Adolescents, aged 12-18, face some formidable challenges in today's sex-crazed culture.

Growing up is not as simple for them as it was for their baby-boomer parents. ATM Education, a private, non-profit organization is designed to come alongside students, educators, parents and their communities to empower these young people to make healthy decisions based upon medically accurate information and, therefore, maintain the possibility of awesome opportunities for their lives.

Abstinence 'til marriage education provides one of the few successful approaches to decrease teen sexual activity and, therefore, decrease teen pregnancy, STDs and emotional devastation and upheaval.

Abstinence 'til marriage is 100% effective in eliminating teen pregnancies, STDs and reducing the probability of cervical breast and prostate cancer later in life.

The ATM Education combined leadership has over 50 years of experience teaching various abstinence 'til marriage programs in Ohio including reaching 55 schools in Columbus, Ohio and Franklin County helping direct the Ohio Abstinence Campaign and building abstinence programs in 35 Ohio counties. Another 20 Ohio counties have programs that use our curriculum, Relationships Under Construction. ATM materials and resources encourage healthy decision-making about avoiding risky behaviors, such as alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, and sexual activity for young people.

ATM Education serves 17 counties in north central Ohio including Allen, Ashland, Crawford, Delaware, Fairfield, northern portion of Franklin, Hardin, Knox, Licking, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Perry, Richland, Seneca, Union and Wyandot.

Most of these counties have high teen pregnancy rates, STD cases and illegal drug and alcohol use. Abstinence 'til Marriage Education shows much promise. Survey results indicate a high level of interest and desire to adapt to an abstinent lifestyle and prove that Abstinence Education works. (See Evaluation Report 03-06.)

The Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.6011 requires that STD education emphasizes that abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is 100% effective in preventing STDs and teen pregnancy.

ATM Education fulfills that requirement with full-time and part-time guest teachers who take the message to public and private schools. The Federal Welfare Reform Act of 1996 requires that abstinence 'til marriage education teach no sexual activity until marriage as the standard for all school-age children.

Donations and a sliding fee scale allow ATM to continue to serve communities with resource materials, classroom presentations, assemblies, teacher seminars for program teachers, school classroom teachers, community organizations and parent workshops, mentoring groups, web parties, billboards, and media.

The goal of ATM Education is to reach 25,000 students each year in the 17 counties listed above. This is being accomplished by:

• Classroom Presentations for 6th, 7th and 8th grades, and 9th-12th grades using the Relationships Under Construction curriculum. Guest Presenters (ATM teachers) are available for excellent classroom presentations that are parent approved, medically accurate, culturally sensitive and age appropriate to meet the needs of a diverse audience of adolescents, aged 12 through 18. Guest presentations are adaptable to the classroom schedule. Topics covered include goal setting, decision making, health choices and consequences, relationships and boundaries.

• Selected School Assemblies with nationally known youth motivational speakers. David Mahan, Jeffrey Dean, Rob Paugh and Keith Deltano are scheduled in high schools and middle schools.

• Teacher seminars and staff in-services are available in various locations in the state and provide school staff, classroom teachers, nurses, guidance counselors and abstinence educators with the most current information, curriculum ideas, medically accurate statistics and effective techniques for reaching our young people and their parents. Programs in over 14 states and territories are trained to use Relationships Under Construction curriculum.

• Billboards with hard-hitting and thought provoking messages direct students, school staff, parents and the community to websites which provide substantial interactive information about teen sexual activity and other risky behaviors.

• Training for mentoring leaders and mentoring groups is also provided. Mentoring groups can be offered after school or during school and are available for detention centers, community groups and schools.

• Promotional items include pledge cards, pens, t-shirts and other items. These items are distributed in classrooms, assemblies and mentoring groups and many are available in our E-Store.

• A Resource Library is available to teachers, parents and the communities served. Items can be ordered and used for a two-week period.

• Our website, MisstheMess.com provides a party atmosphere where participants can see the consequences of behavior through games, movies and resources including a special feature called "Swat the Fly."