According to the Chicago Tribune, young men who want to talk openly about sex, sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases will be able to talk man-to-man during a daylong free workshop held in Chicago and other cities around the country on Saturday. The event, called Project Alpha, is sponsored by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Founded in 1980, Project Alpha was conceived in Chicago, where the teen pregnancy rate was among the highest in the nation at the time. The bulk of the discussions centered on young girls rather than young boys. Dr. Richard Garner, who is a public health physician and a member of the fraternity, says, "The African-American community was in need of a safe place where male mentors could help young men deal with teen fatherhood. These were young men who hadn't grown up with fathers themselves." Project Alpha emphasizes parental responsibility and focuses on safe sex as it relates to avoiding unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among high school students. A worthwhile program indeed.
Read more at the Chicago Tribune.