Sex permeates the lives of teenagers in one way or another; whether it’s vaguely through the media, gossip at school or directly from adults and educators. A lot of the time teens have more misconceptions and questions than answers. Luckily, a group of informed students in Nassau County took strides to raise awareness and open dialogue about Sex Ed for their peers and horny teens everywhere! The students collaborated with Connected Health Solutions to make PSAs about visits to Planned Parenthood, chitchatting with parents about super horny birds and bees, and how to be happy, safe and healthy in a relationship.
The reoccurring trope in all of these videos is silenced, confused teens and dismissive parents or partners who are not willing to acknowledge streams of dialogue. The teens behind the short films seem to be all too familiar with this confusion and uncertainty, but do a good job combating this ignorance with creative, insightful videos.
Kenny Neal Shults, principal of Connected Health Solutions, told SheRights, “What always impresses me about working with teens is how capable they are when they are supported, respected and given the space to execute things themselves… much of what we think is ‘typical teen behavior’ is actually indignant reactions to adults’ overbearing or patronizing approaches to supplying guidance or information.” No teen should feel helpless when it comes to his or her own safety and health as a growing, sexual human. I admire all of the efforts these folks took to inform us without being condescending or judgmental.
It is crucial to remember that as society develops and technology becomes more embedded in our social lives, we have endless opportunities to share crucial information and can reach teens by way of a something more productive than Youtube or a weird gym teacher who half-heartedly suggesting that teens practice safe sex. I’m sending major kudos to all of the kids behind these amazing PSAs and I hope that they successfully reach the teens and adults across America who do not fully understand the significance of dialogue and support. Please share with any teeny-weenies or shy parents trying to bridge that awkward gap!
Thanks to SheRights and Connected Health Solutions
