The eight-hour workshop, held in Attleboro by Community Care Services, is an outgrowth of a state Department of Public Health-funded program to provide teens and their parents with the knowledge to protect youngsters at a time of increasing pressures on adolescents.

Although workshops, entitled "Making Proud Choices," are offered periodically through schools, this is the first time a summer session has been held.

"We've actually had a pretty good response," said Meghan Witherell, who taught the workshop which included video, group discussion and role playing exercises.

She said recent news stories, including one about an alleged "pact" by Gloucester teens to become pregnant, may have sparked interest among teenage girls and their parents about discussing issues surrounding teen sex.

The increased urgency in getting the word out to teens about pregnancy prevention comes at a time when teen birth rates have been falling significantly in Attleboro and the state as a whole, although some studies warn that sexual activity among the young may be on the increase. According to the state Department of Public Health, Attleboro's teen pregnancy rate was once far higher than the state's, but has fallen dramatically in the last 10 years.

In 2005, teens gave birth at a rate of 25.7 per 1,000 girls compared with 44.7 in 1995. However, Attleboro still ranks higher than the state average of 21.7 births per 1,000.

State and local public health experts assign much of the credit for a declining teen birth rate on heightened emphasis on pregnancy prevention socially and through organized programs run through schools, health organizations and faith-based groups. But a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that a decline in youth sexual activity has leveled off and that condom use by teens has bottomed out.

for info on workshops, contact the agency at 508-223-4135.

Workshops are offered to groups of all-girls or all-boys using a Department of Public Health-approved curriculum. Schools and other groups can request a workshop by providing referrals.