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U.S. News Florida: Non-Profit Organization Advocates Abstinence to High School TeensSeptember 8, 2003 A note from TheBody.com: Since this article was written, the HIV pandemic has changed, as has our understanding of HIV/AIDS and its treatment. As a result, parts of this article may be outdated. Please keep this in mind, and be sure to visit other parts of our site for more recent information! Since 1992, the nonprofit organization Be the One has conducted age-specific abstinence programs -- including interactive classroom presentations, after-school clubs and youth rallies -- for middle and high schools students across the country. Last year, the group received a $2.4 million federal grant to focus efforts on Delray Beach and Belle Glade, Fla., because of their high teen pregnancy rates, with what it calls a "saturation strategy." The grant, from the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance program, will be administered over three years. According to Program Director Lloyd Groves of Boynton Beach, the group has no religious affiliation. "Since we are funded by the state and federal government, we are not allowed to mention religion. We take a purely medical, physical, social, emotional standpoint," said Groves. The group is staunchly committed to promoting an abstinence-before-marriage lifestyle and does not advocate birth control or STD-preventing measures as options. Rather, the group discusses the physical and emotional consequences of premarital sex, supported by statistical information, and the benefits of abstinence. Another major goal of Be the One is parental education. Presentations and workshops help parents understand how to communicate with their children about sex, said Groves. So far, the response has been positive, said Groves and McDonald. The demand for the presentation at schools has resulted in a waiting list, Groves added. South Florida Sun-Sentinel 09.07.03; Karen L. Fede A note from TheBody.com: Since this article was written, the HIV pandemic has changed, as has our understanding of HIV/AIDS and its treatment. As a result, parts of this article may be outdated. Please keep this in mind, and be sure to visit other parts of our site for more recent information! This article was provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update.
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