Texas  Adolescent  Pregnancy  Prevention
  Spotlight on Project WORTH
Developed by City of San Antonio Departments
  The goal of Project WORTH is to increase the ability of the youth of San Antonio to make positive choices, avoid risky behaviors, and postpone pregnancy.  
Background
San Antonio has the distinction of having an extraordinarily high teenage birth rate. In 1999, Bexar County's rate of births to girls aged 15 to 17 was 75% higher than the national rate (50.2 compared to 28.7 per 1,000). The birth rate among girls under 15 is a staggering 2.5 times the national rate.
To address the issue of teenage pregnancy, seven City of San Antonio departments are collaborating to prevent teenage pregnancy. Project WORTH provides programs and activities in two San Antonio areas that have high incidences of teen pregnancies, the east and the southwest neighborhoods.
Project WORTH, which stands for Working on Real Teen Health, started in 2000. Project WORTH's primary goal is to help youth make healthy choices by emphasizing abstinence, parent communication, and hope for the future.
Project WORTH Components
  • A media awareness campaign delivers the message: "Not Me, Not Now: What Smart Kids Say to Sex®" in an attempt to encourage abstinence as the healthiest choice. This campaign includes radio and television spots, along with bus-cards and billboards.

  • Educational programs aim at teens and their parents. Teen programs focus on abstinence, refusal skills, and sexuality education, while parent programs concentrate on communicating with their children about sex.

  • Clinical activities in both the east and southwest areas of San Antonio provide screening for sexually-transmitted diseases and other health problems, and encouragement of abstinence. For those teens who remain sexually active, contraception is available.
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    Contact Information
  • The Project WORTH website, http://www.sanantonio.gov/ProjectWORTH, has links and information for teens and their parents.

  • Project WORTH is continually looking for collaborators to extend programs and services throughout the San Antonio area. For more information, please call (210) 207-8850.
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