emP.O.W.E.R.ing Innovation Fund
Now Accepting Ideas. Potential applicants are encouraged to think beyond traditional ways of supporting, informing, and engaging young people and tap into their creative side. Fact Forward is looking to invest in organizations and businesses that are ready to move an idea forward.
Teen pregnancy is an issue that affects the entire community. You can make a difference.
Are you a community-based organization?
Consider hosting an evidence-based training for your employees who work with young people or for parents in your community. Educational programs and curricula can focus on broad skills, like decision making, or specific skills, like educating about contraception options. All of our programs are evidence-based—in other words, they’ve been proven to be effective in reducing risky behaviors and teen pregnancy. They can also be tailored to specific age groups and goals—so it’s easy to find one that’s appropriate for any group.
What you can do:
- Browse our trainings to see if any spark an interest. Keep in mind we're happy to customize a training just for your group.
- Contact us to start an evidence-based program in your school, organization, or place of worship.
- Host a Let's Talk Month event to help parents learn how to talk to their kids about love, sex, and relationships.
- Teens need condom access points in their community that are easy to access, free or inexpensive, and judgment-free. Those access points can be places where teens go often, like barber shops, stores, and college campuses. Contact us to find out how to become a teen-friendly condom access point in your community.
Are you a local business owner?
Recognize the effect teen pregnancy has on lost economic growth, increased federal spending, and increased poverty—all of which affect the quality of the workforce. Achieving reductions in teen pregnancy rates requires a sustained commitment and investment in young people. As a community leader, you are in a great position to help advance the cause of preventing unplanned pregnancies!
What you can do:
- Create a workplace program, as part of a wellness initiative, to assist parents in addressing teen pregnancy prevention issues within their families. Not sure how? We can help! Contact us to create a teen-pregnancy prevention focused wellness initiative in your workplace.
- Donate to Fact Forward
- Sponsor a Fact Forward event...you'll get credit for being associated with a great cause, and you'll get exposure for your business. It's a win-win!
Are you a parent?
Research shows teens want to be able to talk about love, sex, and relationships with parents and trusted adults. But it’s hard for both sides to start the conversation. We offer classes, programs, and resources that give parents and teens the tools and the opportunity to start an ongoing conversation about love, sex, and relationships.
What you can do:
- Get tips and scripts for how to talk to children in your life about love, sex, and healthy relationships.
- Share our resources for teens - they need help learning how to communicate, too!
- Participate in Let's Talk Month, an initiative designed to break down communication barriers between parents and children.
Make an impact
When you donate to Fact Forward, you're supporting our work with community organizations, educators, healthcare providers, and parents.
Talk to your policymakers
Care about the issue? Let your representative know!
Personal meetings and face-to-face contact is always the best way to communicate, but there are lots of other ways to be heard too.
- Call
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To call a House member during the legislative Session, call 803-734-2402 and ask for them by name.
To call a Senator during the legislative Session, call 803-212-6700. - Write
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To write your House member a letter, send it to PO Box 11186, Columbia, SC 29211. To write your Senator, send it to PO Box 142, Columbia, SC 29202.
- Click
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Visit the South Carolina Statehouse online to find out who represents you and to email him/her directly.
- Connect
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Some legislators now have Facebook and Twitter pages in addition to their campaign websites. Don't forget that these can be useful tools in maintaining a relationship with your legislator and finding out how they are staying active in your community.
If you cannot make contact with your legislator, talk to their staff and ask the staff member to relay your information to the legislator. Also, ask to be added to your legislator's email or newsletter list.
Tips for the talk
Be prepared no matter what form of communication you decide is most appropriate.
- Have prepared talking points ready when you speak to your legislator.
- Their time is limited, so get to the point.
- Be considerate of their points-of-view.
- Know your opposition and anticipate their arguments.
- Tell them how the issue affects you and your family.
Sample Talking Points
- I care about funding evidence-based reproductive health education in schools.
- Please continue to support the work that Fact Forward (formerly the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy) is doing around reproductive education in our state.
- Teen pregnancy prevention is critical for older teens too. Please consider funding teen pregnancy prevention programs on college campuses.