Our Projects

The Healthy Youth NC Coalition exists to:

• Ensure proper implementation of the Healthy Youth Act
• Raise awareness about the need for the Healthy Youth Act.
• Support school districts, parents, teens, and community members in understanding the Healthy Youth act. 

Solid education and preventive health measures can help the youth of our community!

Youth at Risk: North Carolina has the 9^th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, costing tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars every year.  In 2007, 69.1% of high school seniors reported having had sexual intercourse, and 46.8% of those did not use a condom at last sexual intercourse.  In 2008, 67% of STDs reported in North Carolina occur in people ages 15-24, and most HIV/AIDS related deaths occur in young and middle aged adults. 

Consequently, STDs, HIV, and teen pregnancy affect the dreams, aspirations and health of countless young people and their families.  Teen pregnancy and STD rates in NC are far too high.  Now is our chance to fight this public health crisis.

All available data shows that a combination of abstinence and comprehensive sex-education best helps adolescents make good decisions about their health.  To reduce teen pregnancy, prevent

HIV/STDs  and teach our children about contraception, lawmakers passed the Healthy Youth Act (HYA) in  2009.

What Does the HYA Do?  The HYA requires that all 7^th-9^th grade students in North Carolina public schools receive age-appropriate curriculum teaching both abstinence-until-marriage and comprehensive sexuality education unless their parents remove them from one or both parts of the curriculum. 

The comprehensive curriculum must teach:

1. Medically accurate information about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including statistics, rates, facts and myths about STD transmission and the effects of contracting STDs.
2. The effectiveness and safety of all Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved contraceptive methods.
3. Information on local resources for testing and medical care for sexually transmitted diseases.
4. Awareness of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and risk reduction.

Public Support:  Over 90% of North Carolina parents support medically accurate sex education in our schools^.1 It is time for our children to learn life-saving, medically factual information in their

health classes!

How to Get Involved?  Each local board of education shall adopt a policy and choose curriculum, and the Healthy Youth NC Coalition is supporting targeted districts by organizing Community Action Teams and encouraging all North Carolinians to contact their school boards and demand HYA implementation.  Please get involved to make sure your school district chooses a medically accurate curriculum that will teach our children to prevent teen pregnancy and STDs!  

Email us the name of your school district, and we will get you in contact with the proper school board officials!  Now is the time for our children to get medically factual and life-saving information!