The author, Drucilla Dyess, made some exceptionally shocking points that I really want to touch on. She discussed the increasing rates of pregnancies for women under 20 years old, the increasing rates of STI’s spreading among teenagers, and explains what needs to be done to help.

She says that three quarters of a million pregnancies in our country were from young girls under 20 years old in 2004. It really blows my mind to think that such a large number of teenagers are having babies. And our public office holders are not doing enough to help reduce these numbers. We are not fully educating our young ladies about the future consequences of having pregnancies at an early age. We have to do better! The only way we can do better is to educate our young people through age appropriate, medically accurate sexual health information and clinical services.

In the article, Dyess states that the number of boys ages 15 to 19 being diagnosis with HIV/AIDS has “doubled.” This is in no way pleasing to hear. I feel that we all need to join together in efforts of persuading our public office holders to change policies in our school systems to help educate our young people about SEX!

Going back to the beginning of the article, Drucilla Dyess began by saying, “More teenagers and young adults are having sex…” And I feel that this statement needs to be blown up and posted on billboards all around the United States to help get our legislators and other public officials’ attentions. It seems that we need to better educate our youth about these issues if we want to see a change. I feel that our young people are not receiving the best sex education in our schools nowadays. In fact, I’m a sophomore in college, and I can only recall maybe taking one session of sex education throughout my entire school career. And the issues that our youth are dealing with today, were definitely not covered in that class.

LINK: http://www.healthnews.com/family-health/sexual-health/pregnancies-sexually-transmitted-diseases-rise-among-teens-3478.html

(P. S. I looked on the CDC website to verify these facts, but I had trouble finding them.  I didn’t know what to actually look under.  However, when I searched the Internet, I found several other articles, by other writers, that had the same facts.) 

Tell Them

 The 10-member council includes students from colleges and universities across the state who will advocate for improvements in sexual health education.

Council members will work in partnership with Tell Them to build a coalition of college and community advocates that support age-appropriate, comprehensive sex education.

Members were selected through an application process and will serve a one-year term. In addition to receiving a monthly stipend, they will benefit from intensive training on leadership development, public speaking, writing, grassroots organizing and government affairs.

The Council’s formation comes at a critical time for South Carolina’s young people who face some alarming statistics: 3 in 10 young women in our state will get pregnant before age 20. One in five new HIV/AIDS cases reported in South Carolina is among people age 25 and under. And, youth ages 15-24 account for almost half of new sexually transmitted infection cases.

Student advocates will be tasked with beginning a dialogue among their peers on these issues. Research shows that frank conversation about personal responsibility, pregnancy prevention and family planning is the best way to reduce unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infection rates, including HIV/AIDS. The Council will be known on campuses as Knowledge Is Best (KIB), a name selected to underscore a core goal of arming students with the information they need to make wise health decisions.

The Council is the result of a recent grant to the Tell Them from the Washington, DC-based Advocates for Youth. Other states including Ohio, North Carolina and Georgia have received similar grants in the past and proven that this kind of youth activism can lead to substantive policy change.

I’m apart of this national youth group for policy change, called KIB (Knowledge Is Best). The purpose of this youth group is to go out into our communities and advocate to the public about the importance of getting age apropriate, comprehensive sex education in our school systems. 

I decided to join this national youth group because I feel that by better educating our youth, we can provide them with the necessary ”tools” to help them make better inform descisions to protect their health. 

I feel that being apart of this group has helped me to fully open my eyes to the sexual health issues that our youth are dealing with in the wolrd today.  Thus, motivating me to reach out to my legislatures, develope events centered around teen health issues, getting petitions signed, and creating an awarness video for the public. 

And lastly, I feel that its important for all individuals to understand that each of us has the power to be the change in our communities.

The SCYCPC is a collective body of college students from across the state that will advocate, organize and create social change around sexual health education. In partnership with Tell Them and Advocates for Youth, we promote a positive approach to adolescent sexual health and work to change policies around comprehensive sex education in schools.

Our mission is based on the belief that frank talk about reproduction, personal responsibility, pregnancy prevention and family planning is the best way to reduce unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infection rates, including HIV/AIDS. All of SCYCPC’s work is supported by the leadership of college students who are passionate about changing sexual health policies.

Advocates for Youth is a national organization that champions efforts to help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Advocates for Youth believes it can best serve the field by boldly advocating for a more positive and realistic approach to adolescent sexual health. They envision a society that views sexuality as normal and healthy and treats young people as a valuable resource.

The SCYCPC will partner with Tell Them and Advocates for Youth to build the network of college and community advocates that support age appropriate, comprehensive sex education. Students will work to raise awareness and constituent support in their community and schools about sexual health policies through grassroots organizing.

Wondering what the qualifications are? You must be currently enrolled in a South Carolina college or university, be able to commit to the Council for a minimum of one school year, participate in bi-monthly meetings and presentations as well as organize events on your or nearby campuses, participate in Council activities to build a base of college and community advocates, and participate in two training sessions- the first is being held in Columbia on December 3^rd – 4^th, 2010.

Click here to download the application and apply today! Applications are due by the end of the week!

This week FLEW by. We were so busy, and have racked up the numbers to prove it!

First, I want to say a huge thank you to Tiphany Davis and the ladies of Allen University’s Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. They attended the 2010 Harambee Festival held by Benedict College last Saturday and told people about the Virtual March. Not only did they create a ton of buzz, they signed up over 300 marchers! WAY TO GO LADIES!

On Tuesday, Kelly and I split up- she went to Florence and presented the Virtual March at the National Women’s & Girl’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day at Francis Marion University. The event was very successful and all the participants left seeming really excited and eager to start spreading the buzz.

While Kelly was in Florence, I went to USC for Project Condom- Season 3. As the Daily Gamecock reported, “The goal of Project Condom is to promote safe sexual activity on campus. According to a recent University of South Carolina survey, 74 percent of University students reported they were sexually active last year, but only half of them reported using condoms when engaging in sexual activity.”

This was such a great night- it highlighted the importance of condom use in a fun, creative way. Tell Them was on hand to talk about the Virtual March, as well as sign up marchers.. Thanks to our AMAZING volunteers (Katie MacMillen, Caroline Atwood, Kate Jaffe, Kathleen Kemp, Lauren Wilson), we added nearly 200 marchers to our ranks. Thank you ladies! And congratulations to Ryan Wilson and everyone at USC- the show was great!

On Thursday, it was up to Lake Wylie, where Kelly met with Kathy Cantrell and Safe Passages where she presented the Virtual March. Kelly also met with the Teen Health Center in York where they are making an incredible difference in the community.

All in all, we have not only reached our weekly goal of 2,000 Virtual Marchers, but have surpassed it by a few hundred. We’re so energized by the excitement and support we’re getting- and things are going to get even more interesting. Keep checking back- we’ve got some great surprises coming your way in the next few weeks!