UChoose is a collaborative approach to providing evidence-based health education and youth-friendly reproductive health services to Baltimore City youth with the goal of drastically reducing teen birth and sexually transmitted infection rates. The program encourages Baltimore’s teens to be thoughtful and healthy about decisions dealing with their bodies, relationships and futures.
By 2027, the goal is to reduce teen pregnancy as well as youth rates of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia by 15 percent, youth HIV rates by 75 percent and increase by 27 percent the youth satisfaction with and utilization of clinic services.
CCP supports UChoose through leading the development and implementation of strategic communication that centers youth voices and community input. CCP works closely with the Youth Advisory Council to co-design messaging and materials, supports the production of youth-led podcasts, leads social media and community campaigns, and creates resources that encourage clinic utilization and promote sexual health and reproductive justice. Across all efforts, CCP ensures that youth perspectives drive the approach and that outreach is collaborative, inclusive, and evidence based.
UChoose illustrates how a community-wide strategy can amplify the contributions of individual partners when the backbone organization has a clear vision and the capacity to mobilize stakeholders and maintain momentum over years of shared work.
Among the newest initiatives led by CCP: A podcast created by the Youth Advisory Council (YAC), a key component of UChoose where young people serve as peer educators and advocate for their communities. The Real Talk with YAC podcast creates a youth-driven space for teens to discuss issues like sexual health, LGBTQ+ relationships, and the influence of media.
