Teen Advocate workshops

Planned Parenthood of New York City’s Teen Advocates are highly trained peer educators from Brooklyn, the South Bronx, and the Lower East Side of Manhattan who use interactive theatrical presentations to educate young people about sexual health and pregnancy prevention. Teen Advocate skits and workshops on sexual health issues feature lively, interactive discussions with the audience. By encouraging audience involvement, the Teen Advocates draw the group into participating in their own education.

All skits and workshops are provided FREE of charge. Schools, religious organizations, and other community groups can call PPNYC at one of the numbers at the end of this page to schedule free skits and/or workshops.

HERE IS WHAT WE OFFER

SKITS

“It’s Up to You, Ma”:  How do you know when you’re ready to have sex? Is there pressure for teens to have sex? Is sex the only way to show someone that you love him/her? This skit explores the role that peer-pressure can play in the decision of whether or not a person becomes sexually active, factors that should be considered before taking that step, and how to resist pressure to have sex.
Main topics discussed: Peer pressure, gender roles, abstinence, and safer sex options.

“Burnt”: How do you know if you have a sexually transmitted infection (STI)? Can you tell if another person is infected? And what happens if it’s your partner? This skit shows one teen couple’s experience of becoming infected with an STI and the issues that arise between them when this happens.
Main topics discussed: General information about STIs, stereotypes, and relationships.

“What If a Woman”: What advice would you give to a friend that is being abused in her relationship? What if your friend is a guy? This skit takes a closer look at violence in teen relationships and challenges gender stereotypes that exist among teens.
Main topics discussed: healthy versus unhealthy components of relationships, various forms of abuse, communication and assertiveness skills.

“Classroom Antics”: Isn’t school a place for learning? Then why, when it comes to providing information to teens that will help them protect themselves and make healthy decisions about their sexuality, isn’t sex-ed being offered in school? This skit takes a look at what is being offered and what is missing in the classroom when it comes to sexuality education.
Main topics discussed: importance of receiving comprehensive sexuality education and how to advocate for it.

“Let’s Hook It Up”: How do you choose who is the right person for you? Ever been trying to figure out what to consider when choosing a partner? This skit highlights stereotypes and gender roles in society and what to consider when choosing a partner. In the form of a dating game show, it evaluates how gender roles, stereotypes, communication and sexuality as a whole affect the decisions of who the right partner is.
Main topics discussed: gender roles, communication, stereotypes, STIs, abstinence, relationships, and safer sex options.

“Easier Said Than Done”: How do you tell your best friend that you’re in love with someone and that someone is a girl? It seems like a simple task except what if you’re a girl too. This skit is an evaluation of how tough it may be for a homosexual person to come out the closet to the people they love.
Main topics discussed: communication and assertiveness skills, sexual orientation, and homophobia.

“Ms. Educated”: Have you ever heard of drinking a Tropical Fantasy soda or a hot Malta so you won’t get pregnant? Has anyone from your community told you that you can’t get pregnant the first time you have sex? What is a valid birth control methods and where can you obtain access to contraception? This skit explores different birth control myths and explains when someone is capable of getting pregnant.
Main Topics Discussed: birth control myths and real pregnancy prevention methods.
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WORKSHOPS

Workshop 1 – Abstinence & Refusal Skills: This workshop can be accompanied with or without the skit titled, “It’s Up to You, Ma.” In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the definition of abstinence, identify ways of being intimate without engaging in sexual intercourse and practice refusal skills that will enable them to stick to their own individual sexual behavior limits. 

Workshop 2 – Contraception: This workshop can be accompanied with or without the skit titled, “Ms. Educated.” In this workshop, participants will learn up-to-date information about various methods of contraception currently available to teens and their effectiveness in preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted infecstions (STIs) or both. An overview of fertilization and how contraceptives work in preventing pregnancy will also be explored along with what one needs to consider when choosing a method.

Workshop 3 – Sexual Transmitted Infections: This workshop can be accompanied with or without the skit titled, “Burnt.” In this workshop, participants will learn about different sexual transmitted infections (STIs), the difference between a viral infection and a bacterial infection along with how to protect oneself from getting an STI. Participants will also play an activity that is structured like the game “Jeopardy” to obtain more detailed knowledge on the subject.

Workshop 4 – Healthy Relationships: This workshop can be accompanied with or without the skit titled, “What if a Woman.” In this workshop, participants will learn about the signs of a healthy relationship as well as unhealthy relationships. They will be introduced to the key factors in obtaining and maintaining healthy relationships, such as communication and compromise. Participants will engage in activities that include using the key factors of healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships and applying them to hypothetical stories.

Workshop 5 – HIV/AIDS: This workshop is designed to help participants increase their knowledge of HIV/AIDS, modes of transmission, prevention methods and treatment. Throughout the training participants will be engaged in brainstorming activities, define the differences between HIV and AIDS, and explore behaviors that may put people at risk for HIV.  By the end of the workshop participants will be able to define HIV/AIDS, list the four fluids that transmit HIV, list four modes of transmission, explain how to prevent transmission of HIV and understand the importance of getting tested and treatment if necessary.

To schedule a skit and/or workshop, please call:

For Brooklyn – Peter Serrano at (212) 965-7106
For the South Bronx – Jessica Rivera at (212) 965-4837
For the Lower East Side of Manhattan – Eric Reyes at (212) 274-7367