State and federal grants have enabled South Carolina Parents Involved in Education (SC PIE) to partner with several South Carolina school districts to implement abstinence education training and curricula. SC PIE provides abstinence education training to public school teachers, faith leaders, parents, and public and private health care providers in targeted communities. SC PIE has enlisted the support of key community partners to assist in the implementation, management, training, and evaluation of grant projects.
Public School
SC PIE trains public school teachers to effectively teach students to abstain from sexual activity until marriage. Following initial extensive training by national experts, SC PIE provides teachers ongoing training and technical assistance enabling teachers to access the latest research and information regarding best practices in the field of abstinence education.
South Carolina School District Partners:
- Dillon District 1 & 2
- Marlboro County
- Florence 1, 2 & 4
- Orangeburg 5
- Lexington/Richland 5
- Marion District 7
| African American Community Emphasis Statistics prove that African American adolescents are at much greater risk for becoming sexually active resulting in out-of-wedlock pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. This provides rationale to place special emphasis on African American adolescents and their parents in target communities. Services will be provided to this population through a subcontract with an African American provider, Life Support, Inc., who trains parents and other adults, through the faith community, to lead their youth toward the goal of abstinence from premarital sex. |
Youth Rallies, Drama & Community Involvement
SC PIE uses the creative arts to partner with community-based organizations to equip youth and adults to learn the importance of avoiding risk behaviors. The positive youth development message for communities is delivered through dance, plays, music and public speaking. Each production/youth rally brings its own unique flair and style. Youth and adults from target communities are invited to participate in productions. Youth participants are mentored and trained in leadership skills, team work, and educated about the importance of premarital abstinence and avoiding gang involvement and alcohol and drug use. The content of each production is researched-based and filled with relevant educational benefits for youth and adults.
The audience, as well as performers, from past performances, has provided brilliant testimonies about how this unique approach to learning has led to their understanding of the importance of healthy life choices.
Faith Community
In a concentrated effort to offset health disparity issues in targeted communities, SCPIE partners with Life Support, Inc. to provide abstinence education to the African American community. This key partner has put together a coalition of over 70 African-American churches and community-based organizations.
SCPIE is developing collaboration in the White faith community to facilitate meeting with other adults who are connected to children. These opportunities for training enable parents, faith leaders, and mentors to reinforce the abstinence until marriage message their youth are learning in the schools.
Health Care Providers
To accomplish the goal of reaching adults who influence adolescent decisions regarding sexual activity outside of marriage, SC PIE provides training to health care providers in target communities. This training equips providers to understand the research-based evidence for premarital abstinence paradigm.
