According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, nearly one million teenage girls will become pregnant each year. This number is slowly trickling down, thanks in part to magazine articles, websites and public service ad campaigns. There's one thing too many of them forget, though—guys! The messages are most often written with girls in mind. But pregnancy prevention isn't just a girl thing. Guys need to get it on it too. And one group of "Wise Guys" is making sure they do.

The Makings of a Wise Guy

Started in 1990, Wise Guys is an award-winning male responsibility program for guys ages 11 to 17. It is only one service of the Family Life Council, a non-profit agency in Guilford County of Greensboro, NC. The council focuses on family life and parent education by providing programs, resources, and advocacy for today's families, educators, and community agencies. Wise Guys plays into that by showing teen boys how they can become responsible men and fathers, but not before their time.

Rick Brown, the director of Wise Guys, says a "Wise Guy" has clear personal values, good decision-making skills, positive self-image, and an understanding of sexuality. Part of that understanding is realizing that sex and all associated with it is a two-way street. "It's critically important for people to realize pregnancy prevention isn't just a female's responsibility," Brown says.

A recent study published in Pediatrics found that 75% of sexually active teenage boys said they had no plans for pregnancy, but 56% said there was at least some chance they would get someone pregnant in the next six months. That shows the guys clearly have a lack of knowledge when it comes to pregnancy prevention.

The Inner Workings

That lack of knowledge is what stirred Coach Russell McHenry to bring Wise Guys to the 7th grade males at Kaiser Middle School in Greensboro. "They weren't getting the facts," McHenry says. Instead, they'd rely on information from friends and peers, most of which was off-base or just plain wrong. "We wanted to be proactive with getting them the facts," McHenry states.

Some of the guys were eager to learn about sex and relationships; others weren't. Alex Vinson, now an eighth-grader, says, at first, he wasn't too happy about being in the program. "I didn't want to use my PE time for Wise Guys and to talk about sex," he says.

That's common, Brown says. "At first the guys aren't really sure about it, especially if they're giving up PE or something else they really enjoy." But once they actually take part in the program, the guys usually enjoy the experience, he says. Alex agrees and says it ended up being educational and fun at the same time.

Wise Guys participants meet with trained professionals once a week for eight to 12 sessions, which are held at public, private, and alternative schools, community centers, YMCAs, group homes, Boys and Girls Clubs, and other places. Because it's a guys-only setting, the teens have a safe haven to talk and ask questions without feeling insecure around girls.

In addition to pregnancy prevention, there are discussions on what a real man is, self-esteem issues, STD prevention, dating violence, goal-setting, communication, healthy relationships, parenthood, and more.

Even though Alex took three different sexual education programs during his 7th grade year, he says Wise Guys was most beneficial. Unlike many other programs that beat participants over the head with messages like "sex is bad" and "you'll get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) if you have sex," Wise Guys gives factual information so young males can make their own decisions.

Because it's an abstinence-based program, Wise Guys does put forward abstinence as the only surefire way to prevent pregnancy and STDs; but they also give a thorough look at the different birth control options. How each method works to prevent pregnancy, proper ways to use it, and failure rates are addressed. Birth control methods that help protect from STDs are discussed, as well.

"They covered things like AIDS, HIV, herpes and crabs, and more," Alex says. "I learned a lot." A 2003 evaluation of the program found that among participants, knowledge of contraception more than doubled, and teens reported having more conversations about sex and related issues with parents and teachers.

The Greensboro program is funded through government and private grants, including funding from the Office of Family Planning (Title X Plan for Male Health Initiative); United Way, and local health foundations. Wise Guys also earns money from selling its curriculum to other organizations.

One Size Doesn't Fit All

The Family Life Council knows that wise guys don't all fit one mold. So they offer Jovenes Sabios and Wise Guys: The Next Level. Jovenes Sabinos is the Spanish-language version of the program and Wise Guys: The Next Level is designed for men 18 and older. The Next Level focuses on providing men with information on healthy relationships, sexuality, fatherhood, and life choices.

There are also opportunities for peer mentors. College-aged males undergo fifteen hours of training, including learning the Wise Guy curriculum, how to conduct activities with groups of teenagers and how to plan a lesson. There's also time spent observing one of the Wise Guys staff members. The students then go on to co-facilitate a session with that staff member, and may eventually do a whole session on their own. "What we're trying to do is give the boys someone who's closer to their age that they can have a one-on-one, positive relationship with," Brown says.

• Wise Guys [5]
• National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy [6]