Among girls of color, Milwaukee used to have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation. But one group has been working to reduce the rates of teen pregnancy and hopes to cut the teen pregnancy rate in half by 2023.
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reports:
Kyrieale Thomas, 16, was a shy, soft-spoken girl with only a few friends before she started going to a Pearls for Teen Girls program in January. After her first meeting she noticed how nice and friendly the other girls were, which was a change for Thomas.
“I was so used to seeing girls not get along,” she said. “It was weird for me at first.”
Thomas said she has more confidence in herself since joining the program. She said the program coordinators have become her trusted friends and have helped her make positive decisions about her future.
“Everything about the program brings me so much joy,” Thomas said. “It means a lot to me.”
Pearls for Teen Girls is one of 12 organizations funded by United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County’s Healthy Girls Initiative. They United Way has 30 program sites and 45 groups, with 10 to 25 girls in each.
For more, visit Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.
