15
May
2012
|
15:13 PM
America/Los_Angeles

Insightful Film on Teen Pregnancy Prevention Debuts

Talking about sex can be awkward conversation for many Latino parents with teenagers, although health educators and teens indicate it is the key to helping youth make smart choices about their health and preventing unplanned pregnancies. To better initiate and guide those conversations, filmmaker and CSUSM Professor Kristine Diekman produced “Vamos a Hablar/Let’s Talk” -- an insightful 70-min bilingual video intended for Latino youth and families to discuss how to prevent unplanned pregnancies and work towards maintaining adolescent reproductive health.Diekman will debut “Vamos a Hablar/Let’s Talk” at a regional teen pregnancy prevention summit hosted at California State University San Marcos on Tuesday, May 22 at the Clarke Field House from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The summit is open to the public, and parents, educators, social service providers and health care providers are encouraged to attend. Registration is only $25 per person, and includes a complete DVD set, an accompanying Teaching Guide and participation in training sessions following the screening. After the summit, the video will retail at the CSUSM University Store for $65.While recent reports published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that teen pregnancy is declining to historic lows, unplanned pregnancies among Latina youth are still the highest of any ethnic group. In 2010, about 56 of every 1,000 Hispanic teenage-girls delivered a baby in the United States.One of the main avenues to preventing teen pregnancy is open communication between Latino youth and their parents, which is the focus of the video. With a neutral stance on teen sexuality, “Vamos a Hablar/Let’s Talk” encourages parents and their children to talk early, often and truthfully about sexuality.Parents often want to talk to their children about relationships, reproductive health and sex and share their own values, but don’t always know what to say or when to say it, explained Diekman.“Discussing sexuality, relationships and intimacy can feel difficult, and even somewhat of a taboo, for Latino parents. It can seem uncomfortable, especially when parents are worried about what to say, when and where to start that conversation and deciphering what is age appropriate. ‘Let’s Talk’ works to bridge that divide and give parents the confidence to begin that conversation with their children,” said Diekman.“There is no one way, nor one right time, to discuss sexuality,” she added, “and hearing that simple fact can sometimes alleviate a parent’s insecurities about starting the conversation with their teen.” “Vamos a Hablar/Let’s Talk” shares the personal stories of teen parents and adults who earnestly believe they could have made wiser choices had there been more open communication. The video also features advice and guidance from medical doctors, health educators and education professionals.“As a parent educator, this video will help me teach the parents a culturally sensitive information about how to communicate better with their children and give them the information they need to make better choices in their lives,” said Dr. Beatriz Villarreal, program director for the Mano a Mano Foundation. “Teenagers want to talk to their parents about relationships… [as parents] we need to talk clearly and openly, talk now and talk often, talk about choices and why some are better than others, talk about values and expectations and finally, stay connected and involved in their lives.”Presented in six segments -- Let’s Talk (9 min.), Parenting Styles (14 min.), Loneliness (11 min.), Teen Families (12 min.), Consequences (19 min.) and Solutions (7 min.) -- Diekman delivers a compelling video that reveals how Latino teen parents and their families feel about preventing unplanned pregnancies in adolescence.Produced as part of Video in the Community, a moniker and concept developed by Diekman promoting the creation of socially-responsible media, “Vamos a Hablar/Let’s Talk” is a collaborative project with Mano a Mano Foundation and funded by the Leichtag Foundation.    What: Debut screening of the insightful film “Vamos     a Hablar/Let’s Talk” produced and directed by Video     in the Community creator Kristine Diekman at the     2012 Teen Pregnancy Prevention Summit at CSUSM    When: Tuesday, May 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.    Where: California State University San Marcos    Clarke Field House/ University Student Union    333 South Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos    Cost: Registration is $25 per person, and includes    a complete DVD set, an  accompanying Tea    following the screening. Register online at    www.csusm.edu/vpa/prevention/.Directions and Parking CSUSM is located at 333 South Twin Oaks Valley Road in San Marcos. For more information or directions to the campus, visit http://www.csusm.edu/guide. Parking is available in campus lots with fees ranging from $3 to $9 depending upon length of stay.About California State University San MarcosCalifornia State University San Marcos combines the ambiance of a mid-sized, personal, modern campus with the unequaled value of the California State University. Since its founding in 1989, the campus has distinguished itself. Students benefit from the latest facilities and equipment, a superb faculty that enjoys teaching, and a rigorous academic program that prepares students for a successful life in and out of the workplace. A recent survey reported that our annual spending in the region was $161 million, generating a total impact of $307 million on the regional economy. 85 percent of CSUSM’s alumni stay in the region. CSU San Marcos is located on a 304-acre hillside overlooking the city of San Marcos. It is 15 miles east of the ocean; just 30 miles north of downtown San Diego.