Yes, Teens Can! Teen Led Sex Ed
It’s no secret that sex education is lacking in our public schools. It’s also no secret that many teens are making sexual decisions without accurate information, preparation, and support from either peers or adults in their lives. But one of the best kept secrets is that there are teens that are doing something about this! This week, Doin’ it Well wanted to squash the often-heard teen-bashing talk, and focus on the fabulous adolescents who are making a huge difference in the lives of their peers (and our community!)
Teach Me
From birth through death, we are constantly navigating a range of sexuality and sexual health milestones, not simply about the act of sexual intercourse, but also about how we feel about ourselves sexually and develop our sexual identity. Because of puberty, teens are in a very intense period of sexual development, physically, emotionally, and socially. Parents and teachers have a big opportunity (and responsibility) to help these adolescents develop into sexually healthy adults. Yet often, teachers and parents don’t have the preparation to do this.
In Illinois, a poll of health teachers showed that only 40% of high school health teachers taught about issues of contraception, abortion, or sexual orientation. Over a third of the teachers taught that abstinence was the only way to prevent pregnancy and STD’s. Many local teens have similar stories about their experiences of sex education. Depending on the school, or their teacher, they might not be taught about birth control or contraception. They might not receive information about their body’s sexual response. But moreover, they often don’t feel as though they’re getting accurate or complete sexual health education. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the parents and teachers; most adults aren’t prepared to have these complex (and maybe uncomfortable) conversations.
Additionally, teens may not want to have these conversations with these adults, no matter how well-meaning. So where’s a teen to go for quality sex ed?
Ask a Peer
In the Champaign community, there is a group of high school students who are making a difference: the Teen Awareness Group (TAG) at Planed Parenthood. TAG educators are paid employees of Planned Parenthood, and they receive comprehensive sexuality education, in addition to valuable life skills like parent-child communication, writing skills, crisis intervention strategies, public speaking and leadership skills and confidentiality training. As peer educators, TAG members utilize their knowledge to help educate their friends, classmates, and even teachers and parents.
Think about it: you are a teen and you have a question about sex – maybe you’re afraid you are pregnant, maybe you aren’t sure how to use a condom, maybe you’re not ready to be sexually active and want support in that, or maybe you’re afraid your relationship is unhealthy – but you may not have an adult you trust to have accurate, non-judgmental information. TAG members receive all of these questions and more, and their training and supervision allows them to provide the most correct and beneficial information possible.
In addition to one-on-one interactions, TAG educators go to local schools and organizations to provide workshops on contraception, abstinence, STD’s, and communication. For many of our local schools, a TAG workshop provides more information than they receive directly from their teachers. And for the health teachers, TAG becomes a convenient way to provide teens with accurate information
Moreover, the TAG educators take their work into many different arenas, challenging myths about sexuality in their classes, creating class projects promoting sex education, and getting involved with local organizations, such as the Campaign for Comprehensive Sexuality Education and the Greater Community AIDS Project, to improve the level sex education in their community. This year alone they reached over 5000 individuals in Champaign County. As a multi-level program, the TAG members receive the education first-hand, but they use this education and position to redefine how their community views sexuality.
“TAG is not only about teens taking control of their own sexuality education, but about their concern for the health and well-being of their peers and their generation,” says Lena Hann, Education Programs Coordinator at Planned Parenthood and coordinator of the local TAG program. “Ask a teen what they think adults think of their generation, and you’ll hear some pretty upsetting stuff. These teens want to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others. I am so lucky to get to work with such a fabulous group of people!”
We’re all lucky to have them in our community. See Sex 411 to find out about how you can get involved.
Check us out next week as we discuss if everyone is really doing it!
Sex 411: TAG Applications
Interested in applying to be a Peer Educator with the Teen Awareness Group?
- For the job description or to apply online, go to plannedparenthoodext.hire.com
- Under “Education” category, find “Educator – Teen Awareness Champaign, IL”
- Or in Facebook, search “TAG Applications” under Events.
- For more information, contact Lena at lenah@ppil.org or 359-4768 ext. 114.
