Parenting:  US education programme The Silver Ring Thing is coming to Dublin. Its mission - to get our teenagers to say no to sex until they marry. But will it work, asks Louise Holden

An American education programme, The Silver Ring Thing, is coming to Dublin in July to preach abstinence from sex to Irish teenagers.

The Silver Ring Thing encourages young people to buy a silver ring and pledge to remain celibate until they marry. Some 20,000 US teenagers have already bought the rings, which will sell for €15. The Dublin event will take place on July 2nd, although a venue has yet to be decided.

The idea of the programme is to "sell" abstinence from sex before marriage. By bringing teenagers together in an atmosphere of fun and encouraging them to make an abstinence promise, the organisers are hoping that a sort of group-thinking will emerge that will help teenagers feel that abstinence is an acceptable choice.

Jason Burtt, development director of The Silver Ring Thing, believes that teenagers deserve a chance to choose abstinence, but that current cultural norms do not offer that choice.

"Everything in our culture is telling teenagers to have sex. Through The Silver Ring Thing we are telling them that waiting is an option, too. Our programme is a hi-tech visual audio experience using humour, drama and intensity to get the message across," he says.

The scheme is partly funded by US President George Bush's administration, which has invested heavily in abstinence education. There is also a considerable Christian component, although Burtt insists that the message is for teens of all faiths and none.

The programme is seven years old, but there is still no data available to measure its results.

The Bush approach to teenage sex education is absolute - states receiving federal finance are not allowed to include contraceptive advice in their school curriculums. Teen pregnancy in the US is at a 10-year low. While the Bush administration would like to claim full credit for the changing pattern of teenage pregnancy in the US, President Bill Clinton's welfare reforms in the 1990s made it more difficult for teenage mothers to access benefits and helped to bring pregnancy rates down.

In Britain, where teenage pregnancy rates are the highest in Europe, commentators have criticised the growth of sex and birth-control education in schools. They feel that this approach is normalising sex for teenagers, which is part of the reason that The Silver Ring Thing is crossing the Atlantic. The show is booked into venues right across Britain this month. The Dublin event came on foot of invitations from various groups here.

"We speak briefly on the subject of birth control," Burtt explains. "But we don't really believe that such a thing exists. Abstinence is where it's at."

Teens who attend the Dublin event will be invited to make the following pledge: "I agree to wear a silver ring as a sign of my pledge to abstain from sexual behaviour. On my wedding day, I will present my ring to my spouse, signifying my faith and my commitment."

For more information visit www.silverringthing.com