What UR Peers Never Told U About Sex

“What UR Peers Never Told U About Sex” is an interactive presentation that engages students’ decision making about their individual sexual health.  Through activities that focus on communication, negotiation, and safer sex practices, students will explore how their own personal values and beliefs influence their sexual health decisions and empower them with knowledge to make healthy choices.  The presentation will begin with an activity designed to help students become more comfortable with the topic and then shift to an open format designed to affirm risk reduction and the choice to abstain.

Learning Outcomes

The What UR Peers Never Told U About Sex presentation supports University 101 learning outcomes:

II. Help Students Discover and Connect with the University of South Carolina
a. Identify appropriate campus resources and opportunities that contribute to their educational experience, goals, and campus engagement
Students will be able to identify resources within Student Health Services that will help them make informed decisions concerning their sexual health.

III. Prepare Students for Responsible Lives in a Diverse, Interconnected, and Changing World
a. Examine how their background and experiences impact their values and assumptions and explain the influence these have on their relationship with others
This presentation helps students take ownership of their sexual desires, behaviors, personal values and beliefs about sex. The abstinence to sex continuum (a social barometer activity) creates an opportunity for students to reflect on how they feel about the sexual behaviors included in the presentation and produces a safe environment for dialogue about assumptions people make concerning the values, beliefs and sexual preferences of others.

This presentation addresses activities that are most often associated with the facilitation of STIs/pregnancy and communication strategies to help students negotiate sex and the use of condoms and contraceptive methods. This presentation also helps students identify resources to receive sexual and reproductive health services and information (1:1 consults, STI testing, birth control, Pap test, HPV vaccine, etc.) on campus and in the community. In addition facilitators explain how making the right choices concerning sexual health can have a positive impact on academic success and overall quality of life.

As a result of this presentation students will:

• Identify high-risk and low-risk sexual behaviors and will evaluate where their current or future behaviors fit in that spectrum.
• Demonstrate strategies for STI risk reduction and pregnancy prevention and how to apply these practices to their own behaviors.
• Identify resources to go to for services if they or their partner have concerns about their sexual health.
• Reflect upon their personal sexual behaviors and examine intrapersonal development skills (such as: values, beliefs, and personal identity) to choose healthier sexual practices for themselves.
• Apply communication skills between partners to ensure the use of barrier methods (condoms, dental dams) and contraceptives.

Presentation Description

This presentation is presented by staff from the sexual health office in conjunction with graduate students from the School of Public Health and Student Health Services Peer Leaders. The format includes class discussion and interactive large and small group activities.  Presentation topics/activities to include:

• Knee cap to Genitalia- breaks the stigma of talking frankly about sex. The goal is to help students become comfortable talking about sexual activity and sexual anatomy.

• Abstinence to Sex Continuum- helps to define sexual behaviors and identify risk behaviors to showcase that there are a range of sexual activities between no contact and intercourse, additionally to discuss what abstinence entails for each individual and spark a conversation about what virginity and “waiting until marriage” means and looks like. There is no right or wrong answer to this activity.

• 10 Steps to Putting on a Condom- helps to dispel myths about condoms and gives the students a chance to actively participate in learning the 10 steps to correctly put on a male condom.

• Consent- is discussed to ensure students understand university policy concerning sexual assault.

• Negotiation Skills- has students actively participate in practicing healthy communication between simulated partners, including saying no to sexual advances and affirming condom use.

Presentation Length
50 Minutes