216Teens is the name of our campaign to prevent teen pregnancy and the spread of STDs among youth throughout our county. 216Teens is designed to educate and motivate teenagers to delay sex, learn about safer sexual behaviors and to increase their use of trusted local health services and resources.

Our Values

We provide medically accurate content in a way that is teen-friendly and engaging. We work with teen advisers to help shape our content in order to stay current and innovative. We are committed to treating everyone with compassion and integrity and providing information that will benefit all teens, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, economic circumstances, religion or faith. We strive to be fair, respectful and nonjudgmental in everything we do.

Our Vision

Our vision is for Cuyahoga County teenagers to understand their physical and emotional development and empower them to delay sexual initiation. We also want to inform them about the risks, motivate them to prevent unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, and encourage them to seek reproductive health services.

Our Mission and Goals

Our mission is to educate, inform and motivate teens in our communities to delay sexual initiation, practice safer sexual behaviors and to seek preventative reproductive health care.

The 216Teens project is designed to give youth information in a fun, engaging and interactive manner.

Our goal is to reach Cuyahoga County teenagers and to collaborate with community partners to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases now as well as in the future. We invite you to join us in our efforts. Contact us to learn more about our Community Advisory Group and the Youth Leadership Council.

Promo Materials

• Teen Health Resource Guide
• Teen Health Resource Guide (Spanish)
• 216Teens Poster
• 216Teens Poster (Spanish)
• 216Teens Info Card
• 216Teens Info Card (Spanish)

Resources for Advocates

• Advocates for Youth is a group dedicated to helping young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. The group provides training services and assistance to advocates, organizations and policy makers to further this mission.
• Amplify Your Voice is a website and blog for sexual health youth activists and is affiliated with Advocates for Youth.
• Answer (formerly the Network for Family Life Education), provides resources, advocacy tips and training to promote comprehensive sexual health education for young people and the adults in their lives.
• Healthy Teen Network is focused on adolescent health with an emphasis on teen pregnancy prevention, teen pregnancy, and teen parenting.
• SIECUS has assembled a Community Action Tool Kit to help students and other community members advocate for comprehensive sexual health education.
• The Power to Decide (formerly the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy) provides trusted, accurate information, backed by research, about sexual health and contraceptive methods so that young people can make informed decisions.

Resources for Educators

• Advocates for Youth also maintains a sex-ed resource page for teachers and education professionals, which offers lesson plans and assistance with implementing sexual health campaigns.
• Guttmacher Institute advances sexual and reproductive health and rights through research, policy analysis and public education. The site provides a wealth of data and research findings as well as information for specific states.
• National Sexuality Education Standards were developed to address the inconsistent implementation of sexuality education nationwide and the limited time allocated to teaching the topic.
• Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (ReCAPP) provides practical tools and information for educators to help teens reduce sexual risk-taking behaviors.
• SIECUS’s SexEdLibrary provides access to state fact sheets and policy briefs.
• Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) helps health educators stay up to date on advances in health education theory and research, excellence in health education practice, and the promotion of public policies conducive to health.

Resources for Parents

• 216Teens maintains a resource page for tips for parents when talking to their kids about sex and tips for parents of LGBTQ youth.
• Advocates for Youth Parents’ Sex Ed Center provides support for parents who are beginning discussions about sexual health with their children. The site also offers assistance for parents who wish to advocate for comprehensive sexual health education in their child’s school.
• California Family Health Council’s website Talk With Your Kids encourages parents to begin the discussion and gives them tips about how to do it.
• Planned Parenthood presents advice for parents about how to begin the discussion about sexual health with their kids.