After hearing that Woodland is considered a state “hot spot” for rates of teen pregnancy in California—and noticing a large number of their peers getting pregnant—a number of Woodland youth decided that an immediate response was needed. In the fall of 2001, a diverse group of Woodland youth leaders joined together to form Teens Supporting Teens to create an informed and active presence for youth in guiding sexual health services and broader community supports for teens.

As a first approach to their mission, the group developed a survey to assess their peer’s attitudes and understandings of sexual health issues, and the kinds of support they perceive and desire in the community. To ensure that their data reflected the needs and views of the diversity of youth in Woodland, they created both an English and a Spanish version of the survey. They administered both versions of the survey in settings ranging from the local high school, health fairs, juvenile hall, local junior high schools and the local continuation high school. After analyzing the data, they made recommendations to their school on ways to make sexual health information and supportive services more accessible to youth.

Collaborating Organization: Youth In Focus

Photo Credits: Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition; "Woodland Public Library" by J. Stephen Conn is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0