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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Cherelle Parker
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Teens feel empowered at Parker-sponsored conference
about relationships, sex and violence
PHILADELPHIA, June 29 – State Rep. Cherelle Parker, D-Phila., sponsored the "2009 It’s Your Life – You Choose" teen conference on Thursday, June 25.
The event was organized to empower and educate teens on making good decisions in their personal lives.
Topics of the conference included sex, abstinence, relationships and violence. There were six workshops that highlighted themes such as teen parenting, domestic abuse and sexually transmitted diseases. Nearly 65 students attended the conference.
"The goal was to empower these teens by providing them with information to make good decisions for their future," Parker said. "Too many times we see these young people making poor or misinformed choices or winding up in bad personal situations and not having the self-pride, or maybe even the necessary information, to correct those decisions. I really feel we prevented some of that for the individuals who attended."
Speakers during the event included a representative from Parker’s office; Willie Little of Youth Services Inc., which was a co-sponsor of the event; Erica Waller-Hill of the Dream Foundation; and Tifanie Hudgins of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, among others.
The event was hosted by the Thomas Jefferson University Health System.
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