National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (May)

Overview of National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (NTPPM) is an educational campaign designed to help communities recognize that the effects of unintended teen pregnancy and early childbearing are far-reaching. The campaign is promoted at the national level by Advocates for Youth and at the state level by Teenwise Minnesota. The campaign mobilizes communities to help young people develop responsible, positive behaviors and attitudes regarding sexuality.

Overview of National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Day

In 2001, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy decided to designate one specific day in May as the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The National Campaign offers many activities and promotions around the National Day. For example, on the National Day of the Campaign asks teens to go online and take an engaging quiz that presents them with several real life scenarios and asks them to choose a course of action. In 2002, about 75,000 people took the National Day Quiz. That number increased to nearly 800,000 in 2006. The first National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in 2002 featured 80 National Day Partners, including faith-based and health, entertainment, education, and media organizations. By 2006, 208 prominent national organizations, media outlets, businesses, religious organizations and youth groups signed on as official partners.


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Building the Case for Teen Pregnancy Prevention – So What?

Every day in Minnesota… 19 teenage girls become pregnant; 13 give birth. Nearly 4 in 10 young women in the U.S. will become pregnant at least once before age 20. Eight out of 10 teen pregnancies are unintended; and nearly 80% are to unmarried teens. The U.S. has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and teen births in the western industrialized world. Adolescent pregnancy costs the United States more than $7 billion each year.

Teen pregnancy and parenting puts both the teenager and the child at risk for poor outcomes.

The teenager is at risk

  • Future prospects for teenagers decline significantly if they have a baby
  • There are serious health risks for adolescents who have babies
  • Teen pregnancy is closely linked to poverty and single parenthood
  • From The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

The child is at risk

  • Children born to teen mothers suffer from higher rates of low birth weight and related health problems
  • Children of teens often have insufficient health care
  • Children of teen mothers often receive inadequate parenting
  • Children with adolescent parents often fall victim to abuse and neglect
  • Children of teenagers often suffer from poor school performance
  • From The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

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Why Should Your Organization Participate in National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month?

National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month represents an opportunity for you and your organization to join with others to increase public awareness of the need to address the effects of unintended teen pregnancy and early childbearing on a community-wide level. NTPPM is also great springboard for launching a year-round teen pregnancy prevention initiative in your community. There are no right or wrong ways to participate. It all depends on what resources you and your organization are able to invest. “Big” is not always “better:” sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest difference! Teenwise Minnesota is here to support you. Call Jocelyn at 651-644-1447 x.19 or [email protected] for help.

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How Can Your Organization Participate in National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month?

  • Teenwise Minnesota provides a short list of some easy and inexpensive ways (PDF) your organization can participate in National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.
  • Advocates for Youth has put together an excellent NTPPM Planning Guidebook that includes everything you need to know about how to get something started within your organization or your community.

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Resources for Your Use

Teenwise Minnesota has pulled together and put on this page links to some of the things that they have developed over the years that can help you create your own campaign. If you don’t see what you need here, please contact Jocelyn.

Graphical Resources

All graphics are in PDF for easy reproduction and high resolution. The graphics have also been converted to PNG for websites and organizations that have difficulty with PDF. If you are posting a graphic on your website please upload it there.

May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month Graphics

YOU are part of the solution graphics

Whan can YOU do to prevent teen pregnancy graphics

Working with the Media

Working with Public Officials

Fact Sheets

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