Our Work
Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential
Promoting gPower App to Reduce Teen Pregnancies
MEE used its proven community-engagement models to help the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential (GCAPP) promote its free mobile phone app, gPower, in the Augusta, GA community, which has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state. The app is designed to give teens a convenient source of information on sexual health, including locations where they can find free or low-cost clinic services. The community-engagement work supported Richmond County’s “We Are Change” initiative, whose goal was to reduce teen pregnancy in Richmond County by at least 10%.
MEE’s CATs (Community Action Teams) model leveraged a corps of trained youth to share the word about how the app could be used to explore options for birth control and STD prevention, and to anonymously rate their experiences at local clinics. CATs members also leveraged their social media networks to promote gPower, along with conducting MEE’s traditional community outreach in high-traffic areas frequented by youth.
MEE’s PLAN Model (Parent Leadership in Action Network) was used to engage parents and encourage them to explore the app and its local resources, as well as to take on discussing the tough issues of sexual health with their children. MEE created the outreach messages, print materials and social media for both teen and adult “messengers” and implemented its proven, 12-step training curriculum to prepare them for persuasive dialogue with their peers.