Local non-profit receives aid to help reduce teen pregnancy rate in South County

Campesinos Sin Fronteras has received funds from the Office of Population Affairs to educate youth 

SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY). The City of San Luis is the second-largest metropolitan area in Yuma County. Even though it's population is less than half of the City of Yuma it leads to teen pregnancies.

According to Campesinos Sin Fronteras, a community based non-profit, the City of San Luis has recorded about 38 teen births per 1,000 births.

That is among one the highest in the nation, but a new initiative may change those numbers.

The Office of Population Affairs has created the thrive initiative, a proactive program that will engage not only the youth in the south county but also local advocates, government, and the children's parents.

The program will target juveniles ages 19 and younger and provide education and social skills in an effort to reduce teen pregnancy numbers. 

Campesinos Sin Fronteras will receive just over a million dollars each year for the next three years. The group already has several programs in place including teen pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted illness education, adolescent wellness, and families unite.

Families are an intricate part of the program since a major issue with many adolescents is communication between them and their parents.

Karen Castelo with Campesinos tells us how families will come into play, "When we developed this initiative we analyzed every component and one of the very important components we identified was the family aspects. We decided to include evidence-based learning to reach families."

Castelo added that the program would also require participants to complete community service, which she says will give them a sense of belonging to their community.