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August 21, 2002
Little Rock —
Over
500 students ages 12 to 18 and youth leaders will gather
this weekend to promote sexual abstinence and other
healthy behaviors at the statewide “Leading
Our Generation” abstinence youth rally, August
23 and 24, at Harding University in Searcy. The
conference is sponsored by the Arkansas Department of
Health.
The event kicks off Friday, August 23, at 3:30 PM
with welcoming comments by Fay Boozman, M.D., M.P.H.,
Director of the Arkansas Department of Health.
“The 2001 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
System reported that the percentage of high school
students who have not had sex has increased by 8.7
percent,” Boozman explained. “Abstinence education
has been an integral part of this turning point.”
Students attending the event will be exposed to a
number of messages, ranging from realistic looks at
health issues such as STDs and teen pregnancy, to
empowering sessions on becoming positive influences,
setting boundaries and recognizing love versus
infatuation. Adult discussions will focus on running an
abstinence program, as well as parental issues, such as
how to watch for warning signs in children.
Friday evening will kick off with food, games and
entertainment by urban inspirational recording artist
and national speaker Lakita Garth.
Ms. Garth, who has appeared on television shows
such as
MTV’s
Sex in the 90s, Politically Incorrect, The
Image Awards and The Montel Williams Show,
will also speak Saturday on abstinence and working with
the media.
Saturday’s
welcome starts at 8:30 AM, followed by Keynote Speaker
John Crudele, an internationally recognized authority on
youth and family issues. Crudele, who is the co-author
of Making Sense of
Adolescents: How to Parent from the Heart and the Teen
Power series, and host of his own national radio
talk show, will also lead a special adult luncheon.
By
the end of the conference, students will be encouraged
to make and sign a pledge to remain abstinent until
marriage. “It is my hope that the statewide youth
rally helps students through this school year by
teaching them how to remain abstinent until marriage,”
said Shaun Addision, coordinator of the ADH Abstinence
Education Program. “Then my hope is that these
students are able to positively influence their peers by
sharing that knowledge with others."
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