“Our goal is to empower adolescent girls to know they can make their dreams come true, by making smart choices and living a healthy life,” she said.
The Girls Can teen pregnancy prevention program is designed for girls ages 11 to 14 and is sponsored by the Richmond County Health Department. This is the first year for the grant funded program.
McClennahan says the first kick-off session will be Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. for all girls that are interested and will be an ongoing program.
There will be workshops and discussions on: Self-esteem, decision making, sexually transmitted diseases, relationships, pregnancy prevention and setting goals.
“I really am excited and I think that it will have a positive impact on Richmond County. Anything that we can do to bring teen pregnancy down is a plus,” said Dr. Tommy Jarrell, Richmond County Health Department director.
There will also be an evidence-based educational curriculum, free gifts, group activities, pizza party, field-trips, workshops, girls day out and an opportunity to make new friends.
According to McClennahan, each young girl will be given approximately nine sessions of curriculum during their participation in the program. Each session is about 40 minutes.
The Richmond County Health Department is also sponsoring a Parents Matters program.
This program is for parents of pre-teens or teenagers that are concerned about the sexual risks their child will face. The goal of Parents Matter is to: Learn to become a better health teacher for your child, learn how to cope with sexual messages that may not be good for them and build knowledge and skills so that you can communicate your sexual values to your child. It provides parents with information that can be shared with others.
“We need to work on strengthening families,” Jarrell said. “And try to provide the support and guidance that is needed.”
The program will be from Nov. 1 to Nov. 29 and classes will be at the Richmond County Health Department from 6 to 8 p.m.
“One of the reasons we started the program is to assist parents to balance what can be taught at home and in school,” Moore said. “We would be willing to come out into the community to do the class as well if there is a need. This would be a free course.”
The parents will get handouts to assist them with each session.
“These programs will give those involved a positive future to look forward to,” Jarrell said.
For more information on the Girls Can program contact McClennahan at (910) 997-8293. For more information on Parents Matter contact Paulette Moore at (910) 997-8327 or Tomeka Steele at (910) 997-8325.
Staff Writer Hollie Nivens can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 19 or by e-mailing at hnivens@yourdailyjournal.com
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