Agenda - 03-04-1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 who are unemployed, those who live with only one parent, and those whose parents are not college graduates. Available data suggest that only one - quarter of the difference in the relative likelihood that a black teen will give birth is accounted for by black /white differences in sexual activity. Black teens tend to delay the use of contraception longer after initiating intercourse and to use contraception less consistently. These differences account for half of the racial differences in early childbearing. This data confirms that teens who have the most to lose if they become pregnant are less likely to engage in sex and Are more likely to use birth control if the are sexually_ active. Compounding the problem are the - serious effects of teen pregnancy on the young women and their male partners, families, children, and communities. Half of all teen mothers never finish high school. Eighty -five percent of young children with mothers who are 15 -21 and single, and over one -third of those in young two - parent families, are living below the poverty level. Rates of low birth weight babies and infant mortality are substantially higher among unmarried women, teenagers, and school drop -outs. Through the Minority Involvement Project, we are working to: o increase the ability of participating teens to identify reasons to avoid pregnancy and to realistically assess the consequences of pregnancy, o provide them with information and services to prevent pregnancy, o help them develop and implement life goals aside from parenthood, o improve parent -child communication about sexuality, and o increase familiarity with, and reduce suspicion of, our services. If we are successful in achieving these objectives, we should be able to impact significantly on teen pregnancy among program participants. In addition, the project should have a positive impact on a wide range of other issues, including infant mortality, drug and alcohol abuse, delinquency, unemployment, and school drop -out. We believe that an intensive program such as this is essential if we are to truly address the cycle of poverty in orange County. Low - income, minority boys and girls, ages 9 -17, are the target population of the MIP. These adolescents are at -risk because they are poor, because they are black, and because they are more often than not children of teen mothers.