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No condoms required
Chastity crew coming to Yellowknife schools FACT FILE * A GNWT study about the health behavior, attitudes and knowledge of young people in the NWT released in January 1996 revealed that kids as young as Grade 7 were having sex. * By Grade 9 or 10, about 60 per cent of aboriginal and 35 per cent of non-aboriginal students are having sex, according to the study. * The study also revealed that young people in the NWT are far more sexually active than other young Canadians. by Jennifer Pritchett
NNSL (May 21/97) - Yellowknife teens will soon get an alternative to the "safe sex message."
The Challenge Team, a group of 36 young people from across the country, is travelling to the city to explain to students why they should wait until marriage to have sex.
The team also offers practical tips on how to practise chastity.
"It's something very old, but it has a timely message," said Louise Debogorsky. "Let's remind kids that there's a difference between need and desire."
The Yellowknife mom said she organized the workshops, which begin May 26 for grades 7 and higher, in part out of a concern for the North's high teen-pregnancy rate.
Through skits, personal stories, statistics and humor, the performers from Dawson Creek, Alta., will emphasize that sex doesn't have to be a part of growing up, but something that can wait for adulthood.
The team's 36 performers -- mostly university students -- will spend May and June travelling from coast to coast speaking to teens about their personal experiences.
Since 1993, The Challenge Team has spoken to more than 300,000 students in Canada, the U.S. and Ireland. The group -- made up of volunteers.
Debogorsky said that the sexual revolution of 20 years ago and safe sex education hasn't decreased the rate of teen pregnancy.
"Has the rate of teen pregnancy dropped? -- From all the research I've done, the answer is no," she said. "As a result, they are inundated with information and that has left them to make all the choices."
And while Debogorsky recognizes the pressure on youths to have sex, she said that sexual activity at too early an age can affect a teen's self-esteem.
"If they get involved too early, it can mess up their emotional health," she said. "Sometimes it's not always easy because of hormones and stuff, but what they need at this stage in their life is positive enforcement."
Debogorsky said she would like to see a chastity committee set up to follow through the message by educating teens all year round.
A public session with the Challenge Team will be held May 27 at 7 p.m. in the Weledeh school gym. |