Sex education is vital for ensuring young people have the information and skills they need to make informed decisions about their health. Some may have access to this information during high school, but many young people are ill-equipped when they arrive at college and may not know where to find the answers they need.
Planned Parenthood of Michigan is rising to the challenge with the help of incredible students on campuses in Kalamazoo and Detroit. As College Peer Educators (CPEs), students complete comprehensive sex education and training to serve as a resource for accurate sexual health information for their peers, who may feel more comfortable asking a fellow student than a professor or their campus health center. Once trained, CPEs receive a stipend for their continued participation. We sat down with two CPEs in Kalamazoo to hear how the program is impacting campuses right here in Michigan.
“I've definitely had instances where people come up to me because they know that I do this, and they've asked me personal questions and stuff just trying to find answers. Also at tabling and events, you know that's a definite way that they can see, ‘Oh, those people know what they're talking about,’ and they come up and they don't hold back,” said Anna, a second-year College Peer Educator in Kalamazoo.
When asked how they heard about the program, first-year CPE Quinn said they learned while attending INclued, PPMI’s inclusive sex education program designed for LGBTQ and allied youth. As a public health major with a strong interest in sexual health, Quinn was so excited about the opportunity that they raced home to fill out the CPE application.
“I've always been really passionate about sexual health, so I get to geek out about my favorite thing and get money for it and get people who want to listen to me about it!” said Quinn. “And not just like my friends and family who go, ‘We know, we've heard you explain dental dams before,’ but I get people who are like, ‘What is a dental dam?’ I'm like, let me tell you about it!”
CPEs also regularly participate in events by assisting with education classes and tabling on campus and in the surrounding community. These experiences help the CPEs gain important skills to take with them into their future careers and relationships like public speaking, customer service, and effective communication techniques.
“It makes me more aware of how I present myself in a facilitator role, but also when I'm giving information for anything,” said Quinn. “As an educator, you try to just give information and not advice.”
After completing their training, CPEs meet twice a month to share ideas and continue to develop their skills as educators.
“One of the best things about this is that the people are great, and a lot of people are from such different backgrounds and different majors. Just being able to hang around while also learning stuff is great,” said Anna.
“Being a CPE is genuinely one of the most fun things that I've gotten to do,” said Quinn. “Like it is something where every time I get an email from (PPMI Community Outreach Educator) Ellie saying here are the events, I'm like, okay, I'm going to this one and this one and this one, and also this one, um, and I'll be late to that one. I will come because it's so much fun to be there and get to do all of these cool things that it's worth it to set aside the time to get to do it.”
Sex education curricula in Michigan schools are often politically biased and outdated, with a focus on abstinence until marriage. Research shows this approach is far less effective than comprehensive sex education at reducing teen pregnancies, STIs, sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, and anti-LGBTQ bullying. And Michigan isn’t the only state lacking comprehensive sex education. Because of this, students arrive at college with vastly different levels of sexual education literacy, which can leave them vulnerable during a time when peers are exploring their sexuality. The CPEs work to bridge that gap on their campuses, ensuring their fellow students have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and safely explore their sexuality.
“High schools don't really teach much, and they don't really get prepared a lot,” said Anna. “When you get thrown into college, you're dealing with so many new experiences and so many new possibilities. A lot of people don't really know where to go. I think that it's amazing that we can present them with options, opportunities, and resources to use in this very new environment and be a safe place for some of them if they are having an issue with something — just helping them to the best of our abilities.”
Tags: