Excited students began adding their own creative ideas, one of which has evolved into Peer2Peer, a program described later.The Team Approach and Interventions Focused on Relationships

In creating BLW Parker’s approach was to research reference materials on pregnancy prevention programs and choose the components that appeared to have the most success in early studies. Long-term, in-depth programs in which meaningful adult-student relationships were given time to develop were more effective than programs delivered in “one shot” presentations by outsiders.
From the start there was a team rather than top-down approach, creating an egalitarian “Let’s try it ” atmosphere that energized staff and students. The curriculum and guiding philosophy for the program are based on Parker’s belief that adolescents have dreams even if buried, long for deep fulfillment in life and respond to adults who believe in them. She incorporated the small group process for teenagers and facilitators because of her own experience in the dynamics of small groups and her study of them as the major tool through which decisions are made for society. But the most exciting component was a newly developed electronic, crying newborn called an infant simulator that had just come onto the market in 1995. Parker saw its strong potential not only as a deterrent to premature parenthood, but as a communication tool facilitating outreach to parents, to school administrators and to the students themselves.
From the beginning, students enjoyed the empathic relationships with adults trained professionally to hear their concerns and guide their thought process on values and sexual responsibility. The infant simulator took a little longer to gain acceptance, but the baby created a sensation on campus with the first teen volunteer “parents”. Soon most females as well as males eagerly accepted the challenge of tending the infant solo for 48 hours at home and at school. Exhausted from the baby interrupting their sleep and activities, teens discovered their general inability to shoulder parental responsibility. In one-on-one exit interviews staff members validated the students’ experience as they confronted their own over-confidence that a baby would be easy.
By the second year of BLW, field trips to the local hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and career activities were added to the program to strengthen its focus on healthy teen futures. BLW gradually became integrated into four health education classes on one campus. The youth development and teen parenthood prevention program now has expanded to serve 360 students and their parents annually on two campuses in 12 health education classes lasting a full semester each.

La Vie steps out of the fiscal sponsorship position

La Vie Counseling Center served as fiscal sponsor for the “Baby, Let’s Wait!” program for eight years, giving in-kind support, overseeing supervision of staff, managing payroll, respecting the director’s autonomy and benefiting from grants successfully written by Parker’s team. In April of 2005, the “Baby, Let’s Wait!” program obtained with La Vie’s blessing its own non-profit status and independence as a 501 (c) (3) educational corporation named TEEN FUTURES. TEEN FUTURES is embarked upon a period of exciting growth and collaboration with new partners while valuing its nurturance under La Vie sponsorship.

Our dynamic and wonderful executive director

Our history would not be complete without sharing a special moment in the evolution of TEEN FUTURES when Trina Smith, our current executive director, joined the BLW staff. Smith began employment in 1999 as a graduate student program facilitator and was soon demonstrating extraordinary gifts in her professional work with teenagers. She also displayed leadership qualities and relational skills that caught the attention of the entire high school campus. After two years as program facilitator Smith was promoted to assistant program director. She next became program director, and in 2005 advanced to the position of executive director. Part of the successful metamorphosis of BLW into TEEN FUTURES is due to the presence of this remarkable human being on the TEEN FUTURES team. .

“The most effective leaders are not necessarily the ones who know the most, but the ones who get the right people together to create visions, solve problems and reach agreements…”
David Chrislip and Carl E. Larson, “
Collaborative Leadership”