United Way launches new campaign targeting teens

MILWAUKEE -- United Way of Greater Milwaukee is launching a new campaign with Serve Marketing that targets teens. The campaign is titled "What You Can't Do With A Baby" and is designed to bring a strong message to kids about how their lives would change if they became a teen parent.

The ads depict a high school basketball player and a cheerleader in action, both with baby carriers attached to them and the message “Think your life won’t change with a baby?” The ads also direct teens to BabyCanWait.com, connecting them to information and resources to help prevent pregnancy and promote healthy relationships.

The ads are strategically placed at bus shelters in areas with high teen pregnancy rates. It’s the latest tactic in the United Way-led Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, which has been recently recognized as a national model for successful community collaboration.

Milwaukee’s teen birth rate is currently at a historically low level. City of Milwaukee health officials say the current trend indicates that Milwaukee should be on track to reduce the teen birth rate by 46% by 2015 -- a goal which was set by United Way of Greater Milwaukee, the Center for Urban Population Health and the Milwaukee Health Department in 2008.

"We've made sure the faith community is on board. We've had strategies with the schools. We've brought in the business community and what we're seeing is success quite frankly," Nicole Angresano with United Way said.