City continues effort to prevent teen pregnancies with 'You Have a Choice' campaign
Date: 5/10/2011
May 11. 2011By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
HOLYOKE — "You have choices."
That's the message people who are behind the effort to lower the city's rate of unintended teen pregnancies sent through a variety of activities as part of a week highlighting the issue from May 4 to 11.
Holyoke's has being ranked number one in the state for unintended teen pregnancies.
At an event at City Hall announcing the week's events, Lori Chaves of the Holyoke Adolescent Sexual Health and Pregnancy Prevention Task Force said the task force has concentrated in the last year on three areas to reduce teen pregnancy: provide access to information for both youth the community as a whole; develop a science and health based curriculum for the city's schools to reduce risk factors; and engage the community about what it can do to help.
The activities featured during the week included a march starting from Girls Inc., information on pregnancy testing at Holyoke and Dean Technical High Schools, a "You have Choices" poetry night and a "Mind, Body and Soul Games Festival" at the Boys & Girls Club.
In addition, buttons and bracelets with the message "You Have Choices" were distributed.
The winners of a poster and essay contest on the issue were also announced. Tony King, Ashley Frazier, Chris Nepus and Evelyn Reyes, all Dean Technical High School students, received gift certificates courtesy of State Sen. Michael Knapik, State Rep. Michael Kane and the Holyoke Mall.
"This issue is very important to us," School Superintendent David Dupont said.
Mayor Elaine Pluta said she hopes the city will see a decrease in unintended pregnancies from all of the efforts within the next several years.
