When/Where: 

Wednesday, March 2 in the Auditorium at the Legislative Building at 16 W. Jones Street

10:00 AM Opening Remarks

11:00 AM Issues Briefing with youth and legislators

Youth and issue area advocates will be available for media comment

Durham, N.C. (March 2, 2011) –  On Wednesday, March 2, nearly 250 North Carolina youth will travel to the North Carolina General Assembly to ask legislators to safeguard adolescent health programs and policies. The event, Adolescent Health Advocacy Day, will address teen pregnancy prevention, access to health care, and adolescent well-being.

Nearly 250 youth and youth allies representing 34 different youth-serving organizations have registered to participates in Adolescent Health Advocacy Day. These groups, along with a youth advisory panel, determined the agenda.

Advocates note that North Carolina has been nationally recognized recent progress in outcomes and infrastructure for serving youth, including a declining teen pregnancy rate, an award-winning schoolbased health center infrastructure, and a model anti-bullying law. On Wednesday, youth will thank legislators for guiding that progress and ask them not to make cuts that will slow or reverse that progress.