Peer Educators: Washington
The U.S. teen pregnancy and birth rates are among the highest in the developed world. Some 750,000 teenagers in the United States will become pregnant this year, and at least one in four teen girls in America has a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Meanwhile, more than $1.5 billion has been poured into abstinence-only sex education that leaves teens without key information about contraception and safer sex that could keep them healthy and safe.
It’s clear that today’s teens need all the help that they can get when it comes to sex education. And when schools cannot meet the need, teens often turn to other sources — parents and other trusted adults, yes, but also other teens. That powerful teen-to-teen relationship is the heart of peer education.
Ayla, 17, is part of a peer education program in Washington State called the Olympia Teen Council. And she is using the power of peer education to reach teens with key information about sexual health and sexuality.
The Council
The Olympia Teen Council is one of several Planned Parenthood-sponsored peer education programs throughout the state of Washington. The councils comprise teens from the local community who are entering 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. They meet once a week at a Planned Parenthood center, where they receive the training — 50 hours or more — that they need to talk to middle school and high school students and adults about topics like pregnancy and STI prevention, HIV/AIDS, sexual decision making, bullying, healthy relationships, teen dating violence, and the social pressures that today’s teens face.
The Work at Hand
Many of the topics that Teen Council members are taught are the very topics that are glossed over in standard sex education. Ayla says, of the sex education that she received in the ninth grade, “I think that it is definitely better than nothing. There’s a bare minimum that kids get.”
Although her health class spent about a week on abstinence, it only spent two days on contraception — far more time and information than many U.S. teens receive, but still inadequate given the pressures and conflicting messages that teens struggle with on a daily basis. In fact, only five percent of teens receive the kind of comprehensive, medically accurate sex education that covers all aspects of sexuality.
“Kids deserve good education in all aspects of their lives — especially with sexuality,” says Ayla. Working with the Teen Council is how she does her part to make sure teens are equipped with the information to make decisions to stay safe and healthy.
“Peer education is one of the most powerful forms of education, especially for teens to listen to other teens,” she says. And the power of peer education works on multiple levels. Not only are Teen Council members spreading accurate sexual health information, they are modeling a level of comfort, knowledge, and openness when it comes to the often-taboo and sometimes embarrassing topic of sex. “A peer educator who is educated and confident talking about sex sets an example.”
Ayla gets a lot out of it as well. “It’s really fun and really rewarding, and it forms a good community,” she says.” I would advocate for everyone to be involved.”
What You Can Do
Planned Parenthood knows that the best way to help teens prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections is to provide them with comprehensive, medically accurate sex education.
Learn how you can help Planned Parenthood bring vital information about birth control and responsible decision making to the classroom.
Join the Planned Parenthood Action Network. Tell your elected representatives it’s time to end dangerous abstinence-only programs and to stand up for real sex education!
Laura Lambert
Published: 11.19.08
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