The WV Youth Encouragers Network (WV YEN) has partnered with the national initiative, the Silver Ring Thing to encourage sexual abstinence to the youth of West Virginia.

The Need:

• 

  On average, at least 7,000 American teens experience their first sexual intercourse every day. Few experience intercourse before the age of 13, but
• most do have sex by 20 years of age.¹
• Nationwide, 46.8 percent of students (K-12) have had sexual intercourse.²
• More than fifty percent of youth (ages 15-19) have had oral sex.⁵
• Statistically, 31 percent of young women become pregnant at least once by age 20.⁶
• In 2005 (the most recent year for which there is reliable data), approximately 1.21 million abortions took place in the U.S.
• 50% of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25; women aged 20-24 obtain 33% of all U.S. abortions and teenagers obtain 175 (AGI)

The Solution

The Silver Ring Thing's goal is to create a culture shift in America where abstinence becomes the norm again rather than the exception.

SRT Mission

"to motivate, educate, support and transform generations of young people to embrace a lifestyle of Christ-centered sexual abstinence until marriage."

See some SRT Events.