In July I pedaled into Princeton, NJ for the final night of the Wanderlust Reproductive Justice bike tour. Our last community meeting was with several fabulous staff and teen representatives of HiTOPS, a non-profit organization that provides affordable reproductive and basic health care and a successful peer education program model of comprehensive sexuality education.
Out of this conversation came an invitation to visit a Teen Council meeting and talk to the young people that put on over thirty peer health education workshops in NJ schools, after school programs and juvenile correctional facilities. That picture above was us at their second meeting - before they'd learned any of their skits or done a single workshop. I wanted to see them in action so I promised to come back for the Family Night program to see them show off all their skills. I did and it was FANTASTIC!
It's always seemed like common sense that teens know what their peers are thinking about sex because it's what they're thinking - and they're in a perfect position to spread correct information and positive messages, hence peer sex ed.
The 20 Teen Council members, all high school seniors, conducted a workshop on parent-teen communication for their parents and community members, including a series of skits and youth facilitated small group discussions on the messages received across generations about sex and sexuality.
The best part was the panel during which the teens answered questions about teen sexuality from the audience.The first questioner wanted a definition of "friends with benefits," another wanted to know about drinking at parties, and the teens also fielded the ever popular "are teens ready to have sex?" Their training and the personal knowledge they've gained about sexuality shined through and they were very insightful about the social struggle of fighting homophobia and serving as credible resources for their peers.
New Jersey Teen PEP, the program the Teen Council falls under, has had success in getting into some NJ public schools as a comprehensive, medically accurate and, most importantly, effective alternative to failed abstinence-only curricula. However, like many non-profits doing the most necessary work, the program may be facing cuts from the state in light of the recession.
Governor Corzine needs a reminder that effective comprehensive sex education is vital in shaping healthy, responsible adults - and that an investment now in youth health will save valuable state funds in the long term. Whether you are a parent, teacher, student or community member, let Governor Corzine and Health Commissioner Heather Howard know that programs like NJ Teen PEP are on the right track toward reducing teen pregnancy and promoting responsible behavior and should remain fully funded.