Let's be real: how many of you know a girl who is pregnant now or has been before? Or know a teenage guy who got his female partner pregnant? Chances are high that you do, since 34 percent of young women become pregnant at least once before they turn 20 years old. That's about 820,000 teen pregnancies a year, and eight in ten of them are unintended, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

But there's good news for young people, too. Nationally, the pregnancy rate declined 28 percent between 1990 and 2000. And this decline is due, in part, to the efforts of young people like Caitlin Shetter, 19, of Marietta, GA and Chelsea Diana Nelson, 22, of New York, NY. They are just two of many young people who work as teen-pregnancy prevention activists to help their peers get informed about sexual health and avoid unplanned pregnancy.

Caitlin Shetter

Three years ago, Shetter, a sophomore at Cornell University, in Ithaca, NY, created a teen-pregnancy prevention program called "Time Out" in her home state of Georgia. The program, says Shetter, "targets teenage male athletes by tapping into their coaches as role models and using a 'time out' during practice as an opportunity to discuss sex, love, values, and the reality of pregnancy." Caitlin thought of the idea when she was on the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy's Youth Leadership Team.

"When I read the statistic that five in ten teen males think that sex is no big deal and that if the girl gets pregnant it is not their fault, I knew something needed to be done," says Shetter.

She started the Time Out program while still at Campbell High School, in Smyrna, GA. Her state soon took notice and she received written kudos from her senator and governor. She then launched the Time Out web site to share her prevention strategy with other state and national organizations, and youth activists. She recently met with a group of high school girls in Washington, D.C., to help them create their own teen-pregnancy prevention event.

So, why does Shetter feel there are so many unplanned teen pregnancies in the U.S.? The prevalence of unprotected sex, which she blames on "extreme sexual content in the media, lack of parental guidance, the argument over abstinence-only sex education, and teen curiosity about sex."

She feels that parents are a major factor in preventing teen pregnancy.

"Firstly, parents need to get more involved in their teens' lives. While sex may be an uncomfortable topic for many, it doesn't have to be, and it is the parents' responsibility to ensure that it is not," says Shetter.

"Secondly," she adds, "it is a shame that adults and policymakers spend their time arguing over what is better and more effective: abstinence-only sex education or education about contraceptives. While they are arguing, thousands of teens are having sex and getting pregnant."

Shetter wants teens to be taught that not having sex is the "only sure way to avoid pregnancy," but believes they should know all about contraception, too.

"And then when kids go home, they need to be able to have that ongoing conversation with their parents. There isn't a band-aid for this problem, but there can be steps made toward making it better," she says.

Chelsea Diana Nelson

Nelson works at the Office for Wellness Learning at New York University (NYU). For the past three years she has also been a volunteer Sexual Health Advocate at NYU, leading workshops for students on, women's health, sexually transmitted infections, and other topics.

For nearly two years Nelson has been living in campus housing as a Peer Educator in Residence. In this role, Nelson "provides comprehensive and interactive programming and outreach to residents about sexuality and sexual health, as well as resources (like safer sex supplies) and referrals to students who stop by my room with questions or concerns."

As a pregnancy-prevention peer educator, Nelson says the crux of her work is about "providing young people with options. The work that I do is not about imposing my values upon others, or influencing their decisions. It's about giving them factual information that is non-biased and clearly informative, so that they can make the decision that is best for them."

Nelson views her work as both informative and playful. She wants to not only talk about the benefits of using contraception to prevent pregnancy, but how to make talking about them with a partner easier and "how to make involving these options in sex play more sexy."

"If I can help young people see both the logical reasons to do something and how to incorporate it into their lives without losing the fun…then it is more appealing," she says.

"Many people have never had someone actively listen to their concerns and/or thoughts. I feel it is an honor to be able to provide that for my peers," says Nelson. Adds Shetter: "To help, even if I have only helped even one person, is worth it any day of the week. I am so glad that I can make a difference…"

Want to make a difference and join these activists? You can start by taking part in the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy this May 4, 2005.

Sylvia Mayorga, 16, of Newark, NJ, is an editor for Sex, Etc., the national newsletter and Web site written by teens, for teens, on sexual health issues, published by the Network for Family Life Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

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