By Cheryl Mattox Berry
May is a busy month with proms, school dances, banquets and graduations. It’s also a month devoted to teen issues. Below are a few activities that you can plug into.
Girls Inc. Week (May 6-10)
Girls Inc. has been encouraging girls in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for more than 25 years. Through a network of local Girls Inc. nonprofit organizations, it serves more than 150,000 girls ages 6-18 annually at more than 1,400 sites in 350 cities in the USA and Canada.
The organization teaches girls how to achieve academically, lead healthy and physically active lives, manage money, navigate media messages and excel in science, technology, engineering and math. Learn more about Girl Inc. programs and advocacy at http://www.girlsinc.org
May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy will offer activities throughout the month. Teens nationwide can go to StayTeen.org to participate in the popular National Day Quiz and new Stay Teen CRUSH! game that deliver pregnancy prevention messages. They also challenge teens to think carefully about what they might do “in the moment.” The message of the National Day (observed May 2) is straightforward: Sex has consequences.
Last year, more than a half-million people participated in the 10th annual National Day. Participants took the quiz online, downloaded a print version in English or Spanish, and played the interactive game. National Day Quiz discussion guides for parents and teens were also available and were downloaded thousands of times.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Teen Pregnancy Quiz
Take an interactive quiz, available in English and Spanish, to test your knowledge about the facts of teen pregnancy. Share the quiz with your friends, post it on your website or share it on your social media networks.