In Carlisle, Iowa, FutureNet (the Iowa Network for Adolescent Pregnancy, Prevention, and Parenting), a coalition of more than 30 organizations working on teen pregnancy prevention throughout the state, has recently adopted the 3Rs as its organizational vision, with the goal of using FutureNet as a vehicle for delivering statewide programming that promotes the Rights.Respect.Responsibility.® philosophy. This transformation began when two of the FutureNet’s board members and the Executive Director attended the European Study Tour. They became convinced that the 3Rs was a formalized way of thinking about what the organization was already doing. Perhaps more importantly, they saw the 3Rs as an effective organizing and unifying theme for FutureNet, which, as a coalition, is charged with bringing together the work of various teen agencies from settings around the state.

In addition to representing a large number of agencies working on teen pregnancy prevention, FutureNet has several other organizational characteristics that make it ideally positioned to promote a 3Rs campaign at the state level. First, the organization has a two-level structure, with the board working at the legislative/policy and funding-strategy level and the member agencies working at the regional/grassroots and service-delivery level. This structure provides FutureNet with opportunities to advance the 3Rs Campaign at both the “macro” and the “micro” level. Second, FutureNet’s geographic focus is diverse, with board members and member agencies placed in both rural and urban settings. This geographic reach gives FutureNet a true statewide presence, and means that any new theoretical model that is adopted by the organization must be flexible and highly adaptable across a range of environments.

Following their participation in the EST, the two FutureNet board members and the Executive Director contacted Advocates for information, materials, and assistance on adopting the 3Rs Campaign for use at the state and local levels. Advocates provided the organization with Campaign packets and put the board members in touch with staff from Planned Parenthood Health Services of Southwestern Oregon (PPHSSO), who, as described in the following section, have created and are successfully implementing a state campaign of their own.

Thus, with this assistance from Advocates and PPHSSO, FutureNet is in the beginning stages of implementing a statewide Rights.Respect.Responsibility.® Campaign. To date, FutureNet staff and Board members have: held a successful 3Rs-related ethics conference at a college in Decorah, Iowa, in conjunction with the college’s social work, women’s studies, and nursing programs; begun planning a parent-teen “summit” on healthy sexuality to be based on the 3Rs; worked on a strategy to educate and recruit member agencies to join a 3Rs campaign; and begun devising a plan for outreach to local clergy (on which PPHSSO staff has provided a good deal of assistance, based on their own experience working with churches in Oregon). In addition, to increase the sharing of lessons learned, FutureNet and PPHSSO are working on starting an information exchange between the two organizations by adding each other to list servs and mailing and exploring the possibility of sending FutureNet Board members to Oregon.

Advocates’ Partner in Iowa:  FutureNet