Since the month of May is “National Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Awareness Month” and the Mississippi Department of Human Services was holding its Abstinence Summit, we decided to create an atmosphere that would incorporate an Abstinence-based education with a fun learning environment and talented speakers with a good time, so…
... Mississippi Action for Progress, Inc. hosted a special informative session at the Regency Hotel in Jackson, Mississippi entitled: “Teens In Action: Making the BEST Choices”. This Abstinence-inspired session focused on the specific behaviors that affect the youth and young adults in their decision-making. Our purpose, to build-up our young people and strengthen our communities through the cultivation of healthy minds making healthy choices for a healthy future. Our goal, to enable our youth to effectively think about the choices they make, understand that these choices affect their growth and development, and sticking to the right choice and the right decision. 
Thirty-two (32) students from Vicksburg, MS, Greenwood, MS, and Yazoo City, MS were in attendance, soaking up the information from Reverend Klaus Tate, a Youth Counselor, who provided the proper methodology for sticking to an 
effective decision. Selling the message to the students was not a problem for Rev. Tate due to the fact that a lot of the students were already sold on the importance
of utilizing various techniques to be successful. In that, Ms. Ida Brownlee-Smith, an Alcohol & Drug Counselor, afforded the students the opportunity to look at their own lives and communities in retrospect for the purposes of revitalization and giving back. Through personal accounts of real life situations, Ms. Smith handed out vital information concerning the affects that alcohol and drugs has on your decision-making ability…Ms. Smith, I still don’t know what “Tarantula” is?
As the evening rolled on, Mr. Joecephus Martin, Rapper/Artist & Counselor, allowed the student to grasp the understanding of how the media, with and without music, tricks us in to believing that they
have our best interest at heart. Mr. Martin educated us on the music industry’s position on telling us the truth or making money off of our ignorance, the importance of listening to quality music and not the suggestive lyrics that perpetuate some of the behaviors we display, and the importance of being aware of what is going on in our communities. Overall, our presenters displayed a wealth of knowledge and gave us a lot to think about.
We enjoyed ourselves…I wish we could’ve networked all night!
The activities on Friday kicked off the main event with the Mississippi Department of Human Services; an Abstinence Summit was held at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. A diverse group of participants from surrounding counties throughout Mississippi came together in support of Abstinence. Poster Boards provided by Federal, State, and Local Agencies filled with information flooded the Coliseum hallways, while special presentations and performances by Cheerleading Squads, Teen Acting Groups and Drum lines from various Junior High Schools and High Schools entertained a crowd of 5,000+!
…We had a good time!