Photos are often used to document a trip or special event; they capture fleeting moments in time, and often pieces of art as well. A team of teens in Bayfield, CO are using photos in a slightly different way through a specific technique called photovoice. The goal of the EPIC team (which stands for Every Pregnancy is Considered) is to improve the lives of teens in their small town. To do so they are using photographs of everyday occurrences to document the strengths and weaknesses they see in their community.

The photo above seems simple enough--a nice snow covered playground. To the artist however, the park is an example of how there are plenty of community resources dedicated to smaller children in the community, but the teens lack a fun, safe space of their own, and they're just a little too big for the playground. The other photos in the exhibit include pictures of family members who are important to the teens, fun things to do in other surrounding towns that are hard to access without reliable transportation, and how the teens entertain themselves in their town.

The team of talented artists presented at the Colorado Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting, and Prevention's annual conference in Denver, CO. The teens and photos certainly stole the show, and it was great to hear from them directly what they thought might help prevent risky adolescent behavior in their town. The most striking part of the presentation is that it is not just teens telling you what they think--the images allow you to have a sneak peak into their lives. They had a few ideas for what the community might do: a mobile health clinic, a teen center, and reliable, low-cost transportation to nearby towns were a few of the suggestions.

Have you ever used photovoice? How could photovoice serve your community?

Sometimes it's hard to feel connected to the change you aim to make and the people who your work affects when you're working "inside the beltway" in Washington, DC. But at the beginning of the summer I joined several other Campaigners on a trip up to New Britain, CT, for a conference that we hosted with a local teen pregnancy prevention organization. The agenda of the conference was designed to draw the connection between what we do at a national level, what Connecticut in particular is doing, and the youth that is served by this specific teen pregnancy prevention program in New Britain - Pathways/Senderos.

While all the information presented was informative and interesting - we learned about how programs are evaluated; specifics about the Carrera program model; how the National Campaign was started and its dedication to poverty reduction; and about some other interesting programs in Connecticut - I think that everyone agreed that the best part of the conference was seeing the program staff, their successful kids and the kids' parents talk about what this type of program means for their lives and their prospects for the future. I made the video below to share a part of that experience, so that we can all better understand the kids that this work serves and the successes that they experience as a result.

As you can see in the video, the conference in Connecticut served another important purpose: to unveil a new publication that we created with the Pathways/Senderos teens on teen pregnancy prevention. The pamphlet is designed for Latino teens, with stories written by Latino teens, to help foster an understanding of the experiences in their lives that shape their decisions on sex and their ability to make decisions about the future. It's designed to use with Latino teens to help start discussions, and includes some tips that can help them make safe, smart decisions about sex. You can download a copy from our website and check it out, or you can order it from our store to use with youth in your community.

To supplement the stories that we gathered at Pathways/Senderos, we're also asking for your stories. If you're a Latino teen, or if you work with Latino teens, please visit our MySpace blog and share your thoughts. We're trying to get the conversation started about how Latino teens think and talk about their sexual decisions, and we'd love to hear from you.

This piece is cross-posted on the Latino Initiative's MySpace profile.

I am coming up on the fifth anniversary of my employment with The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy next week. When I joined the Campaign, one of my first tasks was to take over our annual teen awareness event, The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. This year will be my fifth National Day - the Campaign's eighth - and I feel like this event just gets better every year.

One thing that continually amazes me about the National Day is the groundswell of support that the event receives in communities across the nation. The National Day simply could not be a success without the hard work of the many organizations and individuals who organize and participate in National Day activities.

Here are some of my favorite stories sent this year by National Day friends from around the country:

• In Hot Springs, Arkansas, the Smart Teens/Healthy Decisions Coalition is gearing up for National Day with a number of activities. They plan to offer the National Day Quiz to students at local middle school and high school campuses and they are holding a National Day poster design contest for students. In addition, they are planning an event at a local middle school campus where students will present dramatic skits about avoiding risky behavior and peer pressure. Other schools in the county are being sent invitations to participate and being offered a free National Day kit with fliers, wristbands, and a list of ideas and offer of guest speakers from the Coalition.

• In San Jacinto, California, Valley Wide Counseling, a Program of MFI Recovery, is planning their third annual community event in recognition of the National Day. They are hosting the Know Limits Teen Health Challenge at the Hemet Valley Mall. The event is set for this Saturday (May 2) from 12-4pm and more than 40 community agencies and schools, as well as government and local business, are planning to attend. Several performances have been scheduled by the local cheer/dance teams, a band, DJ, and VITAL (an intergenerational theatre troupe). They also plan to have activities such as a raffle, rock wall, and an information scavenger hunt.