Teenagers and the Empathy Belly Pregnancy Simulator

If you are a professional in the medical, educational or social service fields, call Birthways at (800) 882-3559
birthways@empathy belly.org

Birthways Childbirth Resouce Center, Inc.

For Use with Teenage Boys and Girls in Jr/High Schools

Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Education of Health, Life Skills and Parenthood

Safe, Smart Teens With a Future!

By teaching with The Empathy Belly, you can help to create safe, smart teens who feel they have a future. By using this highly popular, unique, hands-on resource, you can help give our youth a safe and positive future as well as strong family ties through its personal values clarification and the prevention of teen pregnancy - that's what The Empathy Belly^® is all about!

As an action-oriented, hands-on teaching aid for teenagers, The Empathy Belly can be used not only to educate, but also to help reduce our nation's current epidemic of teenage pregnancy and parenting. In a counseling setting or during a school Health or Family Life class, girls and boys can wear The Empathy Belly and discover for themselves the many "price tags" or negative consequences that a pregnancy would impose on their teenage life-style. This realism quickly shatters their romantic illusions and typical adolescent feelings of invincibility regarding teen pregnancy. The learning experience is especially effective because it is tangible, here-and -now, and teens can relate it to what is emotionally important to them. Live demonstration of The Empathy Belly immediately gets kids' attention and serves as an excellent springboard for generating spontaneous roleplaying and excited, humorous, and candid discussion. Teens can begin to really see why the inevitable demands of pregnancy require mature, committed marriages and responsible support systems if childbearing is to be the joyful, positive experience that it can be. Skillful use of The Empathy Belly not only increases adolescents' knowledge, communication and values-clarification, but also motivates teenagers to prevent untimely pregnancy.

Shatter the Romantic Illusions of Teen Pregnancy

Generate Excited, Hands-On
Learning In Your Classroom

When teenage girls & boys wear
"The Empathy Belly," it...

...generates excited, hands-on learning

"Your workshops utilizing The Empathy Belly were a real success! Students had no idea that carrying a fetus was such hard work…There was considerable embarrassment at the idea of having one's body image change so drastically, and it generated much talk about how uncool it would be to get pregnant. It was interesting that females wanted to see the less sensitive males in the class wear the belly, which opened up a completely different avenue for discussion. This was an excellent adjunct to approaching the topic of childbearing as well as decision making. I highly recommend the us of The Empathy Belly as a highly effective teaching tool!"

Bruce Larson, Science Teacher East Anchorage High School and the REAP Program

"Despite my 15 years in the field of human sexuality, I've never come across something with quite as much impact as The Empathy Belly. I think that this would be a marvelous resource to use in sexuality education (via the schools') health or life skills courses for teenagers. There is no substitute for actually feeling what goes on during a pregnancy, and this gives enough of a glimpse that young men may wake up to their role a little bit more because of it."

Peter Scales, Ph.D., Psychologist
Former National Director of Education for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Author and Nationally Recognized Authority in the Field of Sex Education and Research

...shatters the romantic illusions of teen pregnancy

...convinces and motivates teenagers to prevent untimely pregnancy

"In both our maternity program and our residential treatment facility for troubled adolescents, we have utilized The Empathy Belly during staff trainings, childbirth preparation classes, couple counseling sessions, and health education in our school classroom. I am enthusiastic and excited about the thought provoking responses and insights hat the wearing of The Empathy Belly created in these situations. It was especially amazing to see the changes in the males' perspective and the improved communication.

…It has served as a fantastic tool for stimulating lively discussion, realistic understanding and empathy –and in a preventative effort, may well have stopped some teens from becoming pregnant too soon."

Jan Griffin, R.N., Maternity Supervisor/Educator
The Salvation Army Booth Memorial Home