Movement Update: The National Day to End Teen Pregnancy

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By Laurna Strikwerda

On May 3 rd, hundreds of thousands of teenagers will take the National Day Quiz, sponsored by the National Campaign to End Teen Pregnancy (www.teenpregnancy.org), a Call to Renewal partner. The National Campaign works directly with teenagers to help them make healthy decisions about relationships and sexual activity, and attempts to increase dialogue around pregnancy prevention by establishing relationships with the media and policy and faith groups. It has been at the forefront of a successful campaign to reduce teen pregnancy in the US by 30% between 1991 and 2002. Still, 34% of young women in the US become pregnant before the age of 20, resulting in 820,000 pregnancies each year. The US has the highest teen pregnancy rate among industrialized countries.

Ending teen pregnancy is vital to ending poverty and strengthening families. Only a third of teen mothers complete high school, and only 1.5% graduate from college. There is a strong correlation between the numbers of teen mothers and the number of children living in poverty. The children of teen mothers are more likely to perform poorly in school, are at a higher risk of abuse and neglect, and often face an unstable family life. These factors can create a cycle of poverty that makes it difficult for these children to succeed. Parenting is an enormous undertaking in the United States—one that is difficult even in a two-parent, middle-income home. Teen mothers face even more challenges, including finding child care, coordinating school and mothering, and getting necessary emotional and financial support.

Call to Renewal envisions an America committed to reducing child poverty, strengthening families, and “making work work.” That vision is driving our Covenant for a New America,a policy platformthat will be launched at our Pentecost conference this June (www.sojo.net/pentecost). The Covenant calls for supporting working families through a living family income, setting goals for reducing child poverty and increasing access to health care and education. The Covenant will also focus on strengthening family life through promoting healthy marriages and responsible fatherhood and reducing teen pregnancy.

Cultural taboos around discussions of sex result in myths, silence and anxiety—which in turn lead to an inability to understand the consequences of sexual activity. 70% of African-American and 78% of white teens said that the one of the primary reasons teenage girls have children is due to lack of communication with parents. Research shows that teenagers want their parents to talk to them about sex: seven out of ten teens said that they were ready to talk about subjects their parents avoided, and 50% said they trusted their parents for information on pregnancy prevention. Additionally, teens who have a close emotional relationship with their parents have sex at a later age than those who are less close with their parents.

The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is an excellent place for teens to begin thinking about the pressures they face, myths about sexual activity and what decisions they plan to make. It is also a time to consider how communities can support teens as they plan for their futures and, in doing so, further efforts to prevent and reduce poverty.

Teens Can Take the Quiz at https://www.teenpregnancy.org/national/quiz/

Laurna Strikwerda is the Policy and Programming Intern for Call to Renewal

Campus Corner

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By Matt Enquist

You learn a lot when you spend just one night on the streets—when you find yourself cold, ignored, and stuck on hard concrete for a night. I can only imagine what it must be like to do that every night.

On March 31, I was one of over 120 people that slept outside of City Hall on Chicago’s wind-swept Daley Plaza as part of the National Sleep Out event. The Chicago group was joined by dozens of national and international activist groups in this massive day of action to raise awareness for the people behind the statistics on homelessness. Students from Chicago’s North Park University partnered with the young adult organizing group Public Action for Change Today (PACT) to coordinate the national effort.

In Chicago, we focused on the issue of youth homelessness. The statistics are staggering: on average, 1,832 youth have to sleep outside each night in Chicago while there are only 24 shelter beds set aside for youth. In addition, within 2-3 weeks of living on the street, 75 % of homeless youth have to engage in prostitution just for basic necessities like food and clothing.

After a rally and a press conference, we collected signatures on post cards for the mayor expressing the public’s concern over the issues. Despite thousands of signatures collected in just 20 minutes, PACT representatives walked into city hall only to be treated as criminals, greeted by a roped-off office and increased security. The 31 st marked the fourth formal request we had made to Mayor Richard Daley for a personal meeting to discuss well-researched policies that would offer effective, low-cost solutions to the problems faced by homeless youth; this was the fourth time we had been turned down. This was really my first political action and I saw little fruit.

But the struggle goes on. The commitment to love the world does not end with one roadblock and my struggles have led me towards the transforming grace of Christ. In the Christian fight for justice, we aren’t simply fighting for affordable housing or an end to hunger and homelessness. We seek to treat the heart of the problem: in a world stained by rampant sin manifested in things like homelessness, we have forgotten how to love one another.

I hope that I will see the day when the church is known not by the person who shouts the loudest but for a pervasive spirit of love. I pray for a renewal in the body of Christ, one that already exists in the beauty of believers committed to one another. The tables will be open to all people, regardless of race, economic status, or sexual orientation.

So what can the church do on a societal level? How does a group of lovers create ways to see love and justice embodied in laws and in policy? We set an example; we lead the way to reform. We lobby, we get arrested when justice demands it, we speak out, we offer alternatives.

So let us lead with passion. Where there are homeless, may we sleep on the streets. Where there are those without healthcare, let us demand inclusion and equal opportunity. Where there is war, let us be the visage of a man who turned the other cheek. Let us love as Christ loved; let our love for the world create a society of mercy and justice from the start to the finish of this dance we call life. Be love.

