RESPECT Program

What is RESPECT?

RESPECT stands for Reducing Early Sex and Pregnancy by Educating Children and Teens.  RESPECT is a mentoring program for teen girls.  Girls may enter the program in 7th, and the program continues throughout high school.

Our Goal 

We work intensively with teenage girls who are at high risk of becoming teen mothers.  RESPECT offer guidance and helps the girls to develop self-esteem, teaching the life skills they need to be successful in school, work, dating and other relationships.

Activities

The girls meet twice a month to discuss topics such as:

• Decision-making skills and consequences

• Goal setting and future planning

• Abstinence and human sexuality

• Drug, alcohol and tobacco use prevention

• The negative influences of TV, radio, movies and advertising

Additionally, girls are paired with mentors throughout the program who provide positive role models.

Rewards

The program helps girls gain knowledge, responsibility, self-esteem, and good decision-making skills. These qualities are strengthened by the friends made and confidences shared within the group, as well as by the influence and involvement of each girl's mentor.

Each girl who stays with the program and graduates from high school with a 2.5 GPA or above, without becoming pregnant, will be given a partial scholarship to the college of her choice. 

Successes

In the five years the program has been in existence, there have been no pregnancies, drug abuse problems and no tobacco use within the group. Three of our participates have just graduated from high school and are currently attending college. These remarkable successes prove the effectiveness of mentorship and the RESPECT program.  With the expanding reach, it will only continue to grow in its accomplishments and count more and more successes among the girls in the program.