Sex & Young America: New curriculum package to help teens deal with pressures to have sex December, 5, 2001 - Sex & Young America, an interactive discussion series to help teens understand today’s sexualized culture and develop skills to make responsible decisions about sexual activity, is now available from the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families. Designed for use by churches and civic organizations, Sex & Young America is a combination of videos and written curriculum that help youth leaders initiate open, honest discussions among teens about sexual activity, media’s messages and responsible decision-making. Also included in this package, or for individual sale, is a video for parents, Sex & Young America: The Real Deal, created to help them understand today’s youth culture and develop skills to effectively discuss these difficult subjects with their children. "It is crucial for teens to be able to talk openly about the pressures they face every day," said Jack Samad, vice president of Internet safety and communications for the National Coalition and producer of Sex & Young America. "They’re learning about sex from television and movies, instead of from their parents or other adults they look up to." Samad said that the teens from all over the country that were interviewed for Sex & Young America agreed that the media had a substantial influence on their behavior. However, they expressed a desire to talk to their parents more, instead of learning about sex from their TVs, computers and stereos. "Many of them told us that their parents have no idea what’s really going on." said Samad. "Parents need to know that sex is happening," said one of the teens interviewed for Sex & Young America. "It’s happening in high school. It’s happening in junior high." This early sexual activity causes a major public health problem among teenagers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year approximately 3 million teenagers contract a sexually transmitted disease and 1 million become pregnant. Samad hopes that Sex & Young America will help prevent teens from becoming one of these statistics. "We want to help them develop standards and skills to stand up to all the pressures they face and make decisions that they’re proud of." For more information or to order the Sex & Young America curriculum package ($89.95) or Sex & Young America: The Real Deal ($14.95), visit www.sexandyoungamerica.com or call 513.521.6227. The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting children and families from the harms of pornography and its messages. For more information, visit www.nationalcoalition.org.

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