Matt Enquist is a freshman at North Park University

Anti-Poverty Resources

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Compiled by Laurna Strikwerda

Advocacy

Offering of Letters , Bread for the World. Bread for the World has informational and advocacy resources that congregations or organizations can use for education and action to end hunger. Resources for the Offering of Letters campaign are available here: http://www.bread.org/take-action/letters-campaign/2006/ol-2006-brochure.html

Community Building Resources :

Communities First , Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, 2006. This new resource is designed to help move congregations towards engaging with their community. It is designed to help churches with developing vision, learning about policy and pursuing advocacy work. It is available here: http://www.crwrc.org/development/namt/communities_first.html.

Domestic Anti-Poverty Resources

Poverty Pulse, Wave VI, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, January 2006. This detailed resource uses statistics to describe Americans’ current attitudes on and perceptions of poverty in the United States. It is available here: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/PovertyPulse_06.pdf.

Thriving Communities: Working Together to Move from Poverty to Prosperity for All, Study Circles, 2006. This discussion guide is designed for community groups to dialogue about solutions to overcoming poverty on the local level. You may order print copies, or download it for free here (English version): http://www.studycircles.org/en/Resource.83.aspx

A Spanish version is available here: http://www.studycircles.org/en/Resource.84.aspx

Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America , Michael Yankoski, Multnomah Publishers, 2005. In this book, Yankoski describes his time living as a homeless person in six American cities over a five month period, and the effect it had on his Christian faith. www.undertheoverpass.com.

Global Poverty

Faith Study Guide on Global Poverty , Mark Harrison, Friendship Press. This 64 page study guide is centered on the Millennium Development Goals and is designed for church or Sunday school groups. It is available for sale through the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society: http://www.umc-gbcs.org/site/apps/nl/content.asp?c=fsJNK0PKJrH&b=1454197&content_id={64F0DF64-446A-42A1-9C29-A6C756F9F88A}&notoc=1&tr=y&auid=1463615

Forgotten Families, Jody Heymann, 2006. This book examines the lives of a working family in Honduras, the US and Vietnam to find what problems face poor families around the world. Heymann also looks at solutions countries have implemented to improve family life, providing a vision of a more just global society. Information is available from the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy: http://www.mcgill.ca/ihsp/publications/ and the Center for Law and Social Policy: www.clasp.org.

Peace and Justice Resources, Church World Service . CWS has educational resources and materials that congregations can use in worship to raise awareness about global poverty available here: http://www.churchworldservice.org/Educ_Advo/resources.html

A Primer on Poverty and Hunger . World Vision has a summary of key statistics on global poverty and hunger, available on their website: http://domino-201.worldvision.org/donate.nsf/child/tawv_poverty_12212005?Open&campaign=12432030&cmp=EMC-12432030

Health Care Resources:

Center for Health Care Reform Resources. The Center for Health Care Reform has put together a resource for communities to promote short term advocacy for children’s access to health care and long term advocacy for changing the health care system to be more equitable for all. The resource includes study guides, bulletin inserts and PowerPoint material. For more information, please contact Mary Pinkerson at the Center for Healthcare Reform: mary.pinkerson@stjoe.org, (714) 347-7741, or go online to http://www.stjhs.org/chr/pub.htm

The Dialogue resources . Our Health Care Future has a website with resources for communities to host day long events to bring diverse groups together to talk about health care and what can be done to improve our health care system. Information is available on their website: www.ourhealthcarefuture.org.

Making Public Programs Work for Communities of Color: An Action Kit for Community Leaders , Families USA, 2006.

This tool kit is designed for community leaders and provides detailed information on access to health care, strategies for influencing policy, case studies on the work of grassroots and faith-based organizations, as well as detailed information about public health programs. It is available on the Families USA website: http://www.familiesusa.org/resources/tools-for-advocates/kits/minority-health-tool-kit.html.

Living Wage:

A Just Minimum Wage: Good for Workers, Business and Our Future , Holly Sklar and Paul Sherry, American Friends Service Committee and National Council of Churches USA, October 2005. This document details why increasing the minimum wage is a moral imperative and why it contributes to a healthy economy. It is available on the Let Justice Roll Website: http://www.letjusticeroll.org/pdfs/AJustMinimumWage.pdf.

Teen Pregnancy Resources for the National Day to End Teen Pregnancy

Faith, Hope, and Love: How Latino Faith Communities Can Help Prevent Teen Pregnancy , 2005. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has released this new resource guide for Latino faith leaders to use in their congregations and communities. It is available in English here: http://www.teenpregnancy.org/religion/FHL.pdf

Fe, Esperanza et Amor . The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy’s resource for faith leaders is available in Spanish here: http://www.teenpregnancy.org/religion/FHL_espanol.pdf.

