The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Students get straight talk
PUBLISHED: March 27, 2008
On March 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new study that states one in four girls between the ages of 14 and 19 has a sexually transmitted disease.
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After releasing this shocking statistic, the CDC went on to recommend comprehensive sexuality education for teens to prevent the transmission of STDs.
This new statistic implies that abstinence-only sexualeducation programs don't work. Abstinence-pluseducation, along with the help of peer educators,offers a greater and more successful flow ofinformation to teens.
One of the best, proven ways to help prevent teensfrom making unhealthy decisions is peer education. It has been shown that peer education is a very effectivemethod because it's confidential, and it allows teensto talk to someone other than adults.
Often, teenagers don't listen to adults when it comes to situations that they consider uncomfortable or awkward to talk about with their parents, teachers or even specialists.
Milan High School has had a peer education program, Project Straight Talk, since 2001. The group'smain purpose is to be a source of information toteenagers.
The members of Project Straight Talk have all received 40 hours of intense training before becoming official members.
After successfully completing the training program, peer educators make presentations to high school health classes. These presentations are on the topics of abstinence, contraceptive methods and HIV/AIDS.
Other events that the group participates in are teen panels, outreach work in the Milan area, parentworkshops, lobbying in Lansing and many otheractivities.
In fact, Project Straight Talk will be hosting a parent workshop7 p.m. April 15. The workshop is open to parents whohave students in Milan Middle School.
At the workshop, parents will have the opportunity toask peer educators about what high school is reallylike and what their children should expect when he orshe enters the high school. There are also manyhelpful activities.
Parents who have participated in this workshop before have said that it was a very good opportunity to get insight into the lives of teens.
To sign up for the workshop, contact Project Straight Talk coordinator Jenny Murphy at jennifer.murphy@ppmchoice.org.
Another event that's under way is theNational Youth Summit March 27 and 28 in Washington, D.C. Planned Parenthood teen peer educators from all over the country competed to represent the state of Michigan at the summit. Of the thousands who applied, there were only 50people who were chosen, and there were only threepeople chosen from Michigan: Katie Mercer ofCommunity School in Ann Arbor, Kyndall McCoy ofBenton Harbor High School and myself, Brie Prusak,of Milan High School.
We will be joined by 47 educators from around the country who are also attending the conference, and each of theseeducators will bring their own experiences.
"It will be interesting to see the geologicaldifferences," said Katie Mercer.
At the summit, we will learn about advocacy,outreach, media training, lobbying and othertechniques that we can bring back to our own peereducation groups.
The main purpose of the conference is to come up with new ideas and waysto get our message across. With this in mind, we willmake plans for the year ahead and come up with great ideas to use in our own neighborhoods.
After the summit, all of the people who are attending will also attend monthly meetings within their stateto coordinate and implement the ideas discussed at the summit.
While we are in Washington, D.C., we will be keeping a blog, including entries and pictures of what is going on at the conference. The address of the blog is mipeereds.blogspot.com.
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