Given these efforts, the M.A.P.'s Office of Research and Development and the specified counties of Warren, Leflore, and Yazoo held its "R.I.S.E. (Responsibility, Integrity, Self-Control, Empowerment) To Your Dreams" Abstinence Program Curriculum Training Session, conducted by Carolyn Gowen, President of R.I.S.E., in November of 2007. A modest group of Our objective is to educate 1,200+ children and families about "Abstinence" and "Choosing to Be Abstinent" by conducting monthly seminars/workshops and distributing pamphlets/printed materials.
Mississippi Action For Progress, Inc. (MAP) has begun another phase in our effort to empower our children and families by providing insightful knowledge and helpful skills for a healthy future. Through an abstinence-based sexuality education program - funded by the Mississippi Department of Human Services/MAEP, we will afford the opportunity to adolescents, pre-teenagers, teenagers, young adults, and parents to network with like-minded individuals in a learning environment.
This program specifically teaches: abstaining from sexual activity outside marriage; social psychological and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity; abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock 
pregnancy; sexually transmitted disease, and other associated health problems, sexual activity outside the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects; how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances; and the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity. 
forty (40) persons were in attendence, including representatives from Progressive Family Services of Canton/Madison, MS and Mississippi Gulf Coast YMCA of Ocean Springs/Long Beach, MS. Discussions centered around the importance of being abstinent, choosing abstinence, effective communication, safe/healthy relationship choices, STD's (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), empowerment, self-esteem skills, and goal attainment advice for youth. Ms. Gowen also shared some personal experiences of children being "caught up" in life changing situations, in which she incorporated useful tools to assist in strengthening our implementation of abstinence education.