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Region #11: Cincinnati, OH

Operated through a partnership between Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Cincinnati Public Schools, the Postponing Sexual Involvement (PSI) Program is an educational curriculum to help teenagers resist social pressures to become sexually active at inappropriately early ages. Two out of five girls in the U.S. get pregnant by age 20. To combat this staggering figure, PSI attempts to reduce teen parenthood and the spread of sexually transmitted infections through its dynamic program.  PSI also gives urban public school students an opportunity to experience their impact on the world, strengthen their public speaking skills and attend college with confidence.

Winning Regional Essay

"Established in Cincinnati in 1990, Postponing Sexual Involvement (PSI) Teen Leadership is a nonprofit program dedicated to making a better world, one young person at a time. Through leadership development activities and promoting positive peer pressure, PSI serves middle and high school students, primarily in the Cincinnati Public School District. Two-thirds of the students in this school district receive federal assistance because of low income in the household."

"PSI is a peer education program, where approximately 85 high school teens are recruited and trained each year by four dedicated staff to teach 2,000 - 3,000 middle school students assertiveness techniques and refusal skills in dealing with pressure to become sexually involved at an early age. PSI gives urban public school students from low income families an opportunity to experience their impact on the world, strengthen their public speaking skills, and attend college with confidence. Many of the teen leaders are active members of the national honors society, high school student councils, class officers, sports teams, and religious youth groups. Two of the leaders were valedictorians of their high schools' graduating classes of 2007. In the last four years, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has selected Cincinnati PSI teen leaders to serve on its national youth advisory board. PSI teen leaders participate in local community service projects and recently collected over $3,000 in a charity walk-a-thon. Over 95 percent of the teen leaders graduate high school and go on to college with some scholarship assistance."

"Why do local teens apply to become leaders in PSI? "I love to teach and educate people knowing that I could make just the slightest positive change in someone's life and show them the light of hope," says Ayanna, Teen Leader Class of 2007. "I joined to teach what I was never taught: to discourage young teens not to go down the wrong path in life…to be the change in the world we live in," writes Lashayna, Teen Leader Class of 2008. "Since I don't see my younger siblings," wrote Landra, a college football player from PSI Teen Leader Class of 2003, "I can help to make students understand this stuff as if they were my brothers and sisters. Sometimes kids make assumptions because they don't all have dads or big brothers and sisters" to talk to. Landra is currently pursuing his dreams of becoming an NFL player and sports lawyer."

"Program evaluations show that Ayanna, Lashayna and Landra really do make a difference. More than 80 percent of parents and teachers hosting PSI classes believe the PSI program is effective in helping young teens.Middle school students are significantly more skilled and confident in dealing with social & peer pressure after receiving PSI instruction. More than half of the current teen leaders had PSI in middle school, and became a PSI teen leader because they wanted to improve their urban community. Finally, former PSI Teen Leaders continue their involvement with the PSI program after graduation, making PSI a true "family", united in the desire to create a better world, for this generation and those to come."

"The money would be invested over two years in developing young leaders through recruitment and training, and developing opportunities for the young leaders to teach, advise and serve the community. Often the best leaders do not see themselves as role models. They quietly lead a life of integrity and character, never realizing that their peers admire and respect them. PSI Teen Leadership is built on an active referral system that invites humble and qualified students to apply for leadership training. The training is full of incentives that show the young leader how valuable they are to the community. The award would also help develop placements at host organizations, so that leaders have a variety of specific locations and roles to impact their peers. Finally, training includes inspiration from former teen leaders, like Fletcher who currently serves the US Navy aboard the Kittyhawk in the Pacific: "It was the PSI program that helped keep me on the right path." He is one of 1,100 PSI teen leader alumni making a better world as adults."

If They Won the $100,000 National Award ...

"The money would be invested over two years in developing young leaders through recruitment and training, and developing opportunities for the young leaders to teach, advise and serve the community. Often the best leaders do not see themselves as role models. They quietly lead a life of integrity and character, never realizing that their peers admire and respect them. PSI Teen Leadership is built on an active referral system that invites humble and qualified students to apply for leadership training. The training is full of incentives that show the young leader how valuable they are to the community.

The award would also help develop placements at host organizations, so that leaders have a variety of specific locations and roles to impact their peers. Finally, training includes inspiration from former teen leaders, like Fletcher who currently serves the US Navy aboard the Kittyhawk in the Pacific: "It was the PSI program that helped keep me on the right path." He is one of 1100 PSI teen leader alumni making a better world as adults."

Mission Statement

The Cincinnati Postponing Sexual Involvement program's mission is to create positive peer pressure and positive social pressure for postponing sexual intercourse among young teens.