• Overview
• Youth
• Parents
• Faith Leaders
• What Can I Do As a Faith Leader?
• Faith Community Success Stories
• OWL: A Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum
• Moral & Ethical Dilemmas Statement
• Resources
• Request a Speaker or Workshop
• I Want to Be an Advocate!
• Educators
• Policy Leaders & Influencers
• Health Care Professionals
• Advocates

Why Faith Leaders Matter

Faith leaders and religious organizations are in a unique position to make an enormous difference in the lives of youth, their sexual attitudes and behavior.

What better place than one’s faith community for young people to understand what spiritual teachings say about sexuality? To learn that their spiritual leaders are concerned about their healthy sexual development and their ability to make responsible decisions? To know that caring people of faith are willing and able to talk with them about their questions and concerns?

Teens cite morals, values and religious beliefs as key factors that influence their decisions about sex, according to a survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (.pdf). The NCPTP found that an overwhelming majority of teens (72%) and adults (75%) want more involvement from faith communities (churches, temples, synagogues and other religious organizations) in sexual health matters.

The New 3Rs: Rights, Respect, Responsibility has been endorsed by numerous faith leaders, for all of the reasons cited above. They have discovered that The New 3Rs provides a framework for supporting youth and parents in ways that were not possible before. Using the principles of The New 3Rs, they are helping families navigate the challenges of sexual development and growing up— all within the context of their faith tradition.