ZAP (Zero Adolescent Pregnancy)

Cortland's Award Winning Pregnancy Prevention Program
For more information, visit the ZAP web site.

The Jacobus Center coordinates this successful abstinence based, teen pregnancy prevention program in collaboration with the Cortland Youth Bureau and YWCA. The objectives of the program are to help young people create broader life options by postponing sexual involvement, promoting the consistent use of contraception among sexually active teens, and reducing the occurrence of pregnancies among Cortland County youth.

This plan for improving the lives of young people in Cortland County is made possible through a multi-faceted, comprehensive health program. It is supported by a community coalition that consists of parents, clergy, schools and teens.

The corner stones of the program are:

1. Parent Education
2. Heath Education
3. Community Involvement
4. Youth Development
5. School Programming (including Zapella-ZAP's superhero)
6. the ZAP PEERS

The ZAP PEERS (Peers Educating and Encouraging Responsible Sexuality) are a group of teen educators who have volunteered to teach responsible sexual behavior to other individuals. They receive a minimum of 30 hours of initial training on self-esteem, inter-personal skills, public speaking, birth control, STD's and HIV/AIDS.

The ZAP-PEERS and Zapella (ZAP's superhero) offer educational programs in local elementary, junior and senior high schools. ZAP and its partners have achieved a 31% decrease in the number of teen pregnancies in Cortland County since its inception in 1991.