AWAIT
& FIND promotes the health of youth through education,
training, research and support. Our goals are to:
Increase
knowledge of risk behaviors and their consequences.
Reduce unhealthy
risk-taking among adolescents.
Increase
communication among teens and their parents.
Increase
skills for healthy relationship development
Increase
peer, family and community support for adolescent abstinence
AWAIT & FIND is
a 501(c)(3) non-profit, publicly funded, community-based organization
(CBO).
THE
ISSUE
Adolescents
are receiving mixed and confusing health messages about risk behaviors
(drugs, tobacco, alcohol use and sexual behaviors) - from parents, peers,
school, community, public health, media and others. Along with a clear
message of health, teens need help to develop personal boundaries, refusal
and leadership skills in order to negotiate these and other pressures.
Research
shows a direct risk behavior link between drug, tobacco and alcohol use,
violence and the age of sexual onset. According to the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC), the best way to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies
and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is to delay the age of sexual
debut and decrease the number of lifetime sexual partners.
More than three
million teens contract STDs each year. i
Substance abuse,
especially alcohol and drugs, has been linked with STD infection rates.
ii
1/4 of sexually
active young women report that their first episode of intercourse was
unwanted. iii
Oral sex is the
most frequent sexual behavior among young teens. "It is possible through
oral intercourse to be infected with HIV and other serious STDs." iv
17% of teens (ages
13 to 18) who have had an intimate encounter while under the influence
of drugs or alcohol admit that they would not have done so had they
been unimpaired. v
Adolescents who
initiate substance use early, and engage in it frequently, are more
likely to carry guns and other weapons at school. vi
Of teenage girls
aged 15-19 who have sexual intercourse, 19% become pregnant each year
and one-fourth of these teen moms has a second child within two years.
vii
Teen mothers are
at high risk of experiencing domestic violence. viii
Chlamydia, the
leading cause of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and infertility in
women, is occurring most commonly in females aged 15-19. ix
Human papillomavirus,
which causes 98% of cervical cancer, is the most common disease among
teenagers today and is the most prevalent STD worldwide. x
OUR
RESPONSE
AWAIT & FIND is working
within a community framework to develop a wellness model that includes,
educates and empowers teens, parents, schools, businesses, local government,
media, and the faith community. This proactive model provides parents
with education and support and provides adolescents an uncompromising,
consistent and direct message: a healthy and successful future is possible
by avoiding drugs, tobacco and alcohol today and by delaying the age of
sexual onset.
THE
TARGET
Adolescents ages
13-19
Parents or caregivers
of teens
Educators
Youth advisors
Community-at-large
(civic institutions, businesses, faith community, and more)
