Guest blog by Peer Leader Aolani Contreras: The key to a successful life is balance

As Pablo mentioned on the previous blog,” it seems to me that stress is controlling many students’ lives, especially those from high school and college.” I completely agree. As students we all go through moments full of stress, but it’s normal. We have to go to school, do homework, clean our rooms, and apart from that we have to deal with social and family issues; those are a lot of things to do in so little time. But it’s always important to remember that it’s okay to rest; taking at least 30 minutes a day to just sit down and reflect, can be one of the best decisions you make.

Pablo mentioned some things you can do to relief your stress and I would like to add on to that list:
*You can take time to watch your favorite show

*play a video game

*take a walk or go on a run

*read a book

*meditate

*listen to music or

* take a nap

Another thing that you can do is to simply have dinner at the dinner table and not on your desk while you do homework can make a huge difference. Make taking a break a daily priority. Tests have proven that people who take breaks are healthier and happier.Starting tomorrow if you feel like you’re about to explode from doing so much homework go outside and breathe, those moments will take a huge weight off your shoulders and you’ll feel healthier! And keep in mind that the key to success is balance.

Un blog de nuestro Líder Pablo Cruz, La Rutina Diaria: ¿Cuánto tiempo hasta que nos cáiganos?

Me parece que el estrés esta controlando la vida de muchos estudiantes, especialmente los de la escuela secundaria y la universidad. El estrés inicia al instante que el ruido de la alarma suena. Una de mis buenas amigas, dijo: "odio tener que levantarme al ruido de la alarma .

Se siente como que penetra a través de mi cuerpo. "Como estudiante, mis días comienzan con el estrés. Me apresuro a tomar el desayuno y para alistar mis materiales. Tan pronto como llego a la escuela el parqueadero es una molestia y temo que voy a llegar tarde a clase. Mientras camino rápidamente ya puedo escuchar a mi profesor diciendo: "¿mi clase comenzó minutos antes por qué llegas tarde?" Pero finalmente llego a la clase y el profesor pregunta "¿cómo fue la lectura? ... bien, bien, porque vamos a tener un examen."

Incluso cuando estoy sentado sin el examen enfrente de mí, la ansiedad comienza a abrumar a mi cuerpo como un perro hambriento. A pesar de que llegué a clase al final del día estoy agotado mentalmente, físicamente e incluso emocionalmente.

Aun cuando el día de la escuela se ha terminado el estrés continúa ya que algunos estudiantes corren a casa a comer un bocadillo y se preparan para ir al trabajo. Después de 4-6 horas de trabajo, se ha llegado el momento de volver a casa cansados, con hambre, sueño, y agotados. Es tiempo para descansar. Pero la realidad es que no hay tiempo para descansar debido a las tareas. Entonces, de rapantemente se llega la medianoche, o incluso a veces las 2 a.m. Con sólo 5-7 horas de haber dormido los estudiantes se despiertan agotados y una vez más, el estrés toma control.

Escribo esto para tratar de apoyar a todos los estudiantes por su gran trabajo. La escuela no es fácil para todos y tenemos que tomar un descanso, y ser pacientes. Manténgase activos en algún tipo de ejercicio y lo más importante, duerman y sonrían.

Motivations in School

An article posted on Psychology Today caught my attention. In Barry Swartz’s “Do Grades As Incentives Work?” the author wonders if grades make students merely work harder. In other words, he asked is the pressure to complete all assignments to get an ‘A’ teaching us anything besides how to get work done. Are we learning the material? Or are we regurgitating what teachers say in order to get a high GPA?

Why do we study hard? For many it’s to get a good grade. But shouldn’t it be for the love of learning?

In my humble opinion I believe that students, by the time they have reached college for sure, but most likely by junior high or high school, have learned that to get the grade we must recite exactly what the teacher says. Most people are afraid to challenge a teacher’s ideas in fear that they will be punished with a lower grade. So, we reread our notes right before a test and recite word for word what teachers want to hear. And as soon as we walk out of the classroom the valuable information slips away.

