| Writer: Gloria J. Mosby Program Director - Communications 936/857-4759, g-mosby@tamu.edu Contact: Sonja Stueart-Davis Program Specialist - 4-H & Youth 713/440-4983 March 14, 2003 RETREAT WILL HELP TEENS MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES PRAIRIE VIEW, TX - To help teens improve their health habits and develop a greater understanding of abstinence education, the Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) is hosting a Choices Retreat, April 4-6 at the H.S. Estelle 4-H & Youth Camp in Huntsville, Texas. "We want these young people to realize that HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases can affect them and change their entire lives if they don't make the right choices concerning premarital sex," said Sonja Stueart-Davis, program specialist - 4-H & Youth, CEP at PVAMU. "Our goal at this retreat is to emphasize and drive home the point that abstaining from sex until marriage is the right choice." Studies show that over 40,000 new infections of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), occur each year, and over 900,000 Americans are living with HIV. AIDS is the leading cause of death for African Americans between the ages of 25 and 44, and overall, the rate of infection is on the rise in minority communities. Other sexually transmitted diseases are also on the rise. "We will have several workshops to help participants understand the intellectual, emotional, social, and physical risks of premarital sex and the young people will also have a chance to interact with the presenters and get their questions answered during the retreat," said Stueart-Davis. "Experts from the American Red Cross, Fort Bend ALERT, RISMIS Foundation, Texas Department of Health and several CEP staff members will help the participants understand how the choices they make now will affect their future." Workshops at the Choices Retreat will cover topics including how to identify sexually transmitted diseases, learning the difference between love and lust, the influence of alcohol and drugs in premarital sex, self-respect and respect for others and proper dating etiquette. Registration fee for the retreat is $35 and covers the costs of lodging at the camp, food and entry into the workshops. The H.S. Estelle 4-H & Youth Camp is located on 78 Lee Hightower Road in Huntsville. To register for the retreat and obtain more information, interested persons should contact Sonja Stueart-Davis at (713) 440- 4983, Dorothy Johnson, program assistant with the CEP at PVAMU, (713) 440- 4900 or Carolyn M. Perkins, health coordinator, CEP at PVAMU, (713) 797-7033. - 30 - Gloria J. Mosby |