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Teens Take Action
Amy Bryant, 05.20.08
To find out how you can get involved, call the Planned Parenthood affiliate near you at 1-800-230-PLAN. |
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Ever wish you had the power to change the world? Or at least your community? Planned Parenthood is working to give teens the tools to do just that.
This spring, as part of their 2008 national conference, Planned Parenthood held its second Young Leaders Summit. Eighty teen leaders and educators — ages 15 to 18, representing 17 Planned Parenthood affiliates in 11 states and the District of Columbia — met in Crystal City, VA. These teens came together to collaborate, brainstorm, and plan for the coming year and beyond.
Getting Together
The young leaders were diverse in terms of race, gender, place of residence, and age, which fed the lively discussions and important work they accomplished over the course of the two days they spent together.
In workshops, teens learned the basic skills of social justice work, from grassroots outreach to speaking effectively to the media on issues of reproductive health and rights. They focused on how to reach other teens and how to talk with parents and other teens about healthy relationships and sexual health.
Getting Protected
A major area of focus was sexually transmitted infections (STIs), in light of the recent CDC report that more than three million teen girls in America have one of four major STIs.
So how can young people lower the rate of STIs among teen girls and move beyond the $1.5 billion failure of abstinence-only programs? The teens drew up action plans for their communities, which included creating an e-zine about sexual health, launching a social networking campaign, and coordinating community outreach events.
Getting Creative
Planned Parenthood teens reach other teens in ways many adults cannot imagine. Just one example: At the summit, teen peer educators from Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio performed spoken word poetry on the need for comprehensive sex education.
Check them out performing at the summit.
Getting Organized
With an eye toward the 2009 Young Leaders Summit and building a more active community of young leaders across the country, 45 of these teens were selected to be members of the 2008-2009 Young Leaders Council.
Throughout the year, the Young Leaders Council will participate in one of three action committees focused on traditional media, online, or community outreach by participating in conference calls and communicating through listservs and social networking websites.
Next year, a new Young Leaders Council will be selected at the next Young Leaders Summit. Want to be there? To find out how you can get involved, call the Planned Parenthood affiliate near you at 1-800-230-PLAN, or find us online. |
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