The Candie's Foundation to Debut New Public Service Campaign Featuring Bristol Palin

NEW YORK, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Candie's Foundation announced today that it will release a television and print Public Service Announcement ("PSA") campaign featuring Bristol Palin for the prevention of teenage pregnancy.  

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100407/NY82444-a )

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100407/NY82444-b )

Last year, The Candie's Foundation appointed Bristol Palin as an Ambassador.  In the PSAs, Palin, who appears with her son Tripp, addresses the difficulties of being a teen mom.  She discusses how her life has changed since having a baby and how many hardships she would have to face if not for her family and their support.

The PSAs will begin airing in May to coincide with National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

Bristol Palin stated, "I believe that people need to start talking about the consequences of teen pregnancy.  Being a single teen mom has affected every aspect of my life.  I am providing for another person and doing everything for him.  I am constantly juggling and it is extremely difficult.  Teens need to understand the realities of being a teenage parent."  

Neil Cole, Founder of The Candie's Foundation, commented, "The main goal of The Candie's Foundation is to educate teens about the devastating consequences of teenage pregnancy.  Each year nearly 750,000 teens become pregnant, the numbers are staggering and it is a national epidemic.  By drawing attention to the issue and starting a dialogue between teens and parents we can reduce this number and prevent teens from becoming a statistic."

The television PSA was produced by Serve Marketing, a non-profit ad agency, and shot by director Rob Fischer.  The print PSA was shot by photographer Nino Munoz. Both Serve Marketing and Mr. Munoz donated their time and resources to produce the PSAs.  The campaign was shot in West Hollywood, CA.  

Additionally, The Candie's Foundation, in conjunction with Seventeen magazine conducted a survey with teen girls, ages 14 – 18, to find out how they think the media influences teenage sex, pregnancy and parenting.

Results of the survey concluded:

• Nearly half (48%) of teen girls get their information on sex, pregnancy, and parenting from TV shows.
• 55% of teens surveyed think TV shows and movies encourage teenagers to have sex.
• The shows that teen girls think most encourage teens to have sex are Gossip Girl and Jersey Shore.
• 31% of teens surveyed think TV shows and movies make teenagers want to have a baby.
• 20% of teen girls say TV shows and movies make teen motherhood seem normal.

Christine Clark, Program Director of The Candie's Foundation, commented, "This research confirms what we have long suspected: that media shape teens' perceptions of pregnancy and parenting. This is why, for nearly 10 years, the Candie's Foundation has been partnering with celebrities to keep teen pregnancy in the national dialogue, and to make sure teenagers across America understand the life-changing and often devastating consequences of teen pregnancy."

If you are a member of the media, please visit www.magicbulletmedia.com/MNR/TheCandiesFoundation for downloadable video and photos.

ABOUT THE CANDIE'S FOUNDATION

In June 2001, Candie's launched The Candie's Foundation, a 501c3 non profit organization, with the mission to educate America's youth about the devastating consequences of teenage pregnancy while educating and challenging America's youth to make healthy decisions about sex. Celebrities that have participated in the campaigns include Beyonce, Ciara, Jenny McCarthy, Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff, Ashlee Simpson, Usher, Rachel Bilson, and Fall Out Boy amongst many others.  For additional information on The Candie's Foundation, please visit www.candiesfoundation.org.

SOURCE The Candie's Foundation