Document Type
Panel Presentation
Start Date
20-4-2017 10:45 AM
End Date
20-4-2017 12:00 PM
Keywords
psychology, sex education, teens, service learning
Biography
Alex, Sha'Kayla, Taylor, Lilly, and Casey are all completing Psychology of Women as a capstone-level, service-learning course this semester. The students designed and are completing this project for course credit.
Major
Psychology
Advisor for this project
Dawn Howerton, Associate Professor, Psychology
Abstract
A prevalent problem among teens in West Virginia is a lack of accurate and comprehensive sex education. Among girls and women 15-19 years of age, teen pregnancy rates are 24.2 per 1,000 girls nationally and 31.9 per 1,000 girls in West Virginia (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2017). In the same age group, 4 out of 10 girls and women report that they do not use condoms during sex (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014), and the rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among teens is 1 in 4 (Minnesota Department of Health, 2015). With these statistics in mind, this current project seeks to provide accurate and comprehensive sex education to college students at Marshall University and teens at a local children’s shelter. We are working with the Women’s Center on campus to host events related to sex education. For example, we provided sex education and rape crisis information to groups of foreign exchange students and sorority members on campus. With the information that we learn through our work with the Women’s Center, we will provide sex education to ten underprivileged teens, ages 12-17, at Davis Child Shelter in Charleston, West Virginia. By providing students at Marshall University and underprivileged teens with accurate and comprehensive sex education, we hope to reduce rates of teen pregnancy, transmission of STIs, and possibly raise rates of high school and college completion.
Generation Elevation: Promoting Sex Education Awareness
A prevalent problem among teens in West Virginia is a lack of accurate and comprehensive sex education. Among girls and women 15-19 years of age, teen pregnancy rates are 24.2 per 1,000 girls nationally and 31.9 per 1,000 girls in West Virginia (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2017). In the same age group, 4 out of 10 girls and women report that they do not use condoms during sex (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014), and the rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among teens is 1 in 4 (Minnesota Department of Health, 2015). With these statistics in mind, this current project seeks to provide accurate and comprehensive sex education to college students at Marshall University and teens at a local children’s shelter. We are working with the Women’s Center on campus to host events related to sex education. For example, we provided sex education and rape crisis information to groups of foreign exchange students and sorority members on campus. With the information that we learn through our work with the Women’s Center, we will provide sex education to ten underprivileged teens, ages 12-17, at Davis Child Shelter in Charleston, West Virginia. By providing students at Marshall University and underprivileged teens with accurate and comprehensive sex education, we hope to reduce rates of teen pregnancy, transmission of STIs, and possibly raise rates of high school and college completion.
