Being a teen is hard enough. Being a teenage mother is infinitely harder—and according to a study by John Santelli of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, there are more and more teens who are becoming moms. Nearly 4 in 10 American teens will be preggers by age 20, and a whopping 445 000 of them will give birth. At those rates, America is the teenage pregnancy capital of the Western World.

Having a baby is a wonderful, beautiful act—but there is a time and a place for it. When a teenager gives birth, the odds of her or her baby having a fulfilling life are significantly lower than if she had waited until she was in her twenties. Teen moms are more likely to drop out of school, receive welfare, and have more children within a couple of years. In turn, the children of teen moms will statistically have poorer health and inferior results in school than their peers who had parents who gave birth later on. Children from teen pregnancies are also more likely to end up in prison (if they’re sons) or giving birth while still teenagers (if they’re daughters).

Which is why Santelli’s study is so disturbing. It shows that teenagers are having kids at a higher rate, not necessarily because they desire children at that stage in life but because they are not taking simple precautions to prevent it. The use of contraceptives is going down, leaving health educators wondering where the f*%# they went wrong. Because, instead of using a condom, youth are trying the “withdrawal method,” and even the “let’s not use anything” approach—otherwise known as the “I’m playing Russian Roulette with my girlfriend’s future” approach. Hell, the guys should be worried too, because STIs tend to spread a lot faster when there’s no condom to stop them (and by “tend to” I mean DO).

And while the need to place blame is both understandable and widespread—everything from teenage celebrities such as Jamie Lynn Spears who glorify pregnancies to sexual education programs that promote abstinence only and forbid any mention of prevention—placing blame only detracts from the real issue, which is how to reverse the trend.

Ultimately, the potential for improvement lies within each and every one of us. . . When it comes down to it, the only way these statistics will improve is if you use a condom next time you’re “gettin’ jiggy with it.”

According to a study conducted by the University of Minnesota, researchers have determined that 15 percent of teens – that is, roughly 1 in 7 – believe they are going to die young. Based on a survey of 20,000 youth, researchers believe this drives a high amount of distressed youth into drug use, gang violence and other risky behaviors. This goes against the grain of the old adage that kids believe that they’re “invulnerable” or bulletproof. Moreover, youth of color and low income youth were much more likely than their white peers to believe that they would die young.

The general sense of hopelessness that plagues teenagers can be seen as a red flag. We need to lift each other up, but how do we raise the spirits of our peers? Is there a remedy for hopelessness? Or is the answer in our communities? What do you think?

In D.C. for the Youth PROMISE Day of Action, I was invited to watch the documentary “Crips and Bloods: Made in America”, (directed by Stacy Peralta and produced by actor Cash Warren and NBA superstar Baron Davis) at a special screening hosted by Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) on Capitol Hill. The screening was held to kickoff a series of events in support of the Youth Promise Act national day of actio.

As I watched the film, I couldn’t help but think about my favorite line from the seminal 70s gang movie, The Warriors. It was the unforgettable line Cyrus delivered during his legendary speech: “Miracles are the way things ought to be.”

The film, while capturing the essence of street gang life in LA, highlighted the humanity of these young people and opened up the possibility of a better tomorrow. As Baron Davis said tonight, “My homies were my inspiration for this film”, and it is in that spirit that we as the League of Young Voters Education Fund support initiatives such as the Youth Promise Act and films such as Crips and Bloods: Made In America.

Last night’s event reminded me that miracles are the way things ought to be. Young people with opportunities are the way things ought to be. A pipeline from the cradle to college and jobs, instead of jails, is the way things ought to be. Young people who’ve made mistakes getting legitimate second chances is the way things ought to be. We can save the next generation of young Americans from rampant poverty, crime and violence if we provide healthy alternatives to the lure of the street.

Today, representatives of organizations and concerned citizens from all over the country will be asking their congressional representatives to co-sponsor the Youth Promise Act. We have an online action where you can email your congressperson, send letters to the editor of your local newspaper and organize a house party screening of the documentary. In the coming days, we will continue to engage elected officials, policy makers and many everyday citizens to educate them about the importance of addressing this issue. Today is only the beginning of a larger effort; we hope you will join the struggle and help us make miracles the way things are.

-Khari Mosley