Youth Directory Provides Information About Pregnancy Prevention
 een pregnancy is
a major health concern in California. Nearly one-third of pregnant teens receive
inadequate prenatal care, and babies born to young mothers often suffer low birthweight,
encounter childhood health problems and are at a greater risk of experiencing abuse and
neglect. Approximately four of every 10 young women become pregnant at least once before
they reach age 20 - equating to one million teen pregnancies a year nationally.
One of the problems adolescents often face is uncertainty about how to obtain accurate
information on pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted diseases and other issues
related to sexual health.
Teen Line, a statewide, toll-free helpline operated by teens, was established in 1981
for teenagers seeking guidance about issues such as pregnancy, drug addiction, gang
affiliation, relationship abuse, divorce and suicide contemplation. For callers in need of
additional information specifically related to teen pregnancy, TCWF provided Teen Line
with a $50,000 grant to publish theYouth Yellow Pages directory. In its fourth edition,
this pocket-sized handbook provides information and resources about teen pregnancy, child
care, sexually transmitted iseases, dating issues and drugs.
"Many teens won't turn to adults for help. This resource booklet supplies valuable
information," said TCWF Program Officer Mercy Siorda. "The booklet also includes
the Teen Line number so that teens can call and receive additional information and
counseling from trained peer listeners in a nonthreatening and nonjudgmental way."
    More than 600,000 copies of the
Youth Yellow Pages
directory have been distributed throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District,
private schools, youth organizations and agencies. Forty-one percent of callers reported
learning about Teen Line from the directory. Since its formation, Teen Line has served
more than 240,000 teen callers and helped turn many lives around.
"I was given a Youth Yellow Pages directory at my school. I saw the Teen Line
number in it and decided to call," said Jessie Funes, who sought help from Teen Line
and is now a peer counselor. "Every person who answered was incredibly helpful, and
by the end of the call I would be laughing and feeling better."
If it weren't for the directory, Funes said she never would have known about the Teen
Line and its services. "I told the Teen Line staff that I'm a definite volunteer for
life," she added. Teen Line Executive Director Dr. Elaine Leader is pleased with the
impact of the grant.
"The Youth Yellow Pages directory has been incredibly successful
and is used not only by teens, but also by many adults who work with youth," Leader
said. "In fact, we use it to train the LAPD [Los Angeles Police Department] and DARE
[Drug Abuse Resistance Education] officers in suicide prevention."
Each year, the Teen Line staff selects 80 teenagers to participate in an extensive
13-week, 60-hour training on communication techniques related to crisis intervention,
family life, cultural diversity, sexuality, addictions, abuse and self-destructive
behaviors. The teens, supervised by mental health professionals, commit to a weekly
four-hour counseling shift.
The confidential Teen Line operates every evening between the hours of 6 and 10 p.m.
and can be reached by calling 800-TLC-TEEN.
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