We also must think about the students. There are the lucky few who barely have to open a book, can skip class, and still get an “easy A” without really trying. Can people honestly say these kids have learned anything that semester? It may be more realistic to say these particular students are able to use their skills in certain techniques such as writing and test taking which allows them to slide on by without effort. They have achieved the desired grade, but learned nothing.

On the other side we see students who struggle to get good grades and really want to learn but aren’t able to do so. Schwartz says in his article “the students in the bottom half of the class--students whose learning we want to encourage--know that the odds of high grades and high rankings are stacked against them. If we corrupt students' souls by convincing them that the main motive for learning are high grades and honors, we end up de-motivating, and de-moralizing, those students who have little chance for the top rankings.” Over time they begin to give up and stop trying to learn.

So it looks to me like the grading system is flawed. Instead of focusing on learning valuable information we can use in the future, we are instead using any means possible to get a good grade, or we simply stop caring. Either way this isn’t helping students prepare for their future.

But what can be done? It isn’t likely that any time soon schools will even consider getting rid of the grading system, so how can teachers encourage students to work hard and actually learn at the same time? That is a question that isn’t easy to answer. Thankfully everyone goes through school and therefore has valuable information and feelings in regards to this topic. Maybe one of us, the frustrated students who are ready for something better, who will eventually discover a way to improve our school systems.

Our Deepest Frustration- A Blog Post by Peer Leader Jesús Guzmán

Our Deepest Frustration

It was years ago that I remember reading everything Malcolm X from his childhood, to his conversion to Islam, to his visit to Mecca, and his legacy now. In particular, there stood one saying as stall as the man himself. It read, “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.” Those are powerful words. Those are words that reflect the self-deprecation and downtrodden attitude of young men and woman of color in this country. However, it applies to them in a slightly altered way, because as Malcolm’s Man seems to be aware of what he could potentially stand for, and instead chooses not to. These young men and woman I speak of, they haven’t yet been given an opportunity to stand for anything, in fact, they haven’t yet been taught how to stand at all. They have yet to be educated on what they could be, should be, can be, will be one day. We must educate our coming generation of young men and woman of who they can be by including in our classrooms examples of who they can become.

In our classrooms of American History we see only old white men. In our classrooms of Literature we read only old white men. In our classrooms of Science we learn only about the discoveries made by old white men. In our classrooms of Philosophy we are only exposed to old white men. There’s a pattern. And for those of the Caucasian persuasion, that’s perfectly fine and dandy. But for those of us who are not, when we are sitting in those classrooms, we look up and see who we are not, who we can’t be, who we can never be, and who we don’t want to be. I remember sitting in my AP English class senior year in High School reading various authors and works of literary merit, novels which I still hold dear to my heart today such as Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and Heller’s Catch-22. One afternoon after class I approached my instructor and asked why none of the authors we were reading for class were not from Latin America. He promptly answered, “This is an English class, not a Spanish class.” That’s true. But what I failed to understand is why we were reading Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky then. We certainly were not reading it in the original Russian, so I was obviously not asking him to read Carlos Fuentes in the original Spanish. This point seemed to elude him entirely, as I’m sure many other things seemed to elude him entirely, as well. I remember to this day, that what I was asking was not a Spanish course in Latin American Literature, though that would be pretty sweet, but instead an incorporation of actual “WORLD” Literature, as the class falsely advertised. I wanted to read Octavio Paz. I wanted to know Gabriel Garcia Marquez and hang out with Jorge Luis Borges and kick back with Mario Vargas Llosa and have a drink with Julio Cortazar and wax poetic with Sandra Cisneros and enjoy the cool comfort of the afternoon breeze talking indigenismo with Jose Vasconcelos. But what I wanted the most was to see an example of what I could one day become. I wanted to see hope.

