ULTRA Teen Choice co-founder Richard Urban shared the following remarks at the White House Office of National AIDS Policy Washington DC Community Discussion on September 21, 2009:

Washington DC has the highest rates of HIV infection in the nation, with 6.5 percent of Black men and 2.6 percent of black females infected with HIV and Aids that have been diagnosed.  A likely equal number are not yet diagnosed.  Therefore, Washington Dc has the worst HIV/AIDS pandemic in the United states, and rates higher than many African nations.

I am deeply concerned about the future of our youth, and I have been working in the field as a volunteer HIV/AIDS prevention educator, and later, as the co-founder and Executive Director of ULTRA Teen Choice for 12 years.

I am concerned about the obvious bias by many government agencies in promoting the only 100 percent certain way to prevent HIV and AIDS, which is sexual abstinence outside of a mutually faithful monogamous relationship.  42 percent of Washington DC high school youth have never had sexual intercourse, which is twice as many abstaining as compared to 1994.  Yet nothing is being done by the District of Columbia to encourage and expand this positive trend. 

To solve this concern, we need to institute an ABC plan, not unlike the one that was instituted in Uganda successfully in the early 1990’s.  A means abstain from all sexual relationships outside of a mutually faithful monogamous one (as in marriage).  B means be faithful to your partner,  C means use a condom if you choose to foolishly ignore the previous advice. Read More

ULTRA Teen Choice awarded Grant for STAR Program

ULTRA Teen Choice received a $15,000 grant from the SouthWest Washington West of the River Family Strengthening Collaborative and the US Dream Academy to implement the STAR (Students Teaching Abstinence and Responsibility Program at two after school program sites in Ward 6. Funds were awareded to 16 programs for prevention and intervention services to reduce youth violence.

The STAR Program engages college and high school mentors who teach abstinence and values to 4th to 6th grade youth. Middle and high school youth are also engaged as peer counselors. Program services will run from September 2009 to July, 2010. Form more information on grantees, go to http://www.swwr.org/home.htm