TEEN-AGERS ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO POSTPONE SEX

High school juniors and seniors from area high schools are helping teach seventh and eighth-grade students to say no to sex.

"The Postponing Sexual Involvement Program is founded on the belief that young teens should postpone having sex and to help young people resist pressures to become sexually active," said Carol Sarff, a nurse with the Cape Girardeau County Health Department.

The program hopes to inform young teens about peer and social pressures to become sexually involved, provide information about the consequences of early sexual involvement and practice skills which teens can use in any peer pressure situation, Sarff explained.

The 42 high school students from Cape Girardeau Central, Oak Ridge and Notre Dame high schools participated in training. These teen leaders present five sessions to younger students, including eighth graders at Oak Ridge, Trinity Lutheran, St. Mary's, St. Vincent's and Immaculate Conception and seventh graders at L.J. Schultz.

Approximately 450 students in Cape Girardeau County will receive the information.

"Adolescents often are more open to messages, ideas and behaviors from their peers than from adults," Sarff said.

"A benefit of the program fo the teen leaders is that it teaches leadership skills and provides them with the opportunity to serve as role models," Sarff said.

Sponsors of the program are the Cape Girardeau County Health Department, University of Missouri Extension, Teen Pregnancy and Responsibility Network and East Missouri Action Agency.