It may sound absurd to hear that the dropout rate of young Latino students in American schools could change somehow by incorporating history and literature on their own culture, but I stand here firm in my conviction that the case is as I state it. Sitting in History I can recount thinking how Benjamin Franklin was a harlot, Jefferson a hypocrite, Sam Adams an alcoholic, and how I was tired of my history teaching telling me to write about Cesar Chavez. Enough already, I get it, he was awesome, but I can’t write a report on him every year! So, I am frustrated. I am frustrated because others are not frustrated. I am frustrated because others are not angry. I am frustrated because others are not furious. I frustrated because this is cultural genocide and so few seem to notice and much less care. Young men and woman of color are growing up and so few heroes are held up to idolize as examples of what each of us can one day be. Systematically we hold up white idols and ignore all others. It causes at least two effects I can account for: One, by upholding white Americans as the primary source of idolatry we are falsely affirming that white is right. Two, by downplaying great minds of Latin America, and elsewhere, for example, we are confirming the gnawing suspicion of each and every young man and woman that as an ethnicity in America you are less because you are not white, you cultural heritage is excluded in the classroom much like you are in the rest of American society. Self-esteem here becomes a huge issue. It becomes the major hurdle to acknowledging the little known truth that so many young Latinos are not privy to, yet ought to know. I simply ask that we include more heroes of various cultures to light the way for unbound potential of today’s youth. Fortunately for me, I had a great junior year English teacher who said why say it yourself when someone else has already said it for you. So, in homage of her enormous impact on my life and many others, I’m sure, I will allow the great author Marianne Williamson to close for me:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

"I love boobies." Do you?

"I love boobies." The phrase makes my inner middle-schooler giggle.

All giggles aside, I am referring to a new trend sweeping California. In addition, the trend is for a really great cause; breast cancer awareness. The Carlsbad based nonprofit Keep A Breast decided the best way increase awareness among teens was to start producing rubber bracelets similar to the Lance Armstrong bracelets. The bracelets are bright pink (or pretty much any color you want if you go to their website) and have the tag line "I love boobies" in big, bold letters. 100% of the profits sold go to the Keep A Breast Foundation.

So what's the drama over this good cause? Many California schools and parents feel like the bracelets are "sexually suggestive" and should not be allowed on the wrists of tweens and teens. According to the ABC news story, Kelly Avants, the spokeperson for the Clovis school district, stated that the bracelets are in clear violation of the school dress code and they have been banned. Kelly McAtee from Keep A Breast fired back at Avants, saying that "boobies is not a four letter word."

With this recent news, there has been a sudden surge in popularity at the I Love Boobies Facebook group. The page is 2,000 members strong (maybe some of those people could "Like" the SCPOC page....) and the growth doesn't seem to be slowing down. Many of those contributing to the page are teens stating that they simply want to support friends and family members who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. One teen posted that his First Amendment rights had been violated. There's even a comment from a young adult that mentions that since more young women are being diagnosed with breast cancer, it is important for teens to know about the risks and start self-exams early.

I can understand the need to keep graphic and offensive sexual language out of classroom, but how many people really consider the word "boobies" offensive? Also, by not allowing young people to be passionate about a cause, are we saying that teens cannot be activists? For almost half a year I have been working with a group of dedicated, opinionated, and driven teens and young adults at the Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition. I would never dream of telling the Peer Leaders not to be outspoken about the causes of which they are passionate.

What happens when you start telling youth that they cannot be activists?

Sexting: Flirting or Felony?

"You should have seen the picture on his phone! She was completely naked!"

I overheard this at a party. Someone there was retelling a story about her stepson receiving a picture message on his cellphone. After learning that the recipient of the aforementioned picture message was thirteen years old, I began wonder how many teens were actually getting involved in sending sexually explicit text messages.

I discovered this is not an isolated incident. As cellphones have become more and more popular will teens and young adults, texting and picture messaging has exploded. This has also lead to the strange trend of "sexting"; sending nude or semi-nude photos by cellphone as a way of flirting. The latest studies show that sexing is on the rise. In 2008, between 25 and 30 percent of teens claimed to have engaged in sexting. The most recent study announced in July shows that number has climbed to 43 percent.

As a whole, it doesn't seem like too many people are raising eyebrows about sexting. Many of the teens surveyed commented that "No one gives it that much thought really" and that the photos are usually sent for no reason other than to be "fun or flirtatious." The most recent study also surveyed the parents of the teens and found that 28% of the parents engaged in sexting. Most parents said that sexting was "not a bad thing."

If you are a teen and you are reading this, you may be nodding your head in agreement. I mean, if the parents don't think it's serious, it must not be a big deal. Right?

