Planned Parenthood targets LGBT teens

According to the CDC, about 50% of high school students report that they are sexually active, and it may be time to put teenagers in charge of their sexual health.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando (PPGO) has launched Teens in Charge (TIC), a youth-focused education program that concentrates on HIV/AIDS prevention, STD prevention and safer sex behaviors. TIC received funding in December of 2011 through the Elton John AIDS Foundation and hired a youth HIV prevention coordinator, Dylan Michael, in April 2012. The grant pays for Michael's salary plus education and marketing materials.

â┚¬Å”Half of all new infections are young people ages 13-25, with LGBT youth making up a disproportionate number of the infected population,â┚¬Â Michael said. â┚¬Å”The aim of Teens in Charge is to ensure the education of LGBT youth on sexual health issues.â┚¬Â

He said it's PPGO's first program specifically targeting LGBT youth and Central Florida's only program geared toward gay youth that incorporates both HIV and STD prevention.

â┚¬Å”50% of all new HIV infections are youth under 25,â┚¬Â Michael said.

Andrea Willis, director of education at Planned Parenthood, said the first step was to strengthen partnerships and TIC now works closely with The GLBT Center, The Zebra Coalition and The Trevor Project. TIC hosted an event in conjunction with The Trevor Project in July, in collaboration with Zebra.

â┚¬Å”There were about 40 or so attendees and it was geared toward adolescents and younger adults around the issue of suicide crisis and prevention and bullying prevention,â┚¬Â Willis said.

She said their next step is to work with local schools.

â┚¬Å”Especially here in Orange County, you have to walk a fine line,â┚¬Â Willis said. â┚¬Å”There is certain info [district officials] don’t want us to cover in the schools.â┚¬Â

She'd like to see TIC form alliances with GSAs and there is a plan to reach out to local colleges.

â┚¬Å”It’s fine to provide education, but you really have to talk to the students,â┚¬Â Willis said. â┚¬Å”We would like to reach at minimum 120 young people a year.â┚¬Â

Part of making that goal will be increasing staff, and Willis said they have applied for additional funding which would allow them to grow. They'll find out whether they get that grantâ┚¬â€and whether their current grant is renewedâ┚¬â€come this winter.

In addition to paid staff, Willis said building a volunteer base is essential if TIC is going to thrive.

â┚¬Å”Volunteers are critical,â┚¬Â she said. â┚¬Å”We’re continuing to find exciting ways for volunteers to be engaged.â┚¬Â

Willis said the organization is working on ways for volunteers to be involved in outreach, rather than just doing desk tasks, and â┚¬Å”the volunteer piece of it is something that is in development.â┚¬Â

More information is available at the Teens In Charge Facebook page.