Let’S Talk About Abstinence Teens Learn To Help Their Peers Say No To Sex

A daylong conference aimed at promoting abstinence among teenagers drew nearly 100 students from around Spokane.

The Spokane Peer Abstinence Movement (SPAM) training workshop took place Oct. 13 at North Central High School.

The program’s goal is to reduce the number of teens having sex, and, in turn, reduce the number of pregnant teens and sexually transmitted diseases.

“Kids need to know that abstinence is an option, and most kids are choosing that option,” said Randy Mickelsen, activities coordinator at Mead High School, who took part in the workshop.

The six-hour workshop included three training sessions aimed at helping area high schools build SPAM teams. These teams — usually made up of three girls and three boys — travel to middle schools and junior high schools to talk with eighth-graders about abstinence. Most members have chosen to remain abstinent until they get married.

“You have to decide wisely, and this will reflect the rest of your life,” said Mary McCarthy, a Shadle High School senior. “Do you want to be pure for your husband or wife? The wise choice is just to abstain from sex completely.”

The first SPAM training session dealt with the consequences of teenage sex.

Cindy McMahon, a Shadle teacher, talked about the importance of having diverse team members who are willing to be honest about their sexual experiences. During the first session, Sherry Miller, who has a 2-year-old son, talked about her experiences as a teenage mother.

The second session involved role-playing. Groups of teens put on skits designed to teach refusal skills and the concept of secondary virginity, where people who have had sex are now choosing abstinence.

In the last session, Campbell White talked about making choices and setting goals. The Whitworth College graduate is a high school sexual abstinence educator.

White encouraged students to think about where they want to be in their personal relationships in five or 10 years. He talked about how hard it is to abstain from sex if you haven’t committed to that decision.

“Abstinence isn’t weird,” White said. “I think students are waking up to the fact that this is a choice that they can make, and it is the best one. In the past, students haven’t been provided with this information. So it’s exciting to see them making wiser choices and talking about it openly to their peers.”

Shadle teacher Vern Page and several students formed the first SPAM team at Shadle six years ago. Shadle is now the leading school in the movement, teaching other students how they can go back to their schools and start teams of their own.

West Valley junior Kara Johnson took part in the training at North Central and found it refreshing.

“For me, I think this is so great, said Johnson, 17. “I hope that everyone will get involved. I am so glad that the schools are finally doing something to show that they care about these issues in the school. It’s so awesome.”