When I was in 7th or 8th grade, I was chosen to be one of 6 kids from my class to attend a "leadership workshop". It meant a weekend away from home with other kids of the same age from all over the Pittsburgh area, hanging out at a retreat facility and learning how to be better teenagers, better students, and better people in general. We did all of those activities typical of a weekend like that - ice breakers, team building stuff, reflections on life, our future goals, and everything in between. And even though it was more than 15 years ago, that weekend stands out in my memory as one of the hands-down best I've had...I remember the experience vividly and would do it again in a heartbeat.

So what's my point here? All these memories hit me today because The National Campaign is now accepting applications for our 2009-2010 Youth Leadership Team. The YLT is a similar sort of team building, weekend-adventure kind of thing, but with the added bonus that skills are used year-round. Let me explain... The YLT is a select group of 14- to 17-year-olds from across the nation who work with The National Campaign in a variety of ways: they serve as our eyes and ears when it comes to understanding teen culture, we call upon them to share their opinions and perspectives with the press, we show them off on Capitol Hill and have them talk to their Senators and Representatives about the importance of teen pregnancy prevention. Sometimes we even go bowling. We meet in person twice over their 18-month term, but we work together year-round to help them raise awareness about the issue in their home communities.

Do you know a teen who would be a great fit on our YLT? Take a minute to learn more about the Youth Leadership Team and read our YLT Frequently Asked Questions. If you know a teenager who you'd like to sponsor, download the YLT Application Packet here.

Spread the word!

As our bloggers have noted in the past, unfortunately progress in reducing teen pregnancy rates has not been even among all racial and ethnic groups. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, as of 2004 Latina teens had the highest pregnancy and birth rates of any major racial or ethnic group.

Tomorrow, May 19th, at 10:00am at the Capitol Visitor Center, the National Campaign's Latino Initiative will partner with the Latino Leaders Network to raise awareness among policymakers, service providers, the media, and concerned citizens about these disparities and how they affect the Latino community. This Issue Hour will highlight a new poll commissioned by The National Campaign and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) that examines differences and similarities among key subgroups within the Latino community with regard to attitudes about teen pregnancy, sex, relationships, and goals and aspirations.

Click here to learn more about the event and RSVP to attend.