Make Some Noyz!

We're Real Talk teens and now we really are making some NOYZ!  Our job is to make changes in our communities by being a strong, loud voice--loud enough so the adults hear us and make some changes.  We're making changes in our community too, making safe sex mad kul, nd changin how pplz think about protectin themselves and getn tested. Here's what we did this month!

December 2011

• Real Talk teens are members of Community Advisory Boards (CABs), giving the people in our communities (Albany, Schenectady, Troy) info and ideas for the best ways to fight HIV, STIs, and teen pregnancy.  The Schenectady CAB teens was real loud about the sex ed curriculum being boring and most people not being able to go to classes anyway kuz they parents didn't sign the permission slip.  So the Schenectady School District decided to change that so now parents have to write a letter saying their high school kids can't attend the classes.  Now just about everybody is gonna get sex ed.  Plus they have a committee that is looking at the curriculum to see if they can make it better or maybe replace it all together.  That won't happen til next year, but still, WE DID THAT!
• Real Talk teens were large and in charge at the World AIDS Day events in Albany.  We got permission to hand out safer sex supplies at the event--the first time EVER!  And did we ever hand out supplies--over 300 male and female condoms.  And not the boring kind.  We handed out lollipop condoms, glow-in-the-dark condoms, and condom beads.  They FLEW OFF THE TABLE!  We could have handed out more, but we ran out!  We also got about 30 teens to get tested for HIV/STIs at the events.  And we only had one tester--there were people lined up out the door waiting to get tested that we had to turn away kuz there wasn't enough time to test everybody.  Next year, we plan to have 3 people doing the testing. 
• We're finishing up the edits to our "Been There, Done That" video and it'll be on our YouTube page real soon.  You can go watch the trailer if you want http://www.youtube.com/realtalk4teens1317.  It's about some Real Talk teens talkinig to guys who were in prison about what happened and why it happened.  And the guys give advice to the teens about what they wish they hadn't done and about things teens can do to make sure they don't head down that same road.