Ntarupt’s W.A.P. campaign is on DART buses and billboards. Photo by Ntarupt.
The North Texas Alliance to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy in Teens (Ntarupt) has designed a provocative new campaign to grab the attention of young people in Lake Highlands and across Dallas County. They’re using DART buses – and pop culture – to cut teen pregnancy rates and protect students.
The “W.A.P.” campaign is short for “We Always Use Protection,” but teens know “WAP” as a sexually-explicit song by Cardi B. (If you don’t know what WAP means, ask a 15-year-old. Better yet, don’t.)
The 75231 ZIP code, which includes Vickery Meadow and portions of Lake Highlands, has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Dallas County, so 21 DART buses will circulate here and in 75203, 75212, 75220, 75215, 75216, 75217, 75219, 75227, 75228, 75240 and 75172. Dallas had the highest teen birth rate of any major city in Texas in 2019, and Texas had the 5th highest rate in the nation, according to Ntarupt.
The organization says unplanned pregnancy is not the only danger faced by teens who opt to become sexually active. Almost 50% of gonorrhea and 60% of chlamydia cases occur in persons aged 15-24 years old, they warn.
“We needed to go where the youth are,” explained Ntarupt CEO Terry Greenberg of the W.A.P. message. “We needed to reach them using the phrases they understand in order for us to really make a difference in their lives.”
Ntarupt’s Talk About It Dallas site for teens discusses issues such as consent, abstinence and birth control.
