Southern Nevada Teen Pregnancy Prevention Project

Thank you for your interest in Southern Nevada Teen Pregnancy Prevention Project - a collaborative effort between the Center for Health Disparities Research at UNLV and Education for Quality Living designed to help teens in faith-based settings make healthy decisions. This project is funded by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Adolescence Health.

The goal of the Southern Nevada Teen Pregnancy Prevention Project, (SN-TPPP) is to implement an evidence-based HIV prevention intervention curriculum - Becoming A Responsible Teen, which has been shown to reduce teen pregnancy with African American youth ages 14-19 in Southern Nevada African American churches. To date, the SN-TPPP has trained over 100 youth in our faith-based communities to prevent teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Research shows, when properly trained, our youth will make health enhancing decisions.

Who Teaches Teens These Important Messages? EQL trains community people to teach the evidenced based curriculum. Instructors learn the keys to disseminating the information consistently and correctly and become certified after extensive training and continuing education.

Why This Topic? And Why Now? African Americans, particularly women of childbearing ages of 14-47, in Southern Nevada are disproportionately infected with HIV/AIDS and bear the brunt of unplanned pregnancies. For these teens and young adults, these unplanned pregnancies place a tremendous burden on both the male and female because 1) they may not be able to finish high school 2) they may not be able to secure adequate employment that would enable them to support themselves and the baby, and; 3) may increase the risk for domestic violence and homelessness.

Why Faith-Based Organizations In The African American Community? Faith-based organizations have long been a vital source of information for African Americans in this community. These organizations are often called upon as a source of education and support for causes vital to our communities. As such, it is only natural to involve Faith-Based Organizations in Southern Nevada be a part of our Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program and ensure that the teens in our community learn to engage in healthy behaviors.

What Happens To The Teens Who Participate? We are so proud of the phenomenal work of our Faith-Based Partners over the past year that exemplified leadership, commitment and contribution to improving the lives of our youth and our communities. Our SN-TPPP teen graduates have learned assertiveness communication skills as well as comprehensive knowledge based strategies to prevent pregnancy, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Many have asked to continue in the program and have become associated with our sister program – Teen Advocates For Prevention (TAP) created by EQL, which has teens teaching peers important prevention messages.

If I Want More Information? There is a user’s comment form on the bottom of this page. Feel free to submit your questions or comments here for a quick response. If you want more info about this incredible program contact the EQL training team via email at info@eqltoday.com.