Straight Talk About Sex

Yesterday I had the privilege of spending some time with about 20 frat brothers and 15 kids between the ages of 8 – 16 as part of this year’s Project Alpha event at the St. Luke Community Church. Project Alpha is a long standing program of Alpha that focuses on providing education, motivation and skill-building on issues of responsibility, relationships, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Recently the fraternity has partnered with the March of Dimes to help put these events on all around the country

I had my current ‘little’ Daniel with me and we were treated with guest speakers from Parkland (Dallas’ Public Hospital) and the Dallas County Health Department talking about various public heath issues with respect to safe sex.

The program is excellent in that it offers a safe forum for young men to hear and discuss the various issues associated with participating in unsafe sex. Abstinence is a part of this program and since this one was held at a church it was a major theme. As I observed the program unfold I was struck by how the kids dramatically increased their awareness of not only the implications of unsafe sex but also issues around dating and dealing with girls. A key part of what made the program effective was in the usage of very direct and clear language around body parts and sexual acts which quickly broke down barriers and established a very safe, open environment for discussion. While there were some snickers and giggles when the kids were asked their understanding of terms like “intercourse”, “blowjob”, “vagina”, and “penis”, this all but vanished about an hour into the program. These certainly aren’t terms you normally hear in a church and definitely not in the mixed company of kids and adults but this clear communication is what makes this program so effective. It was very apparent that the information provided was necessary because some kids simply did not know enough about STDs, what they are, and how you get them. One kid thought that HIV was the only STD out there. Another kid thought intercourse was simply a penis entering a vagina, it is actually ANY body part of one person entering another persons body at any point.
One of the key tenants of the program, along with the benefits of abstaining, is arming kids with information so they can make informed decisions about their female relationships.

By the end of the day the kids were much more aware of the risks of sex as well as clarity around what kinds of choices they have. I am proud to participate in such a wonderful and needed program, I am also proud to be a part of the organization that puts on events like this.