Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 22/98) - Keep your pants on and save it for marriage.

That's the message students in Yellowknife heard earlier this week from a group of students better known as The Challenge Team who spoke at their schools.

On Wednesday morning, James Kautz and Grace Fersovitch, who both practise chastity, were at Sir John speaking to Grade 9 students.

"Sex is a desire, not a need," said Kautz, 23.

Chastity is a lifestyle and we should respect sexuality, he added.

The two energetic youth called upon the class to illustrate the risks involved in having sex before marriage.

Ten students were each handed a die and told to roll it 10 times. Each time they rolled a three, it meant they were pregnant.

If someone rolls the die and has unprotected sex, there is a one in six chance of getting pregnant, said Kautz.

Besides pregnancy, premature sex can bring about other problems, said Fersovitch, such as sexually transmitted diseases.

Over time there is also the possibility that sex will become trivial and without meaning, they said.

Each time you have sex with a different partner, you lose a piece of yourself, said Fersovitch.

By wrapping duct tape on a student's arm, Fersovitch illustrated her point. The first time a bond is made with the tape to the skin and removed it can hurt. For each time the person has sex the tape is applied and when they break up, it is removed.

The more the tape is applied, the less it hurts each time when removed, said Fersovitch, like sex.

To end the presentation, the pair offered advice on how to stick to a goal of chastity after the decision is made.

"Tell someone and make yourself accountable," said Kautz. Come up with a physical reminder of your chastity. Avoid situations that make chastity difficult, such as sharing a cough while watching romantic movies with a partner.

Show affection in non-physical ways and drink alcohol wisely. Inhibitions weaken as alcohol is consumed.

The Challenge Team, which consists of 36 performers -- mostly volunteer university students -- will spend May and June travelling across the country, speaking to teens about their personal experiences.

Since 1993, the team has spoken to more than 300,000 students in Canada, the U.S. and Ireland.