We're worried about our own kids, our neighbor's kids, the students in our classrooms, the youth in our congregations, and kids as a whole. We've seen the stories and the appalling facts about teen pregnancy, violence, school failure, substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, eating disorders, and suicide. We've watched the news and stared at images of alienated, angry kids who seem unreachable and doomed. It's depressing, frustrating, and frightening, but it doesn't have to be that way.

When kids come from strong families and strong communities they can benefit from the positive opportunities they will encounter in life. With this campaign, people in all parts of the community can catch the vision and make a commitment to helping kids succeed. The future can indeed be brighter - not just for kids, but for everyone.
Members of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Task Force of Envisioning the 21st Century view teen pregnancy as a self-perpetuating problem, one often associated with poverty, less education, and to a larger extent, dysfunctional family structures, regardless of income or social class. There is a particular concern about the vicious, difficult-to-break cycle of "teens who have babies who grow up to be teens who have babies.

Through our discussions over the past year, we have come to see that teen pregnancy is inextricably intertwined with other issues teens face, such as drug use, violence, sexually transmitted diseases, and school failure. Peer pressure, poor decision making skills, lack of strong values, absence of a sense of personal responsibility, lack of future aspirations and goals, and youthful immaturity, vulnerability, rebellion, and impulsiveness have been identified as major causes of teen problems. These factors are excaberated by broader social and environmental influences, especially the pervasive negative influence of the media and the absence and irresponsibility of some parents.

The barriers to teen pregnancy prevention are as complex and intertwined as the causes. Regardless of differing views on comprehensive sex education, abstinence education, and access to contraception, the task force reached a consensus on the critical roles parents, the media, and , to a lesser extent, schools and other societal institutions could and should play in reducing teen pregnancy. The common ground we reached was an initiative that would promote the best behavior in our youth and prepare then for the future by emphasizing the assets youth need to succeed.

Beginning in September 1999, we joined with the Crime and Family Violence Task Force to promote a community-wide campaign to internalize the twelve attitudes that are among the essential assets that all people need in order to develop into honest, caring, responsible, community-minded adults. This campaign began with the phrase "Be Part of a Community of Character," and each month of the year a different attitude is promoted. The community will be asked to participate in different activities to help internalize these attitudes and help create an attitude shift.

The first step in our implementation plan is community awareness. Each month, a different group from the community will be asked to prepare a calendar for the month reflecting ideas, quotes, activities, and thoughts on the "word of the month." This calendar will be distributed throughout the county in schools, doctors' office, churches and the Marion Star. For the month of September 1999, the task force requested the Steering Committee of Envisioning the 21st Century to prepare the calendar, with the words, "Be Hopeful."  In November, 1999, the River Valley High School Interactive Social Studies classes provided ideas for the November calendar, "Be Respectful".

Initial funding for this campaign came from the Marion County Family and Children First Council's Wellness Block Grant from the State of Ohio.   Funding has also been provided by the United Way of Marion County Alber Grants.