The Healthy Girls Initiative is United Way of Greater Milwaukee’s focused approach to moving the needle on teen pregnancy reduction and improving the health of girls, boys and families in our community. After studying other communities and researching evidence-based programming, United Way selected Making Proud Choices! and ¡Cuidate! as its signature curricula. By implementing the same programs throughout the community, United Way can accurately track progress and results through common outcomes and indicators, while also forming best practices. Both curricula target not only girls, but also teen boys. High school girls experiencing dating violence were found to be 4 to 6 times more likely than their non-abused peers to have ever been pregnant. Also, at least one fourth of adolescent mothers, and as many as 50-80 percent, are in abusive relationships before, during or after their pregnancies. Due to the strong correlation between sexual violence and teen pregnancy, United Way also invests in several curricula with the goal of reducing sexual violence. Of the 2011-2012 Healthy Girls Initiative participants:
Read about grant criteria or contact Julie Rothwell at (414) 263-8127 with questions.
United Way is funding 16 evidence-based Healthy Girls programs for a total investment of $648,000. More than 3,500 Milwaukee-area youth will be served by these programs. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee - Making Proud Choices! Center for Self Sufficiency - Making Proud Choices! COA Youth and Family Centers - Making Proud Choices! Council for the Spanish Speaking, Inc - ¡Cuidate! HeartLove Place - Making Proud Choices! Journey House, Inc - Making Proud Choices! La Causa, Inc - Making Proud Choices! Neu-Life Community Resource Center - Making Proud Choices! The Parenting Network – Making Proud Choices! + Relate Pathfinders - Making Proud Choices! PEARLS for Teen Girls - Making Proud Choices! Rosalie Manor Community and Family Services - Making Proud Choices! Silver Spring Neighborhood Center - Making Proud Choices! UMOS - Expect Respect Walker’s Point Youth and Family Center - Girls’ Circle Paths to the Future + Young Men "Living a Legacy: A Rite of Passage" Wisconsin Community Services, Inc - Making Proud Choices! + RELATE
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Serve Marketing produce Baby Can Wait marketing and resources that receive national attention.
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United Way of Greater Milwaukee would like to acknowledge the creative and effective efforts of SERVE, a nonprofit ad agency that has developed the look and messaging for the media-driven teen pregnancy prevention campaign.