Nine Tips for Faith Leaders and Putting What Works to Work, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. This organization also has several new resources on preventing teen pregnancy, including brief fact sheets: http://www.teenpregnancy.org/works/sciencesays.asp, resources for faith leaders: https://www.teenpregnancy.org/store/item.asp?productId=42 and reports for their “Putting What Works to Work” project: http://www.teenpregnancy.org/works/default.asp

Spanish Language Resources

Comunidades Prosperas, Study Circles, 2006. This Spanish-language discussion guide is designed for community groups to dialogue about solutions to overcoming poverty on the local levelhttp://www.studycircles.org/en/Resource.84.aspx

Consultation Worship Resources, Church World Service.Church World Service has several Spanish language resources on trade justice in North America available in Spanish here: http://www.churchworldservice.org/Educ_Advo/trade/JTworship-resources-esp.html

Pobreza en los EE.UU , United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCCB has a complete Spanish version of its website on poverty and the USCCB’s social justice campaign. It is available here: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/spanish

Recursos en Español , NETWORK. NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobbying group, provides several resources in Spanish, including information on contacting elected officials and the basic tenets of Catholic social justice doctrine. They are available on their website here: http://www.networklobby.org/recursos/

Laurna Strikwerda is the Policy and Programming Intern at Call to Renewal

In the News

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Make Work Pay . The newly formed Change to Win labor federation is beginning a drive to increase the wages of 50 million service workers with the goal of assuring them affordable health insurance, retirement security and higher wages, in a new campaign called Make Work Pay! 

Towey Resigns . James Towey resigned as Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to become the 16th President of St. Vincent's College in Pennsylvania.

Immigration.   President Bush begins meeting key lawmakers to urge a bipartisan agreement to offer some undocumented workers a path to citizenship. Archbishop of Washington D.C., Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Speaks Out on Immigration in an interview with Beliefnet about the U.S. Catholic bishops' stance on immigration and the criticism the bishops have faced.

Homelessness.Justices Hand L.A.'s Homeless a Victory – “A federal appeals court rules that the Los Angeles Police Department cannot arrest people for sitting, lying or sleeping on public sidewalks on skid row, saying such enforcement amounts to cruel and unusual punishment because there are not enough shelter beds for the city's huge homeless population.”

Healthy Marriages . A new federally-funded web site that promotes healthy marriages has been launched. The website is sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of its National Healthy Marriage Resource Center.

Compiled by Duane Shank, Policy Advisor at Call to Renewal

Mark Your Calendar March 2006

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Compiled by Laurna Strikwerda

Funding Opportunities:

The F. B. Heron Foundation provides grants to community organizations that focus on strengthening low-income communities and individuals. Information on grants is available on their website: www.fbheron.org.

Events:

CCDA Institutes
April and May 2006, Various Cities

The Christian Community Development Association will be hosting brief seminars on topics like community organizing, gentrification and leadership development. Information on the institutes is available here:

http://www.ccda.org/xm_client/client_documents/januarynews06.htm

Cover the Uninsured Week
May 1-7, 2006, Nation-wide

May 1-7 is Cover the Uninsured Week, which is designed to increase focus on enrolling uninsured people in public programs, making employment based health care secure, and supporting health care professionals. Information, resources and state by state guides are available here: http://covertheuninsured.org/whatyoucando/.

Leadership Institute for Christian Community Development
May 15- June 3, 2006, Chicago, IL

The LICCD will include courses on Christian political advocacy, housing and economic development, and strengthening communities. The LICCD is at North Park University and is designed for lay leaders, graduate students, pastors and anyone with a deep interest in faith-based economic development. More information is available on the North Park website: http://www.northpark.edu/macd/summer.cfm.

National Hunger Awareness Day
June 6, 2006, Nation-wide

America ’s Second Harvest is partnering with other national organizations to promote solutions to ending hunger in the US. For information on national and local events, see: http://www.hungerday.org/content/index.php

RESULTS International Conference
July 8–12, 2006, Washington, DC at the Washington Court Hotel

Join hundreds of RESULTS activists at this year’s RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC. You will hear from experts from the DC area and around the world, numerous members of Congress, and meet with over 300 congressional offices. The Rev. Jim Wallis, Stephen Lewis (UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa) and author Laurie Garrett will be among the great line-up of speakers at this year's RESULTS Conference.  To register, go to www.results.org or call (202) 783-7100.

Faith and Labor Conference
July 22-29, 2006, Memphis, TN

This conference will bring together faith-based activists to learn about the history of the labor and civil rights movements and how that history can inform current activism. The event will include site visits, worship services and courses on social and economic justice. More information is available here: http://www.wordandworld.org/events/index.shtml

Young Adult Ecumenical Forum on Globalization and Violence
August 3-6, 2006, Chicago, IL

The Young Adult Ecumenical Forum grew out of the World Council of Churches in 2004, and will have its third conference in August. It is open to young people of all faith traditions. Information is available here: http://www.yaef.net/

Religious Resources and Roadblocks to Ending Violence Against Women: Introductory Training
August 28-30, 2006, Seattle, WA

The Faith Trust Institute is sponsoring this training for religious leaders and domestic violence advocates to better understand the religious concerns of domestic abuse survivors and to increase cooperation between advocates and faith leaders. Registration is available here:

http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/downloads/application_for_ovw_training3.pdf

Laurna Strikwerda is the Policy and Programming Intern at Call to Renewal