Youth Council Spotlight: Alexandria, VA

Teen pregnancy is an issue in the city of Alexandria that the Alexandria Youth Council (AYC)  is currently focused on. The AYC is working with Critical Exposure, a non-profit that helps young people advocate effectively utilizing photography and other creative strategies, on a teen pregnancy prevention project through the use of photography.  Other project partners include Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy and Alexandria City Public Schools.

The goal for this project is "to increase the awareness about teen pregnancy, including consequences and responsibilities, in youth ages 12-21." The AYC members will be personally interviewing, photographing, and getting to know the pregnant teens in order to educate not only the young girls, but the young men, parents, and the whole community. Through their photographs, the Alexandria Youth Council will be telling the stories of young mothers and the life changes they had to make, how being pregnant changes their lives. Other messages will include how to prevent pregnancies, the responsibilities and challenges of being a mother, the importance of positive child and parent relationships, and where teens can find condoms and birth control in Alexandria.

AYC will be presenting the final project in a workshop at the teen summit for all Alexandria youth in the Spring of 2008. Additionally, the youth will present the project at a city council meeting and to the city's youth policy commission. The members of the council feel that photographing and hearing the stories of pregnant teens will make a significant difference in the community and will provide a resource for their city to increase awareness about teen pregnancy.   

To learn more about the Alexandria Youth Council teen pregnancy prevention project contact Karen Parker Thompson at karen.parker.thompson@acps.k12.va.us
                             

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