So what are the risks?
If you are under the age of 18 and you either text or post nude pictures, you could face felony charges of child pornography. Does this sound far-fetched? Well, in 2009 a 14-year-old New Jersey girl posted dozens of sexually explicit photos of herself on her MySpace. She was arrested and charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

If you are over 18, the consequences become a bit more severe. If you are caught texting or posting pictures of someone under the age of 18, not only could you face felony charges, you also may have to register as a sex offender. You may have heard about Phillip Alpert from Florida. At age 18, Phillip decided that the best way to get back at his ex-girlfriend was to forward an e-mail of her posing nude to dozens of people, including her parents. Phillip is now 20, and will have to register as a sex offender until he is 43 years old.

Phillip's story brings attention to another important point. Just because you text or e-mail a photo to a friend doesn't mean that your friend will keep the photo private. To give you a completely ridiculous example, while Halloween costume shopping with a friend, I snapped a photo on my iPhone of him wearing a giant fur coat and a cowboy hat. I posted the photo to Facebook and tagged him in the photo.

Within a matter of hours, over a dozen mutual friends had commented on the photo. They took the photo and circulated it all over Facebook. People were texting him and laughing about his new look. He also had neglected to shave that day so there was also a wealth of comments pertaining to his bizarre facial hair.

While my friend was in good spirits about this, think what had happened if this had been a sexually explicit photo. Once a photo is on the Internet, it is just a "right-click and save" away from distribution. This is what so many teens (and adults) seem to forget when it comes to sexting.

Even if texted photos never make it to MySpace or Facebook, there is still a possibility that they will get forwarded from phone to phone. It may seem like flirty, harmless fun, but do you really want everyone at school seeing that picture?

And as for the thirteen year old who ended up getting a surprise text? I'm sure the last though on the sender's mind was "Gee, I hope his parents find this picture."

Back to school blues

It's that time of year again. Throughout Sonoma County (and across the nation) children, teens, and college students are heading back to the classroom. Many of the Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition's Peer Leaders are going back to school this week too. Things are about to get busy!

Some of you may be heading off to college for the first time. This is an exciting transition! For the first time you may be living away from home. Independence! Freedom! Partying! Before you get too excited, remember the reason you are going away to school is *ahem* school.

Despite all these feelings of excitement, going to college can stir up some emotions you may not be prepared for. Although college is an opportunity to meet lots of new people, sometimes students find that they are socially isolated and lonely. According to this recent article, mental health problems are on the rise among college students. The students who are most likely to seek counseling or other resources on campus are the ones who feel disconnected from peers or feel like they are not "fitting in" at the school.

According to the study by Hofstra University, "moderate to severe depression increased to 41 percent in 2009, compared to 34 percent in 1997 and 1998." Also, the study reported that impulsive behaviors (such as drinking, fighting, and stealing) were on the rise. The incidence of students exhibiting self-destructive behaviors (such as cutting or other forms of self-injury) doubled during the last decade.

But there is good news! According to the same study, student reports of suicidal thoughts were down by fifteen percent! It has been suggested that this is due to college student's increased access to on campus counseling and health services.

So if you are going away to college, where can you turn for support?

• Your campus health center Check out your college health center. Most have access to counseling and mental health services.



• Your friends Reach out to your classmates and friends. A phone call to a friend from high school who is attending a different school may boost your mood.



• Your family There is nothing wrong with calling home to talk about how you are feeling! Also, if you have health insurance, your family might be able to help you locate a mental health professional under your insurance plan to help with the strong emotions you are dealing with



• Your online social network There is a wealth of information on the internet. On Facebook, the Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition links to a variety of Facebook pages and websites about suicide prevention, depression, and anxiety. There are also numerous online resources dedicated to college students such as ULifeline. Right now you can also check out Psych Central which currently has a back-to-school mental health guide

Remember, it is completely normal to feel depressed and overwhelmed at times. Going to college for the first time is a life-changing experience. If you feel like your enjoyment of this exciting time in your life is being overshadowed by feelings of sadness or hopelessness, then please make an appointment with you campus health center. There is nothing wrong with seeking help for depression or anxiety symptoms. As you can tell by these articles, students are making the choice to get help more frequently.

The Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition frequently uses the saying "Got Mental Health?" Take care of your body, take care of your mind, and when we ask you if you've got mental health you can say proudly, "Why yes, I do!"

Can you be both homophobic and a good counselor?

Happy Monday! Let's talk about the First Amendment. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states, among other things, that the government shall make no law that interferes with freedom of speech or expression of religion.

At Augusta State University in Georgia, graduate student Jennifer Keeton has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that her First Amendment rights have been violated. Jennifer claims that the school has threatened to expel her for refusing to complete workshops that conflict with her religious beliefs. She also alleges that Augusta State is trying to force her to change her beliefs.

So what exactly are Jennifer Keeton's beliefs? Jennifer believes that homosexuality is both immoral and a lifestyle choice. Jennifer's classmates have also reported that she believes in "conversion therapy" for homosexual clients. Jennifer is also enrolled in a counseling Master's program. Since counselors may counsel clients from very diverse backgrounds, it is important for counselors to be sensitive to issues concerning multiculturalism, including sexual orientation. The professors and staff have told Jennifer that it is important to acquire these skills in order to be an effective counselor. Jennifer has responded by saying that her belief system will not impact her ability to counsel gay and lesbian clients.

I have previously mentioned that I recently completed a Master's in Counseling program. One of the required courses was titled Cross-Cultural Awareness in Counseling. This was a required course. If I did not complete this course, I would not be eligible for graduation or my degree. My opinion (which aligns with Jennifer Keeton's professors) is that one cannot effectively counsel other individuals without some understanding about how to be sensitive to issues surrounding gender, race, religion, age, socio-econmoic status, and sexual orientation.

Earlier this month, two gay men in Atlanta were beaten and robbed at gunpoint. Not three hours from Augusta, it is not outside the realm of possibility that one of these men could make a counseling appointment with Jennifer Keeton. Would she show unconditional positive regard and empathy, or would she tell him that he was robbed because of a "lifestyle choice" and that he should seek conversion therapy?

It takes a tremendous amount of courage to seek counseling. Many individuals who desperately need mental health services never seek them because of the fear of stigma and prejudice from friends, family and co-workers. How would you feel about going to a counselor who believed that the way you are is immoral and wrong?

How can I "pull myself up by my bootstraps" if I don't have any bootstraps?

Despite spending two solid years doing nothing but grad school papers and grant proposals, I must admit I really enjoy doing research. I love pawing over breaking news and obscure articles trying to find something new and exciting that I can share with everyone. I have been told that this impedes my efforts to shed my nerdy image.

This morning I was perusing the Associated Press breaking news and I stumbled across this headline:

Minority children have fewer advantages

Seriously? It took a nationwide survey to determine this?

To give you some background, professionals who work with young people were surveyed. The professionals were asked to rate how many advantages were available to the youth clients they served. They asked these professionals about access to quality health care, education, safe homes and neighborhoods, and community support. Not surprisingly, it was found that white youth have more advantages than Latino/Hispanic, Arab American, Native American, African American and Asian American/Pacific Islander youth.

To be completely honest (since reading this on the Internet isn't exactly the same as a face-to-face conversation) I am a white woman. Yesterday at the latest Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition meeting, we unexpectedly spent a great deal of time discussing the fact that I happen to be facilitating a group of culturally, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse youth.

Like many other professionals, I strive to be more culturally sensitive. Despite our efforts, I often see many professionals with the attitude that those experiencing tremendous hardship simply need to "work harder" or as I have heard all too frequently "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." Perhaps this survey was needed now more than ever. If I don't have the same opportunities and everyone else, how can I work hard enough to achieve the same outcome? How can I "pull myself up by my bootstraps" if I don't have any bootstraps?

The other interesting fact mentioned in this survey is that children of all ages from low-income families, regardless of race, have less opportunities than those from middle-class to upper-middle class households. Once again, this feels like "Your delivery of obvious has arrived" but I do think it warrants repeating. This is why nonprofits committed to ending the cycle of poverty are more important now than ever.

