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Jan. 30---The Alabama Cooperative Extension System's Bibb County Office recently received a $40,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Public Health.

The grant will be used to implement educational programs for preadolescent, adolescent and unwed women of childbearing age in an attempt to prevent unwed pregnancy. The project is designed to build leadership skills, provide monitoring and volunteer experiences, and career and character education development.

"This project is part of the Alabama Against Teen Pregnancy Campaign and will be implemented in conjunction with the Bibb County Health Department," says Helen Jones, Bibb County Extension coordinator.

Adult Basic Education classes and English as a Second Language classes, will serve as outlets for the new educational project. Part of the funds will be used for existing youth programs including Bibb County Youth Enrichment, Genesis and 4-H.

"If youth don't have the money to take part in extracurricular activities, they are more apt to take part in risk-taking behavior," says Jones.

Curriculum in the Extension Yes I Can and Managing Pressure Until Marriage programs will be taught to preteens, including sixth graders. A career development curriculum also will be available for high school students.

A large percent of Bibb County residents live in poverty and in single-parent homes. Risk factors in the county that can contribute to teen pregnancy include poor academic performance, substance abuse, low self-esteem and lack of supervision after school.

"The purpose of the pregnancy prevention program is to increase awareness of these risk factors and improve the life skills of preadolescents, adolescents and women of childbearing age in order to reduce the incidence of pregnancy and the contraction of HIV and STD infection and other related outcomes of risk-taking behavior," Jones says.

"We also hope the project will help increase the high school graduation rate," Jones adds. "Bibb County ranks 60^th among the 67 Alabama counties with a 63 percent graduation rate."

Bibb County Superintendent of Education Donald McCalla supports the project. "Providing Bibb County youth with viable options through skill building and career development serves as a basis for their success," says McCalla. He says the school system welcomes the opportunity to work with community agencies to reach common goals.