Office of Family Planning Male Grantees Program Summaries FY2003 REGION I Montachusett Opportunity Council, Inc. Fitchburg, Massachusetts The Pro-Health Division of the Montachusett Opportunity Council (MOC) is a private, non-profit organization that targets African American and Hispanic males ages 13 to 25 in north central Massachusetts, particularly Fitchburg and Leominster, Massachusetts. The goal of MOC is to test both current and proposed innovative approaches for providing information and education to males regarding male sexuality and reproductive health. MOC plans to establish a Men's Education Network (MEN) site for distributing health promotion literature, abstinence literature and information on healthy relationships and communication aimed at young adolescent male. MOC plans to expand services at its MEN sites to include after-hour groups to discuss sexual risk reduction and health promotion. Additionally, the Pro Health Young Men's Clinic will expand its hours, conduct a marketing campaign to attract clients, hold small discussion groups, conduct risk assessments and behavior change counseling and monitor patient progress along the "Stages of Change" continuum. The MOC program is based on the Health Behavior Change Theory. REGION II New York Presbyterian Hospital New York, New York New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Mailman School of Public Health’s Center for Community Health and Education (CCHE) provides reproductive health services to young men ages 14 to 30 in the Washington Heights area of New York City. The project goals are to: 1) engage and retain previously unserved men in reproductive health care; 2) reduce sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among clinic patients seen at the Young Men’s Clinic (YMC) by 50%; 3) increase by 25% the number of not yet sexually active young men who choose to delay onset of sexual activity; and 4) increase by 25% the percentage of sexually active men who consistently use condoms or whose partners consistently use contraception. The agency will develop and implement a community-based research project that will investigate best practices in providing young men with high quality, effective, and cost-effective family planning services. CCHE will operate and provide data collection and analysis for two project components: the Young Men’s Clinic and a School-Based Health Clinic (SBC). The project has projected that over a five-year period it will serve 7,800 men. CCHE uses the Theory of Reasoned Action/ Theory of Planned Behavior. REGION III Baltimore City Health Department Baltimore, Maryland The Baltimore City Male Reproductive Health Initiative (BCMRHI) is a collaborative effort between the Baltimore City Health Department, the University of Maryland, Morgan State University, and Baltimore community-based and faith-based organizations that target young men ages 11-29. The ultimate goal of the project is to increase the utilization of age appropriate male reproductive health services - information, education and clinical services - among this population. The planned intervention will address the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding delay of sexual debut, sexual decision-making, use of clinical services, and other male reproductive health issues. The project activities include: 1) mini health fairs at each collaborating agency during which specific reproductive health information, education, and services will be provided; 2) training of peer educators recruited from collaborating agencies; 3) provision of the Wise Guys curriculum adapted to the needs of the audience; and 4) support for the utilization of clinical services through the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine Adolescent and Young Adult Centers at the Baltimore City Health Department and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The project will evaluate the change in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among the target population, and the degree to which this impacts involvement in unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and utilization of appropriate clinical services. National Organization of Concerned Black Men, Inc., PERCY* Washington, D.C. The Peer Education and Reproductive Counseling for Young Men (PERCY) program targets African American males between the ages of 10 to 18 in the District of Columbia, Baltimore, Md. and Alexandria, Va. Its goals are to help youth avoid premature fatherhood and to increase self-esteem, abstinent behavior, condom use and parent-child communication on sex. PERCY combines educational sessions on teen sexuality with group mentoring and enrichment activities. The project also provides referrals for clinical family planning services, HIV testing, substance abuse treatment and other social services. The program offers parents advice on helping their children make better decisions about sexual behavior. Young men are required to participate in project sessions, periodic enrichment activities and other program events such as youth summits and conferences. Project activities are conducted in a number of settings including schools and recreational centers. The project also has a rigorous evaluation component which includes outcome and process procedures to assess progress and effectiveness. The PERCY project is based upon Bandura's Social Learning Theory, and the Social and Cognitive Skills prevention model. REGION IV The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Wise Guys Greensboro, North Carolina The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), has established a consortium with the Family Life Council of Greater Greensboro, a private non-profit organization, to develop, deliver and evaluate male sexual and reproductive health education in Guilford County, North Carolina for the past six years. The consortium also includes Guilford Child Health, a medical service and reproductive health counseling provider. The target population includes Caucasian, African American, Asian and Native American males. The current project will continue