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IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
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Mission: Responsible
by Aaron Dunn, 01.23.07
Two-thirds of people — girls and guys — who have had STIs became infected before age 25. |
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Alright boys, listen up. When was the last time you were tested for a sexually transmitted infection (STI)? Or sat down with your friends to talk about sex? Or thought about fatherhood, the demands of raising a family, or committing yourself to a monogamous relationship?
Sound like a lot to shoulder? Well, it is. But it's also part of being a man. It's called responsibility, and it's the hot topic of discussion at a growing number of boys-specific health education programs offered around the country. Thanks to these programs — part of Planned Parenthood's efforts to engage and support young men — many boys are opening up. They're talking. And most importantly, they're learning not only about themselves, but also about what it means to be a man.
A Real Need
Consider this: More than 800,000 teenagers get pregnant every year. Think that's the girl's problem? Think again.
Or this: Two-thirds of people — girls and guys — who have had STIs became infected before age 25.
"There are consequences to any choice you make," says William Moore, coordinator of Boys to Men, an Atlanta-based program for teen boys run by Planned Parenthood of Georgia. "We talk about that, about the challenges you face as a man. The responsibility that comes with being a man is to try and make good decisions."
Many of the kids Moore sees are considered "at risk" youth. They're from low-income families in rough neighborhoods. They're around lots of drugs and crime. Many have been in trouble before. Some are incarcerated in youth detention centers. "Some of them have made bad decisions in the past," says Moore. "They've been expelled from school. Or they're headed to the county jail. What I tell them is it's never too late to turn things around."
Coast to Coast
Other boys-only groups send similar messages. Planned Parenthood of New York City, "in response to community demand," initiated their Wise Guys program in 2003 for boys in the South Bronx. The four-month program includes 10 two-hour workshops on a variety of topics related to sexual health and responsibility. On the other side of the country, Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles kicked off the Círculo de Salud (Circle of Health) program in 2000. A peer education program, it encourages young Latino men to serve as mentors and role models for their peers while gaining life skills for themselves. And then there's Wise Guyz — zippy spelling intentional. A 10-year-old program in Brainerd, Minnesota, it includes twice-weekly discussions on all sorts of topics: reproductive anatomy, sexuality, abstinence, birth control, STIs, pregnancy prevention and fatherhood, sexual violence, date rape, healthy relationships, masculinity, communication, and conflict resolution, just to name a few. Kids volunteer in their community, and some return years later to mentor newcomers. Hundreds of teens have "graduated" from Wise Guyz, says program manager Paige Welle.
"We try to keep things exciting," says Welle. "It's great for the kids who have nothing else to do after school." It's also financially rewarding. Guys get $5.75 an hour — and a bit of job-skill training - for their attendance.
Recently, says Welle, a 17-year-old graduate-turned-mentor came by to chat with current program participants and wound up doing exactly what Welle hoped a responsible young man would do: He opened up completely. "He shared so many experiences, like how hard it was to abstain from sex as a young kid, and what it's like to have a girlfriend, and the pressures that are out there when it comes to drinking and drugs. He just sat down and had a very serious discussion with them, and I just sat back and let them talk to each other as peers. Maybe it was because there were no girls in the room, so no one was embarrassed or anything like that. It was amazing."
To find out about teen education programs at a Planned Parenthood Health Center near you, call 1-800-230-PLAN. |
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