Philly Teenshop program encourages abstinence, education, and goals

From a shy seventh grader to senior class president at Girls High School, Brittany Paris, 18, has come a long way. Headed to Howard University in August, Paris plans to major in pharmaceutical practices.

But there's something else that makes Paris stand out. She's made a vow of celibacy until marriage, and she's proud to talk about it.

"I'm not scared to speak out. I do things on my own, even if no one else is doing them," said Paris, who credits a program known as Teenshop and its Saturday workshops over the last six years with giving her the confidence to stay on her life path.

"If you're a girl with goals, Teenshop is where you want to be," she said.

There are four chapters of Teenshop in Philadelphia and one in Los Angeles. Each hosts a series of workshops every other Saturday, from September until June, on topics ranging from financial literacy to self-esteem.

"We teach them about building self-esteem and making the right choices," said Elleanor Jean Hendley, a former teacher and Philadelphia television reporter who founded the program in 1985.

"I wanted to give back to the community," said Hendley.

To participate, girls in grades 7 through 12 must promise to stay in school and to not get pregnant. Hendley said about 3,000 girls have gone through the program and as far as she knows, none left because of a pregnancy.

"If you keep teaching young people about positive goals, they are less likely to partake in negative activity," said Hendley.

One way Hendley has found to influence girls is to confront the issue of sex. To help persuade them to not become teen mothers, the girls attend a workshop called "The Real Deal About Sex," led by a gynecologist.

"Some of the girls were surprised, because she was graphic, but she was straight to the point," said second-year participant Jael Maxwell, 15, who attends Philadelphia Mennonite High School. "It really made me think about not having sex," said Maxwell, who has taken a vow of celibacy until marriage.

She says waiting for marriage is strongly encouraged in the program. "I plan on focusing more on my career, because I want to be a doctor and that takes a lot of work," she said.

Ariel Parker, 16, of West Philadelphia, said the talk with the girls included information about sexually transmitted diseases and making the decision to have sex. "I've definitely never had a sex talk like that one before," said Parker, a student at Friends' Central School.

Each chapter is run by five volunteers, all professional working women, many of whom are graduates of the program.

"I have a sense of purpose when I'm working with the girls," said Elena Singleton, 30, a program graduate who is now executive director of the Grace Teenshop Chapter in Germantown. "Just being a mentor, that extra ear besides their parents – I love it."

Teenshop workshops have also helped Morgan Lloyd, 14, of Pennsauken, find her writing voice.

"Writing is completely new to me," said Lloyd, who says she now wants to be a journalist and thanks Teenshop for helping her with public-speaking skills.

"They really helped bridge the gap in what I knew Morgan had inside of her and Morgan's finding it out," said Carol Lloyd, Morgan's mother.

Amber Britt, 17, has also promised to refrain from sex until marriage. "We have goals," said Britt, who is entering her senior year at Delaware Valley Charter High School and says she wants to be a lawyer. "All you have to do is stay focused, remember where you came from, what you learned and where you're going."

Britt and 70 other Teenshop participants celebrated their achievements recently at a debutante-style 25th-anniversary gala attended by more than 500 people.

Dressed in white ball gowns with white gloves, the girls sang, danced, presented their goals, and thanked their chapter leaders and mothers for their love and support.

While Teenshop depends on volunteers, financial support for the annual gala comes from area companies. This year's supporters include Philadelphia Workforce Development Corp. and Comcast.

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