[Archived] Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy Receives Grant

The Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP) received a three-year Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) grant for $290,494 per year from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families to provide prevention programs that address teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections to approximately 800 at-risk youth.

The partners, programs, and target groups include: Capital Youth Empowerment, Becoming a Responsible Teen, with male teen athletes from T.C. Williams High School; Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry, Be Proud! Be Responsible!, with teens in the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Home and Sheltercare, a residential program for court-involved youth; Community Lodgings, Be Proud! Be Responsible!, with teens in the Arlandria community; and T.C. Williams High School’s Graduation, Reality, and Dual-Role Skills (GRADS) class designed for pregnant and parenting teens, Be Proud! Be Responsible! Be Protective!

The project includes movement, meditation and nutrition components based on current research on adolescent brain development.

A Community Education Specialist will coordinate the project within the Center for Children and Families, and, in consultation with ACT for Alexandria, will develop a plan to sustain grant programs beyond the scope of the grant, independent of City funds.

Although Alexandria’s teen pregnancy rate has declined over the past 15 years, the rate remains among the highest in the area and state, and almost two times the state’s rate.

Teen pregnancy prevention is a priority for the City of Alexandria. For more information about the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy, visit www.KeepIt360.org. To learn more about the PREP Project, contact Lisette Torres, ACAP Coordinator, Lisette.torres@alexandriava.gov, 703.746.3130.