You may now be feeling I have overstayed my welcome on my soapbox, or have at the very least failed to connect this survey to the mission of the SCPOC: promoting awareness about mental health issues and risks for mental illness. Although not explicitly mentioned in the survey, the lack of opportunities mentioned can all put youth at risk for mental health problems.

The National Center for Children in Poverty reports:

• 21% of low-income children and youth ages 6 through 17 have mental health problems


• 13% of children from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds receive mental health services


• 88% of Latino children have unmet mental health needs


• 85% of children and youth in need of mental health services in the child welfare system do not receive them

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Youth who have been exposed to violence in their homes and communities, such as witnessing or being the victim of physical or sexual abuse, drive-by shootings, muggings, or other disasters, are at elevated risk for the following mental health disorders:

• depression


• ADD/ADHD


• anxiety


• conduct disorders


• eating disorders
  

It is time for everyone to really consider how poverty impacts youth. It is time to stop assuming that people in low-income households simply need to work harder to have the same opportunities as everyone else. It is time to recognize that lack of quality health care, violence in the home and/or community, and lack of community support can have a devastating outcome on the mental well-being of an entire generation.

I implore you: what can we do about poverty?

More Sex Education Controversy

This time of year schools nationwide are making adjustments to curriculum and various school policies. Last week the Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition told you about Provincetown school district and the school's proposed policy to allow access to condoms to all students, even those as young as 6 years old. Now the school district is facing harsh criticism from parents and local politicians and is rethinking the entire policy.

So now let's take a look at Helena, Montana. Helena Public Schools has proposed a new health curriculum that outlines comprehensive sex education for grades K through 12. Highlights of the curriculum include:

First grade: Students are taught that people can love people of the same gender

Second grade: Students are taught that it is wrong to make fun of people by saying the words "gay" and "queer"

Third grade: Students are taught that the media often presents an unrealistic image of marriage, love, and what it means to be male and female

Fourth grade: Students are taught about the risks of online chatting

Fifth grade: Students are taught about vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse

6th-8th grades: Students are taught about abortion, STIs, and contraception

9th-12th grades: Students are taught about erotic images in art can reflect society's views on sexuality

Wow! The curriculum as a whole is quite comprehensive. More than anything I love the fact that students are being taught from early on the importance of tolerance and cultural sensitivity. Teachers can be truly instrumental in halting hate-driven language in classrooms. Teaching this to children early on can prevent problems in middle school and high school.

Of course, the entire curriculum is sparking controversy. Some feel that the language for fifth graders is too mature. Others commented that the curriculum conflicts with religious views about premarital sex and marriage, mainly in regards to the open discussion about homosexuality and sexual preference.

If you need some reading material, here is a PDF of the entire curriculum. The sex education curriculum is on page 45.

What do you think? Is this curriculum appropriate or has Helena Public Schools gone too far?

Should first graders have access to condoms?

I had no idea what a condom was when I was in first grade. Did you?

One June 10 a Cape Cod community school board approved a new condom distribution policy for the school district. According to the new policy, students as young as 6 years old would be allowed to obtain a condom from the school nurse without fear of the school notifying their parents. The new policy has parents, politicians, and members of the community in an uproar.

Beth Singer, Superintendent of the Provincetown school district states that "The intent is to protect kids." She added: "We know that sexual experimentation is not limited to an age, so how does one put an age on it?"

She may have a point. According to the Kinsey Institute, 25 percent of boys and 26 percent of girls have sexual intercourse for the first time before the age of 15. With so many teens having sex before high school, doesn't it seem wise to allow access to birth control and protection against STIs?

For years we have heard the argument that giving teens access to condoms does nothing but encourage sex. Studies have now shown this is simply not the case. The non-profit Advocates for Youth has complied research from a variety of sources including the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics hat shows that "condom availability programs encourage sexually active teens to use condoms more often and more consistently than do their sexually active peers who are without condom availability programs." In addition, Advocates for Youth reports that "studies show that condom availability programs do not encourage teens to initiate sex and do not cause sexually active teens to have sex more often or with more partners."

So what do you think? Should kids in first grade have access to condoms at school? Does the school need to inform parents if their child asks for condoms? Most importantly, can we expect elementary school students to use the phrase "No glove, no love?"