this collaborative effort with presentations in middle schools (seventh and eighth graders) as well as to other community based organizations and providers, and will expand to include three community-based facilitator groups in order to enhance capacity for community directed educational interventions. The ultimate goal is to reduce mortality through prevention of STDs, unplanned pregnancies and partner and child abuse. The anticipated outcome of the project will be scientific documentation of the effectiveness of this comprehensive service model in changing the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of adolescent, teen and young adult males, leading to greater responsibility in their sexual and reproductive relationships. The program has its theoretical roots in the Health belief Model. Youth Opportunities Unlimited, Inc., Boyz-to-Men Safe Passage Program Marks, Mississippi The Youth Opportunities Unlimited, Inc., Boyz-to-Men Safe Passage Program will organize educational programs and activities targeting at-risk males ages 8 to 18, who reside in four rural Mississippi Delta counties. The project goals are to: 1) facilitate the development of responsible sexual behavior among participating teens by offering adolescent reproductive health education and activities; 2) strengthen the role of parents and other adult family members in promoting sexual responsibility and increasing their understanding of, involvement in, and responsibility for adolescent pregnancy prevention; and 3) recruit, screen and train teen mentors who will work in the in-school and afterschool program providing information, small group leadership, role modeling and support to participating youth. Outreach activities will be expanded to include seven faith-based institutions to further increase male involvement services in outlying rural areas. Additionally, the program will blend new services with existing agency programs to provide a holistic, reproductive health education model that can be replicated in other rural communities. The Boyz-to-Men Safe Passage Program uses the Health Behavior Change Theory. REGION V Madison County Urban League, MISTA Alton, Illinois The Madison County Urban League, Males Increasing Skills Throughout Adolescence (MISTA) program is a culturally innovative male responsibility program targeting males ages 14 to 22. The program utilizes music, video, and multimedia training to educate males on HIV and other STDs, peer pressure, date rape, teen pregnancy, gender communication, in addition to other social issues concerning today’s youth. The goals of the project are to: 1) conduct educational presentations; 2) increase personal knowledge of male responsibility; 3) complete an educational video and music compact disk about male responsibility; 4) implement community outreach to promote male responsibility and primary prevention; and 5) promote Madison County Urban League Health Services throughout the community. The multimedia products that are created will be used as peer education tools for the community. Educational video productions will be shown in schools, universities, hospitals, and social service agencies. Musical CDs will be distributed throughout the community and to organizations upon request. Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support Minneapolis, Minnesota The Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support, in partnership with Fremont Community Health Services, Inc., Children’s Hospitals and Clinics, and Teen Age Medical Services, works with adolescent and young adult African American males in the North and South side communities of Minneapolis to address disparities in the rates of STDs and teen pregnancies in these neighborhoods. The project goals are to: 1) increase knowledge, change social norms, and foster behavioral control with respect to sexual activity, condom and other contraceptive use, and STD testing; 2) increase condom use and other contraceptive use by partners; and 3) increase STD testing, STD treatment, and other health clinic visits by the target population. Activities include 1) modifying clinic environments to make them more welcoming to the target audience; 2) conducting clinic staff training to improve skills in working with the target clientele; 3) intensive outreach to local hangouts to provide one-to-one health education and risk assessments; 4) STD testing in traditional clinic settings, in community-based agencies, and on-the-spot specimen collection for young men who do not want to visit a clinic; and 5) conducting male discussion groups for young adolescents. These discussion groups will use the Making Proud Choices! A Safer Sex Approach to Preventions of STDs, HIV, and Teen Pregnancy, which emphasizes that risk can be eliminated by sexual abstinence, or decreased by consistent and correct use of condoms. This program uses the Theory of Planned Behavior and Ecological Theory. REGION VI Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals New Orleans, Louisiana The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals in partnership with Brotherhood, Inc. and the New Orleans Job Corps will provide reproductive health education to African American males ages 16 to 24. The goal of the project is to improve the sexual health of young men by using an innovative curriculum training model. Seventy-five young men will be selected from a pool of New Orleans Job Corps participants. The 12 session intervention will utilize the Social Learning Theory to address the factors that influence sexual behavior, such as personal knowledge, skills, attitude, interpersonal relationships and the decision- making process. Texas Department of Health Corpus Christi, Texas The Texas Department of Health, in collaboration with Planned Parenthood of South Texas, designed a project which links educational programs for young men ages 18 to 25 with male-focused clinical family planning services. The project goal is to foster linkages between reproductive health educational efforts and clinical services. The project will explore: 1) the efficacy of