We all remember those awkward health classes in middle school and high school when the word “period” made us cringe, and when we wanted nothing more than to have our gym teacher stop explaining the “ins and outs” of our bodies.
However, what we may have failed to recognize at the time was the importance of this education and how fortunate we were to be learning about how to make informed decisions regarding our bodies. There are many students who attend public schools where there is insufficient funding to provide health education, BC Peer Health Exchange, a chapter of the national nonprofit, works to address and fix this issue. Her Campus BC got the opportunity to sit down with one of the Leadership Council Members to learn more about BC Peer Health Exchange.
1. What is your role in the Peer Health Exchange and why did you get involved?
I am a Leadership Council Member for the Pregnancy Prevention workshop, and my group and I teach a workshop to 9th graders about how to prevent unintentional pregnancies and protect against giving or getting STIs. I started as a health educator and was a senior health educator in my second year, so there are great opportunities for leadership! I got involved because I wanted to be a part of an organization with such an important mission.
2. What does the Peer Health Exchange at BC do?
Peer Health Exchange at BC is a chapter of the national nonprofit with the mission of giving 9th graders the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions. These 9th graders attend public schools that don’t have funding for health education, so PHE trains college students to teach a series of health workshops. The topics of the workshops range from mental health to nutrition and physical activity to alcohol to sexual decision-making.
3. What sort of impact you have on students, and who do you reach out to the most (girls, boys, high school, middle school, etc)?
PHE volunteers teach the workshops to 9th graders in Boston Public High Schools. In an evaluation of the program, 94% of PHE students said they would use something they learned from the workshops in the future.
4. Why it is so important to teach about health education?
The members of PHE believe that all students have the right to health education and that every student should have the skills and knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their health. Teens can have more control of their short-term and long-term goals when they make their own decisions about their health.
5. Where can we find out more information?
For more information, you can find us on Facebook- Peer Health Exchange @ Boston College, twitter – @PHE_BC, or you can email us atbostoncollege@peerhealthexch…, or visit the website at www.peerhealthexchange.org. PHE is a great way to meet new people and to help teens make informed decisions about their health. It has been one of my favorite and most worthwhile experiences at BC, and I highly recommend applying if you are interested in any way!
Photo Sources:
https://phecommunity.secure.force.com/SelectVolunteerType