Health+&+Wellness

=Teen Success Program=

In collaboration with Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes and the Economic Opportunity Program, GST-BOCES Health and Wellness Program is offering a new program fo Chemung County called **Teen Success**. Pregnant and parenting teen girls between the ages of 12 and 19 can join a weekly support and education group and benefit from friendships, important information and skill building sessions, and support to stay in school and meet their personal goals. Group size is limited to 12, but a waiting list will be maintained. Referrals are being accepted on an ongoing basis from school personnel, community health services and child welfare providers, and from friends. **Call Margaret Strumpf at 739-3581 x 1229 to make a referral to the program.** Meetings take place at The Ernie Davis Family Center on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Participants must agree to enter Teen Success for one year, stay or enroll in a school program (for example, high school, alternative or GED) maintain their current family size by using a birth control method or abstinence, and participate actively in the group. Program facilitators are Molly Hicks, Planned Parenthood Educator, Anita Phillips, EOP Senior Case Manager, and Margaret Strumpf, GST-BOCES Health and Wellness Specisalist. They agree to provide transportation to meetings (by taxi), a nutritious snack at each meeting, free childcare for children of participants, and a $10 stipend for each meeting attended. This intensive pregnancy prevention effort is modeled after Teen Success programs that have existed on the west coast for about 20 years. These programs have sucessfully lowered rates of second pregnancies to teen mothers from 25% with two years of first birth to 4%. We hope to replicate this success!