1. Max Amani David Bell Jessica Repman Virginia Wyckoff

2. Why is Comprehensive Sexual Education, in Schools, Important? Comfort for teens Qualified Instructors Peer to Peer discussions Open classroom to parents Open communication (Parent-teen, Outside)

3. The Debate: Families and Sexual Education Dividing society and families. Different view amongst parents. Example… Center for Disease Control: 19 million new STD cases every year. 1 in 4 females infected

4. What Teens Say…. Percentage of teens contracting STD's dropped in 1995- 2002 because of their use of contraceptives and safe sex practices. Teen pregnancy rates are again on the rise. Results of a survey showed that 76% of the participants became sexually active in their teens. 95% learned more about sex from their friends, rather than parents or schools.

5. Teens Cont.. Most admitted to having 'The Talk' with their parents, although they did not learn a lot about safe sex practices. Most of the participants admitted that their high school sex-ed program had no weight in their decision to have sex or not. Although ALL felt as though their schools should have a more comprehensive sexual education course. Studies have shown that teens who participate in abstinence only programs are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than teens who attend comprehensive sexual education courses.

6. What we have learned? Abstinence only vs. comprehensive sexual education. What parents say. What teens say. “First my mother, and later my father, talked to me about sex. I was enlightened by these conversations, and they created a closer bond and increased confidentiality and trust among all of us. I was thankful that both of my parents talked with me about sex. I realized they really cared about my well-being, and I appreciated their efforts to say to me what their parents did not say to them.”

7. Open Communication… How do parents start a conversation? What age should they begin? How general or explicit should they be? How should they talk without embarrassment or lack of interest from their teen? ANSWER