|
In this issue...
|
 |
Could Teen Advisors Help Your
Abstinence Education Program?
By Jor-El Godsey
Sixteen-year-old Michelle bounced past the skepticism of her peers and into the center, more than eager to take on the world and any other menial task she might accomplish by midday. Jet-fueled by her zeal for connecting with teen mothers, but even more by her desire to be on the preventative end of their situation, Michelle was ready to put her talents and interests to work. After she had spent two days sifting through baby clothes in the basement, it became clear that her enthusiastic spirit could not be confined to one tedious, mostly impersonal task. Michelle harbored a childlike faith that her efforts would make a tangible difference, and it challenged us to nurture that faith in a more dynamic, youthful way. We considered how to involve this teenage gem in such a way as to narrow the scope—to solidify the impact of her efforts in her results-oriented mind.
We learned that Michelle embraced a dogged dedication to practicing sexual abstinence until marriage. Those called to the ministry of pregnancy resource centers would certainly agree that at the core of that calling lies the unswerving desire to reach the lives of teens with the message of abstinence before they are in a situation of needing the services such havens afford. Can one fathom a greater vessel to reach teens with this message of hope than teens themselves? Aha! In the works was a way to keep Michelle and others like her in tune with the purpose of the center while enabling them to hone in on their own passions. Success in this area would ultimately mean, among other things, the expansion of their real and perceived spheres of influence.
A Teen Advisor
abstinence program
adds a "megaphone
volume" to the
all-too-typical
"shout in the dark"
voice of a center. |
|
|
|
For Life Choices Pregnancy Center in Longmont, Colorado, the culmination of this creative process peaked in the utilization of a peer mentorship program called Teen Advisors. What began a decade ago with a handful of teens has blossomed into a group of over forty teens in a tri-county area. During the academic year, the Teen Advisors, who bind themselves by their honor to abstain from destructive behaviors, meet together regularly for times of teaching, training, team-building, encouragement, prayer, and accountability.
They also serve as a vital component of Life Choices' "Real Life" Abstinence Outreach program, which exists to spread the message of abstinence throughout area middle and high schools. On the closing day of an abstinence presentation in such a school, Teen Advisors have the opportunity to come into the classroom, split up into small groups with the students, and discuss pressures they face. An adult abstinence educator can articulate the message for days on end and cause a ripple of thought among students, but the wave of hope provided by peers who are actually making the stand to wait for the best is invaluable.
By design, this type of program does not function independently of the center, but is in fact an integral component of its makeup. Budgeting for such a program yields multifold benefits, including enhanced community awareness. Consider the parents-turned-donors who were previously unaware of the goings-on of the center prior to their teen's being impacted through a classroom presentation. Consider the continuous flow of teens coming into the center seeking pregnancy tests or counseling as a result of the same. Consider the potential for increased national awareness through media exposure (see the December 9, 2002 issue of Newsweek). In essence, this type of program adds a "megaphone volume" to the all-too-typical "shout in the dark" voice of a center.
With this in mind, perhaps the most significant benefits of thinking outside of the proverbial box lie largely in the realm of the unseen. Some benefits reside in the blessing of drawing teens into the heart of the center in a way that is relevant to them. Others surface in the chance to offer these teens a community of growth and fellowship with those of like mind and standards. And still other benefits come to light in the doubly dimpled smiles of Michelles everywhere, for whom the mustiness of a dimly lit basement donation room is exchanged for the bright promise and potential inherent in a classroom full of students.
| ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jor-El Godsey is Executive Director of Life Choices Pregnancy Center in Longmont, Colorado. He can be reached at director@lifechoices.org |
|
