WNBA Champion to Open Teen Pregnancy Prevention Conference in Columbia
March 6, 2013
COLUMBIA, SC – March 6, 2013 – Yolanda Moore, a two-time WNBA National Champion, will deliver the opening keynote address at the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy’s (SC Campaign) 14th Annual Summer Institute on Thursday, June 13 at 9:00 AM. An author, youth advocate, and educator, Ms. Moore is committed to helping others define and unleash their inner champion. This single mother of four encourages others, particularly women, to celebrate the greatness within themselves and to tackle obstacles head on with confidence and a sense of humor. Yolanda will share honest, candid, and down-to-earth anecdotes of her own personal journey from growing up in poverty in rural Mississippi to becoming a teenage mom to making history as a member of the first ever WNBA championship teams. Yolanda’s philosophy, and title of her first book, is “You Will Win If You Don’t Quit.”
Join the SC Campaign for all or part of this year’s Summer Institute – a two-day conference designed for youth-serving and teen pregnancy prevention professionals that provides CEUs. As one of the country’s most popular conferences of its kind, the Summer Institute is scheduled for June 13 & 14 at the Columbia Convention Center in “Famously Hot” Columbia, SC. In addition to Ms. Moore, the conference will also include:
• Wednesday, June 12, 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Opening Reception – Get an early opportunity to network, visit exhibits, and enjoy great food and music at the kick-off party.
• Thursday, June 13, 9:00am-12:00pm: POWER Sessions – These extended workshops will get you in the right frame of mind for the conference.
• Friday, June 14, 1:00pm to 3:00pm: Closing Panel – We will close our conference with a panel of experts discussing how to effectively involve males in your programming.
Thursday and Friday Workshops include topics like:
• Working with Youth Coalitions • Peer Education in Schools
• HPV Vaccinations for Males & Females
• Improving Clinical Services
• Recruiting and Retaining Youth
Early Bird registration will end April 1, so take advantage of this 15% discount by registering today.
“Teen birth rates have dropped considerably over the last decade, but South Carolina still has the 11th highest teen birth rate in the nation,” said Forrest Alton, Chief Executive Officer of the SC Campaign. “We must take advantage of current momentum and continue building stronger communities for our teens. Summer Institute will bring together nearly 350 people from across the state and region who will return to their communities with a better understanding of how to address the issue of teen pregnancy prevention.”
For more information, visit www.teenpregnancysc.org or call 803-771-7700.
About Teen Pregnancy in South Carolina: For the fourth consecutive year, teen birth rates in South Carolina have declined, once again reaching an all-time low. Information released by the Department of Health and Environmental Control shows a teen birth rate for 15-19 year olds of 39.1 per 1,000, correlating to an 8% decline from 2010-2011. Since 1994, the same year the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (SC Campaign) was established, the state has seen a 39% decline in the teen birth rate.
In South Carolina:
• 17 teens (age 15-19) give birth every day.
• 6,024 15-19 year olds gave birth in 2011.
• 72% of all teen births occurred among 18-19 year olds in 2010.
• 84% of South Carolinians support sex education that emphasizes abstinence & teaches about contraception.
About the South Carolina Campaign: The mission of the SC Campaign is to improve the health and economic well being of individuals, communities, and the state of South Carolina by preventing teen pregnancy. To achieve its mission, the SC Campaign works with a variety of programs-public, private, school and community-based-in each of the state’s 46 counties.
