PORT ANGELES — Parents and their children can sign up Sunday for a pilot program aimed at reducing teen pregnancy and other risks to adolescents.

An introduction to LiFT, Linking Family and Teens, will be presented from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Room 207 at the North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center, 905 W. Ninth St., Port Angeles. The free program will begin in May.

“This is the first time this program will have been offered in Port Angeles or anywhere else” in the nation, said Briana Galbreath, an educator with Planned Parenthood.

The program is designed specifically for ninth- and 10th-graders and their parents/caregivers living in rural communities.

It aims to improve communication between parents and their teens.

“The goal of the program is that, through communication with their parents, teens will have better outcomes,” Galbreath said.

Studies show that youth who trust their parents are less likely to indulge in behaviors that lead to early pregnancy, drug abuse and other risky behaviors, she said.

Rural communities

The program was written specifically for rural communities by Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands, using a grant from the federal Office of Adolescent Health, which operates as part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Port Angeles High School is sponsoring the 12-hour program, Galbreath said.

Once parents and teens are signed up, sessions will begin May 1. All sessions will be at the Skills Center.

Sessions will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 1; 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 7; 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 15 and 22; and from 10:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 5.

Food and child care will be provided at every session.

During the two-hour sessions, parents and teens will work separately, coming together before and after to compare notes.

Parents will learn about communication techniques, adolescent development and other topics. Along with those topics, teens will be informed about both abstinence and birth control, Galbreath said.

For more information, phone Galbreath at 206-328-4970 or 517-256-8895, or send an email to briana.galbreath@ppgnhi.org.

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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.