For the past four years, 16-year-old Andre Johnson has been volunteering for the D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, raising awareness among his peers of steps they can take to avoid pregnancy. During that time, he has spoken before the D.C. Council on the program’s success and also the challenges he and other members of his community face every day. Now, this junior at McKinley Technical High School is going to Disney World as part of Disney’s Dreamer Academy, a leadership program for high school students.
How did you first become involved with the D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy?
I was involved in another youth program, and a member of the campaign told us about it. Myself and three friends joined and we’ve stood through it. At the time, I just wanted to check it out, but I kept with it when I realized they were decreasing teen pregnancy and I enjoyed the opportunity to speak in front of the council. … At first I was scared and shy speaking, but I’m over that now.
What do you hope to take away from the Dreamer Academy?
I hope to get more leadership skills and bring them back to be a better leader in community.
What would you like to address most in your community?
Teen pregnancy is at the top of my list. A lot of girls I grew up with are pregnant now, and I’d like to decrease that. I’d also like to decrease drug use. Violence in my community is also very, very bad, and I’d like to decrease that, too. They’re tough goals, but they will be fulfilled.
What do you want to do professionally?
I’d like to be a sportscaster. I like to read and talk about sports. I’m a sports fanatic. When I was young, I’d watch the commentators on ESPN and I wanted to be like them, but better.