adolescent and young adult male reproductive health education content; 2) the availability of health education and health services; and 3) communication between young adult males and their partners concerning reproductive health issues. Activities include developing media and educational materials, workshops and support groups, educational programs for males, and clinical family planning services. Planned Parenthood of South Texas will provide male-focused clinical services. The project will evaluate the degree to which the availability of the scope of services provided influences service utilization, health behaviors, attitudes, and decision- making of young adult males. This program uses the Health Belief Model and Social Cognitive Theory. REGION VII The City of Life Christian Church (TCOLC) Project St. Louis, Missouri The City of Life Christian Church Project (TCOLC) will establish a male-focused program in a faith-based setting to serve men of all ages. The goals of the project are to: 1) reduce STDs and unplanned pregnancies, 2) delay the sexual initiation of young males and 3) improve the reproductive health of males. Services will include counseling, information/education and referrals. The project plan is to train sixty individuals from the 1500 member congregation as staff auxiliary health workers (AHWs). Professional staff will include a Project Director, Public Health Nurse and a Male Health Educator. TCOLC plans on building from their on-going programs Golden Glory, which targets senior /retired males ages 65 and older; Men of Victory and Power, which targets men 25 and over; and Whole Youth Network which targets males ages 11 to 25. Particularly, The Whole Youth Network project educates young men on how to make correct life decisions in the areas of finance, relationships and education. TCOLC’s approach is based on the Learning Theory and the Cognitive-Behavior Theory. REGION VIII Youth and Family Services, Inc., Male Health Project Rapid City, South Dakota Youth and Family Services (YFS), is a private, non-profit organization that has established a program targeting American Indian, White, Hispanic and African American males ages 8 to 25. The goal of the Male Health Project (MHP) is to positively impact health promotion by increasing knowledge and changing behaviors among boys and young men in Rapid City and the surrounding area. The MHP will use a multi- faceted approach including reproductive and other health education, therapeutic counseling, treatment and support, mentoring and role modeling, family and school involvement and transportation services to enable the youth to take part in the activities. Clinical services are provided by agreements between MHP and health providers such as the Rapid City Community Health Center. The program utilizes the Social Cognitive Theory of Health Behavior as the rationale for its approach. REGION IX Bienvenidos Children’s Center, Inc., Joven Noble Los Angeles, California Bienvenidos Children’s Center, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization that has established Joven Noble, a male involvement program which targets Latino males ages 14 to 24 who reside in the Greater East Los Angeles area. The program particularly targets young men who are on probation, enrolled in targeted and continuation schools, engage in drug or alcohol use and those who demonstrate delinquent behavior. Joven Noble will be enhanced and adapted to continuously meet the needs of high risk Latino males. The project goals are to: 1) provide intensive classes and youth development activities to high risk Latino males ages 15 to 19; 2) provide male reproductive health education and health awareness to school-based Latino adolescents ages 14 to 19; and 3) promote greater awareness of male health issues and access to clinical services to Latino males ages 14 to 24 through community events. This program utilizes the Health Behavior Change Theory as the basis for its approach. Project Concern International, New Americans Male Reproductive Health Project San Diego, California Project Concern International (PCI) is a San Diego-based non-profit organization that has established The New Americans Male Reproductive Health Project to address the shortage of culturally-sensitive reproductive health education among East African immigrant youth ages 14 to 19. The goal of the project is to improve the sexual and reproductive health behaviors of East African immigrant youth. The program is using a three-pronged approach to: 1) improve knowledge, attitudes, and skills regarding sexuality and reproductive health; 2) increase self-efficacy; and 3) increase access to quality reproductive health services. This strategy will be used to achieve the program’s objectives of delaying initiation of sexual activity within the target population, and to increase the use of contraceptives among youth who have already initiated sexual activity. The program integrates educational sessions with planned activities, trips and recreation to keep youth motivated and involved in healthy activities. PCI utilizes the Health Behavior Change Theory as a basis for its approach. REGION X Benton County Health Department, Male Advocates for Responsible Sexuality Program Corvallis, Oregon The Benton County Health Department (BCHD), a local government agency, has established the Male Advocates for Responsible Sexuality (MARS) program to provide educational and clinical services in the Corvallis area. The target population includes high school-aged and college-aged Hispanic males, Asian and Pacific Islander males, and males with developmental disabilities. The goals of the MARS program are to increase involvement in responsible decision-making regarding sexual health and to increase the use of clinical sexual health services among males ages 13 to 25 who live in Benton County. Clinical services will be provided by BCHD's public health clinic, behavioral clinic and school-based health centers. The MARS intervention is based upon the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Diffusion of Innovation Theory.