• MCTP delivered staff training and coaching in evidence- based youth life skills curricula. Member organizations that participated included In-Control, Rochester General Hospital, AIDS Rochester, Pathways to Peace, AfriKuumba, City Bureau of Parks and Recreation, Charles Settlement House, SPCC, Cameron Community Ministries, Liberty Partnerships, and the YWCA.

Outcome: Most participants said the staff training increased their confidence in presenting life skills curricula.  In the months immediately after the training events, these eleven organizations engaged 400 City youth with the curricula (Teen Outreach Program and the MCTP What’s Next video curriculum). 

• MCTP collaborated with Family Resource Centers of Crestwood Children’s Center to deliver Family Talk, a family communication workshop series for parents.  The workshop series provides parents with practical suggestions to help them talk with their children about sex and sexuality, healthy relationships and substance abuse. The facilitators encourage parents to examine their own values, to set limits and to become approachable adults. 

Outcome: In 2005-2006, 264 City of Rochester parents participated in the workshops.  After the workshop series, more parents reported starting conversations with their children about sexuality, more parents reported being comfortable answering their children’s questions about sexuality, and more parents were aware of community resources.  The positive results of the program were reported by Jon Klein, MD, in an article in the Journal of Adolescent Health (September 2005 Supplement). 

• MCTP collaborated with City of Rochester Bureau of Parks and Recreation, Rochester City School District, Youth Voice One Vision and others to initiate HEART, Coalition for a Drug-Free Rochester.  HEART is developing youth-led social marketing campaigns with schools, community centers and cable TV stations to promote substance abuse prevention. 

Outcome: 58 students at School of the Arts hosted a poetry and poster contest to explore “living life drug free.”  Youth groups from Field Street Recreation Center, Edgerton Recreation Center, Jefferson High School, and Charles Settlement House created video public service announcements which will be aired on cable TV and incorporated into Rochester City School District health classes in 2006-2007. 

• MCTP serves as the policy making board for the CONECTS Collaborative, a teen pregnancy prevention and youth development program led by the City of Rochester Bureau of Human Services, and funded by NYS Office of Children and Family Services.   MCTP members evaluate CONECTS and support the use of evidence based approaches. 

Outcome: 190 youth participated in youth development and teen pregnancy prevention programs at SPCC, Charles Settlement, and Cameron Community Ministries. 100% of the youth were enrolled and participating in school and 100% completed at least 20 hours of community service. 

230 young mothers received case management and life skills supports from the YWCA, SPCC and Junior Achievement.  90% of the young mothers remained in high school, graduated from high school or obtained GEDs. 

• MCTP participated in Youth Voice One Vision, a youth leadership and civic engagement project sponsored by City of Rochester Bureau of Parks and Recreation, that engages over 100 youth.  The young people held a mayoral candidates’ debate at Highland Bowl, and organized the Steppin’ Up to Solutions annual conference, a Diversity Fair and a job and college fair.  The Junior Rec Leaders created a community mural on the topic of drug addiction. 

Outcome: 100 youth take responsibility to plan and carry out community-wide youth events and to voice their opinions to local leaders. Young people say that the project helps them improve their community, understand government, communicate with adults, learn about different cultures, and plan, organize and act on their ideas. 

• The In-Control Collaborative is a youth development and teen pregnancy prevention program led by Planned Parenthood of Rochester / Syracuse Region with the support of the Urban League of Rochester, MCTP and Baden Street Settlement.  In Control staff teach life skills to 750 youth in school settings, and they engage 500 youth in community settings.  In-Control sponsors teen dances and engages 100 youth in intensive and creative youth development programs (peer education, college tours, music, art, drama and color guard).  The young people share their art and music skills with other community organizations. 

Outcome: Youth who participate learn life skills and self-expression skills, and avoid teen pregnancy.  Youth increase their use of health care and other community resources, and act as leaders in their communities. 

• MCTP produced five television public service announcements on the topic of youth sexual health.  Youth from In-Control and Baden Street Settlement worked with MCTP to create the messages and the scripts, and then acted in the PSAs.  WRWB 16 and RCTV 15 air the PSAs repeatedly, and the PSAs were distributed to every RCSD health teacher.

Outcome:  75% of Rochester City School District health teachers reported that they use the PSAs in their health classes.  “Students enjoy the local talent; and the messages are clear.” 

• MCTP collaborated with Afrikuumba to sponsor a life skills and performing arts program called Youth Alive City Wide.  Young people from Monroe High School, Field Street Rec Center, SWAN, and Edgerton Rec Center learned West African dance and drumming skills, while viewing the MCTP What’s Next healthy sexuality curriculum.  The young people created their own spoken word poetry on the themes of healthy relationships and smart behaviors. 

Outcome: 55 youth who engaged with the What’s Next curriculum completed a pre and post test between July 2004 and August 2005.  At the end of the program, significantly more girls reported conversations with their parents about abstinence, saying no to sex and sexual predators, and significantly more boys reported conversations with their parents about STDs. In addition, more youth said they thought about the consequences of having sexual intercourse. 

• New projects:  MCTP initiated several new projects. 

We received funding from the Wilson Foundation to support a youth video project for students from Jefferson High School.  We received funding from the Women’s Foundation to begin a girls’ art and entrepreneurship project at a storefront at the Public Market; this is a collaborative with In-Control.   

• MCTP was pleased to participate on several community work teams and collaborations including YSQC, the Youth Bureau Asset Network, the African American Health Status Task Force, Monroe County Adolescent Health Report Card Committee, and Soy Unica Soy Latina.  

Between 1990 and 2003, the teen birth rate for girls in Rochester (ages 15 to 19) dropped from about 13% to about 7%.  While the population of adolescent girls remained fairly constant in Rochester during these years, the number of babies born to adolescent girls decreased steadily from 987 in 1990 to 559 in 2003.  However, teen birth is still a serious problem in the City of Rochester.   In September 2008, the 559 children born in 2003 to teen mothers will fill 26 kindergarten classrooms in the Rochester City School District.      

Funders:

MCTP is grateful for the support of the following organizations and entities:

  • NYS Health Department, Office of Minority Health

  • NYS Health Department, Bureau of STD Control

  • NYS Health Department, Community Based Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention

(Planned Parenthood, lead agency for In-Control Collaborative)

  • City of Rochester – CDBG

  • Local Initiative Funding, Sen. Joseph Robach

  • Rochester Area Community Foundation

  • Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation

  • Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation

  • The Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley

MCTP thanks the City of Rochester, YWCA, SPCC, RCTV 15, and Children’s Institute for the donation of meeting and youth performance space.

MCTP thanks WRWB 16 and RCTV 15 for their donation of air time for the MCTP public service announcements and the What’s Next video stories.