are you a member of your region's teen pregnancy or adolescent health
coalition? If so, the Texas Campaign invites you to a special virtual
meeting where we will provide a briefing on the 2021 Legislative session
and discuss on-going advocacy efforts. We also want to hear from Coalition
leads and members on what type of support you are interested in (ie:
communications, data, advocacy) and ask that you complete this short survey
[2]regardless of whether you can attend the meeting.

The meeting is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13, 10-11:30 am CST. Advance
registration is required. [3]

Advocacy & Public Policy

Welcome, Mayra!

The Texas Campaign is thrilled to announce that Mayra Yundt-Pacheco will be
joining the staff as our Policy and Data Intern. Mayra is a dual-program
graduate student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the UT School of
Public Health. She earned her B.S. in Political Science from Texas A&M
University. Mayra is a statistics enthusiast and is passionate about
bringing evidence-based policy into reproductive health. You can contact
Mayra at [email protected].

Advocacy in Action Week

Join us March 2 - 5 as we (virtually) meet with state policymakers to
discuss adolescent health and teen pregnancy prevention. The event will
include an online advocacy training session, virtual meetings with
lawmakers and staff, and town hall sessions. Total time commitment will be
about 1-2 hours. To register, visit our Advocacy in Action page. [4]If you
are interested in serving as a regional group lead, please reach out to Jen
Biundo at [email protected].

Public Comment for Sex Ed Standards

The Texas Education Agency is accepting formal written comments on the
final draft of the Health Education TEKS, the minimum curriculum standards
that guide sex education in Texas. You can review the draft and submit
written comments here [5] (scroll down to the middle of the page and look
for "Proposed New 19 TAC Chapter 115 - Health Education".) These comments
can be short and sweet. For example, you might write something like, _“I
support the abstinence-plus language in health education TEKS, including
instruction on contraception, prevention of sexually transmitted
infections, and healthy relationships. However, the standards should
include age-appropriate instruction on consent, which is a strong
protective factor against sexual abuse and exploitation. Additionally, I
urge the SBOE to consider the needs of LGBTQ youth in the health education
standards.”_ The final standards are scheduled to be adopted in November.


Research & Data

October Chart of the Month

When did we start talking about teen birth? It might be later than you
think. In 1956, the height of the post-war baby boom, the median age of
first marriage for females in the US dropped to a historic low of 20.1
years old. The following year, the US recorded its highest ever teen birth
rate of 96.3 per 1,000 girls aged 15-19. In other words, nearly 10% of
American teenage girls had a baby in 1957. However, 86% of those births
occurred to married teens -- whether the marriage was shotgun or not.

The 1960s ushered in countless changes, including the commercial
availability of the birth control pill, the nascent feminist movement, and
changing attitudes towards premarital sex. Both teen birth rates and total
fertility rates for older women dropped steadily in the 1960s and 1970s,
but an increasing number of births were to unmarried mothers. The 1976
Guttmacher report, “11 Million Teenagers," was one of the first policy
reports to specifically address teen childbearing as a social issue. Though
teen birth rates increased slightly in the 1980s, they've been on a nearly
non-stop decline since then. Teen pregnancy and teen abortion rates have
similarly declined.

In 2018, the US teen birth rate reached a historic low of 17.4 per 1,000,
due in part to increasing access to effective contraception. Nearly 9 out
of 10 of those births were to unmarried teens.

Training

For the foreseeable future, all Texas Campaign trainings will be virtual.
We have a number of opportunities available through next April and hope you
can join us!

Webinar Series

WEBINAR SERIES: The last two months of the year will focus on the following
themes in our webinar series: Contraception and Programs & Practice.
Continuing Education will be provided in multiple disciplines.
Visit WWW.TXSYMPOSIUM.ORG [6] to explore topics and to register.

** SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE. CLICK HERE [7] TO APPLY.

Amarillo Adolescent Health Summit

This first-ever regional summit is scheduled for Nov. 9-10, 2020.
Registration is $50, or $60 if requesting CEs. Download the schedule here.
[8] Learn more and register at www.txcampaign.org/amarillo-summit [9].

Can't make the Summit but want to provide input on these issues? Join our
virtual focus group to help us realign policy priorities and support teen
pregnancy prevention throughout the state. Participation is free. If
interested, email [email protected].

A special thank you to AmeriGroup for supporting this event.

** SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE. CLICK HERE [10] TO APPLY.

10th Annual Symposium

The Texas Campaign's 2021 Symposium will be a virtual event, and we are
working hard behind the scenes to bring you the most exciting event yet.

OUR CALL FOR PAPERS IS OPEN UNTIL FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH. YOU CAN SUBMIT
YOUR PROPOSAL HERE. [11]

Community Engagement

CLYC Release Webinar

In August 2019, eight organizations with expertise in teen pregnancy
prevention and child welfare formed the Collaborative for Youth in Care
(CLYC). We've completed our 12-month planning process where we collected
input from a diverse group of young adults and caregivers with lived
experience.

Through this, we have developed a comprehensive research-informed
intervention and we are excited to share it with you. ON DEC. 11, 10 AM -
11:30 AM CST, WE WILL BE VIRTUALLY HOSTING A RELEASE EVENT FOR OUR
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

Register Here [12]

[12]

The Texas Campaign Welcomes J.R. Chester to Board of Directors

The Texas Campaign has named Jessica “J.R.” Chester to their Executive
Board of Directors.

Jessica “J.R.” Chester is a certified Community Health Worker (CHW), a
birth doula, and a lactation counselor with a decade of experience in
community outreach and education. She is a former teen parent who has made
it her life’s mission to help individuals and families achieve optimal
pre-conception, pregnancy, birth, and parenting experiences through
informed decision making, reproductive life planning, and equitable access
to care. J.R. is passionate about supporting Black mothers in their birth
journey – especially young mothers. J.R. owns ‘Begin with A’Kis’, a
doula practice in North Texas and we are so excited to have her experience
and expertise help guide our work!

We're Hiring!

The Texas Campaign is hiring for two new positions - a Project Director and
a Finance & Operations Manager. Visit our careers page [13] to view
position descriptions, qualifications, and how to apply.

Storytelling Spotlight - Interviewees Needed!

At the Texas Campaign, we seek to interview youth and adults that serve
them about their experience with sex education in Texas and/or teen
pregnancy. If you are interested in sharing your story, email Alex at
[email protected]. You can view past storytelling spotlight interviews
here [14].

Manage my preferences [15]

Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy P.O Box 10357
Austin, Texas 78766

[email protected] / 512-686-8305

Opt-out of all email communications [16]

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