IYD: Abstinence Education Initiative Overview

Abstinence Education Initiative

IYD Abstinence Education Initiative Overview

Since its inception, the Institute for Youth Development has been dedicated to ensuring the best possible future for America’s youth through the promotion of a risk avoidance message regarding five unhealthy risk behaviors: drugs, alcohol, sex, violence and tobacco. Data substantiates unquestionable linkages between these health- compromising behaviors and further confirms that the earlier the age of involvement, the greater and longer term their risk.

To promote optimal health and bright futures for all young people, IYD advocates a comprehensive approach for avoiding all of these behaviors, and believes that if parents, schools, and communities empower youth with consistent health messages, young people are capable of good decision-making. Research confirms that the majority of today’s adolescents are making healthy choices.

Currently, IYD is funded to support sexual abstinence education efforts through three separate federal programs. These include two cooperative agreements from the Division of Adolescent and School Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and a contract from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Additional abstinence education information, including “Frequently Asked Questions”, can be accessed under IYD’s Abstinence Education Initiative. IYD also provides various publications to assist abstinence educators and youth development professionals. These include America’s Youth: Measuring the Risk, Adolescent and Family Health Journal, The Youth Connection, and the Federal Grants Manuals, Vol. I & II.

If you have questions regarding IYD’s abstinence education initiative, please contact Eva McGann at (703) 433-1640 ext 107 or e-mail at emcgann@youthdevelopment.org.