How effective is sexual education to youth ?

Introduction:

For the purpose of this essay the words effective and successful will be used to describe how well sexual health educators can increase condom and contraception use, in addition to increasing sexual health comprehension. Studies in states have shown that youth who have been exposed to sexual education have been fifty percent less likely to experience unwanted pregnancies (http://www.advocatesforyouth.org). This is because comprehensive sexual education courses help guide youth into making smarter and healthier sexual health decisions. The United States had a teen pregnancy rate of 57 pregnancies out of every 1000 teenagers with the outcome of about only 22.3 of every 1000 pregnancies actually giving birth. The New York State teen pregnancy rate was about 42 pregnancies out of every 1000 teens. Brooklyn has a similar teen pregnancy rate of about 42 pregnancies out of every 1000 teenagers. In the Sunset Park neighborhood there are two zip codes, in 11220 the teen pregnancy rate was 56 pregnancies per 1000 teenagers and the birth rate was 30.3 out of every 1000 teen pregnancies. In the 11232 zip code there were about 75.9 pregnancies out of every one thousand teenagers, and a teen birth rate of 22.3 out of every 1000 teen pregnancies. This information is from 2015 and the study is showing the teen pregnancy and birth rates of teenagers in the age range of 15-19 years old (https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/reproductive-health-and-teen-pregnancy/teen-pregnancy-and-childbearing/trends/index.html).

Sexual education is not a new concept, there are sexual education classes being given in middle schools, high schools and even in college across the United States, and across the world. Some sexual education classes are teaching abstinence only programs. Abstinence is when someone takes a sabbatical from something, or in sexual education it is taking a break from sexual activity, or still being a virgin and continue to not partake in sexual activity. In New York city majority of the sexual education programs that are taught in middle and high schools, teach abstinence in addition to teaching about safe sexual health and contraception, to help educate New York’s youth on how to be safe. Sunset Park is where Project Reach Youth is located. Project Reach Youth teaches sexual education courses at local high schools in the Sunset Park/ Park Slope area, as well as gives presentations and attends events in the Sunset Park/ Park Slope area, in addition to branching out to different parks of Brooklyn including Bedford Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Red-Hook, etc. Project Reach Youth was founded by the NYU Lutheran Family Health Center in 1989. The purpose of the program was to enlighten youth with sexual education. The goal of the program was to inform the youth about all about their bodies, their rights and to give guidance that will lead them to making the right sexual and health decision for themselves. The research question that I intend to study is, how effective Is sexual education to youth? I chose to study this topic because I personally believe that sexual education is extremely important and it needs to be exposed to children in all high-schools and even middle schools across the United States, sexual education allows youth to know that there are plenty of options out there when it comes to health and even the outcome of their lives. Project Reach Youth will be the organization that helps me gain insight on the topic that I am pursuing.
Background:

The purpose of sexual education programs are to educate people on their sexual rights and options (https://www.prysafe.com). Sexual education is present in many middle schools and high schools. These courses purpose is to teach youth that pregnancy does not always have to be the outcome of sex, Project Reach Youths courses focus on that idea (https://www.prysafe.com).
Project Reach Youth intend to give their audience information on different contraceptions such as both male and female condoms, the Implant , both the hormonal and the copper IUD, the patch, birth control pills, plan B pills etc. I addition to provided information on the types of contraceptions Project Reach Youth also focuses on providing information and a connected clinic where youth between the age of 13 to 24 can get tested for sexual transmitted diseases, sexual transmitted infections and pregnancies for free. Project Reach Youth also helps their youth obtain sometimes free or very low cost private health insurance for the instances that the person may not have health insurance, or they do not want their parents to know that they are getting tested. Project Reach Youth also educated youth on their health and human rights, for example that in New York city youth have certain confidentially laws between them, their doctors and their parents.
Lucy Emmerson’s study of “ Developing On-site Sexual Health Services in Secondary Education” discusses how some people in the sexual education field can do more in their careers in order to make a impact on those they are educating. Lucy Emmerson’s study connects to the research that I am doing because I am studying to see the effects that Project Reach Youth has on their community with the amount of work and effort they put in, in addition to seeing the methods they use to make a difference. Another academic source “Preventing Pregnancy in High School Students Observations From a 3-Year longitudinal Quasi-experimental Study” by. Johnathan Gelfond is a study about how interventions in high-schools can hell decrease the unwanted pregnancy rates. This connects to my research because Project Reach Youth provides free sexual education courses in high schools, and they also aim to prevent unwanted teen pregnancies. These sources give me insight in previous studies that aim to see if certain sexual education programs are effective in their goals using the methods they did. These sources help me have a certain focused mind frame in addition helped me create some of the questions that are targeted towards the staff or Project Reach Youth.

Methods:

I will both observe and interview the staff and participants of Project Reach Youth at their Sunset Park location. I have a different set of questions for both the official staff and the participants. I intend to observe and interview Project Reach Youth on more than one occasion. I will sit in on staff meetings and get a first hand view on how they plan their agendas, as well as how they do their outreach and connect with the community.

Code of ethics :
1. I will follow Project Reach Youths norms:
a. Be respectful
b. One mic: when someone is speaking you will be quite until it is your turn
c. Don’t Yuck my Yum : if you don’t agree with something do not because rude about it, or if you want to discuss your disagreement with what was said do it politely.

Questions:
How does Project Reach Youth affect the communities that you teach in?
How important do you think sexual education is?/ and how important is young adult access to safe sex resources ?
What does success for project reach youth look like to you?
Does the program have any allies or enemies?
What inspired your work? ( what made you chose to work at project reach youth?)
Has there been any setbacks in the program or project reach youth’s mission?
Are your sexual health course methods the same as other programs and courses?
-> how are you different or similar?
Wha do you see for the future of PRY?
-> How are you going to make that happen?
What are the pregnancy rates of project reach youth?
How is the clinic population rates?
How many on average do you refer to the clinic?
How many condoms do you distribute monthly?
How many classes/ courses do you teach throughout the year?
How does Pry safe effect the Sunset park community?

Participants:
How did you discover Project Reach Youth?
What made you want to join this program ( and use your after school hours to attend)?
What’s is the environment like here at project reach youth ?
Do you recommend this program to anyone?
How do you use what project reach youth teaches you in the outside world?
Do you educate your peers on sexual education?

Work cited:
Bridges, Emily. Future of Sex Education. http://www.futureofsexed.org/youthhealthrights.html. March 27,2018
Emerson, Lucy. Developing on-site sexual health services in secondary education : a resource pack. London : National Children’s Bureau, 2009.
Gelfond, Johnathan, Building the Evidence to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancy.
McKeon, Brigid. Advocates for youth. http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/component/content/article/450-effective-sex-education. March 27,2018
Office of adolescent health. U.S Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/reproductive-health-and-teen-pregnancy/teen-pregnancy-and-childbearing/trends/index.html. April 10,2018
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. http://www.siecus.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID=1341&nodeID=1. March 27,2018