HIV prevention is an important part of keeping a community healthy. Unfortunately Palm Beach County has seen an increase in new HIV cases in in recent years. Education and preparation are key it turning the tide.
PARENTS
Today teens are faced with incredible pressures to be sexually active. Being aware of these challenges and pressures as well as the resulting physical, emotional, mental and social consequences of such activity is important as a parent. Find out what the Coalition is doing to help keep students safe and parents engaged.
We live in a highly sexualized society. Sexual images, music, behaviors are exposed to children on a day to day basis. With that being said, Kids don’t asks for hormones at 12 years old but are stuck navigating how to deal with their changing bodies. As parents it is our job to ensure our children are educated and comfortable when it comes to questions about sex, hormones, and their bodies. Here are some tips on talking to your teens about sex.
Don’t discredit love.
Don’t abstain from educating your own children.
Talk about sex early and often.
Avoid sexuality conversations that are all “don’ts.
Choose the Right time, right place.
Be real.
Empower your children.
Set positive expectations.
Use the media (the good, bad, and the ugly).
Live by example.
Don’t ask too many questions, or you won’t get any information at all
Keep it generic.
Please be on the lookout as the team will be posting a podcast audio that includes this information for parents.
Teens
Teens have a safe space to work alongside other teens while increasing their knowledge, joining the teen coalition, gaining community service hours and other incentives all while having fun! Teens will be trained on basic information such as HIV/AIDS and community outreach while building character, values and earning hours that can be used in school or other settings.
Peer Advocate
Peer Advocates are volunteers who help distribute role model stories and other prevention material to their peers. Peer advocates receive fun incentives, gift cards, and parties to encourage them to serve their communities. While Peer Advocates work hours and attend meetings/trainings their main duty is to distribute role model stories.
Community Service Hours
Community Service Hours are available to individuals who volunteer their time with the Coalition for various activities. Teens can earn community service hours by tabling at coalition events, attending outreach events, contributing to team efforts, attending meetings, youth summits and more.
Teen Coalition
The Teen coalition is here to help spread awareness on HIV education, and Drug use prevention. By joining the Teen Coalition, you will be trained on such topics to help your peers reduce their risks.
Here at the coalition we have a multitude of Campaigns that promote our messages in interactive ways.
Our goal is to have more teens understand that experimenting with drugs and alcohol puts their long-term health and safety on the line. Why? Because the teen brain is a brain that’s still developing. That means: taking drugs and alcohol can cause permanent intellectual, emotional, and physical damage. Take alcohol, for instance. Alcohol is also linked to early sexual intercourse, date and acquaintance rapes, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, as well as fighting in school, vandalism and theft.
The more you drink, the higher the chances of you getting into serious trouble and putting your health at risk. Check out our Instagram @Pbcsac_tcia for fun videos, giveaways, and information on reducing your risk and how to incorporate healthy behaviors.
Community
Here at the coalition, our community is important to us. We participate at monthly community events, generate countywide prevention campaigns, and provide presentations to youth empowerment centers, and host youth summits and more.
Our mission is to create awareness, reduce risk factors and promote healthy behaviors to minority youth. Recently, studies have shown that South Florida ranks the number two in the nation for new HIV cases. 53.5% of Youth in Florida who have HIV are black, 30% Hispanic and 15%White.
Our team offer free HIV awareness and prevention sessions to youth to aid in increasing their knowledge on Sexual Health Education. We have partnered with Youth Empowerment Centers, Urban League, and Alternative Schools throughout Palm Beach County to help increase our reach. Our team offers youth-involved organizations two options to choose from.
Single Session
Session I: Students are given an educational presentation about the basics of HIV including transmission, prevention, epidemic info, relativity to youth in PBC and awareness including drug prevention and awareness.
4 Sessions Series:
-Session I Basics of HIV Prevention/ Drug Prevention
-Session II STDS and Teen Pregnancy
-Session III Reproductive Health, Sexuality, and Consent
