This was a very busy week for us because we had both a presentation and a health fair to prepare for. Our first presentation was on February 18th, and it was nothing like what I had imagined. I am not a shy person but the pressure of knowing that people are going to watch me talk gets to me and makes me nervous. Dennise, Tynaya, and I prepared for this presentation and practiced a lot to make sure that everything went well.

When I got to the Teen Center and the Dimmock Health Center and saw the peer leaders I was surprised. They all looked my age or much older and I thought that most of them were going to be much younger. I felt like things were probably not going to run as planned. Older teenagers are harder to talk to because they feel like they are “too smart” for what people have to say especially when it comes to internet safety. Of course, most of them said that they would never be manipulated by an online predator because they are smart enough to detect when they are being preyed on or stalked. They basically said that it only happens to people who are basically stupid because who would get in a car with a man knowing that he is 50 and not 18. They also said that it depends on how you are raised which is true but there are other factors that play a role in this situation. For example, once you begin talking to someone for a long time you begin to trust them. If they offer you something that you really want and you know you can’t get at home then younger people will most likely go for it. Even though the presentation was a bit chaotic with many side conversations I felt like they participated in discussions.

The girls and I also prepared for the Safe Love Health Fair at the Dorchester House. We made sure we printed several guides that were appropriate for the fair such as contraceptives, safe relationships, and others. Overall, the health fair was quite interesting. Things went well because a lot people stopped by our table. The boys talked to Hieu (our male peer leader) about the Young Men’s website: youngmenshealthsite.org, and we talked to the girls about our website: youngwomenshealth.org. A lot of girls felt that the information they got was useful – especially the guide on contraception. The week is finally over but we still have another presentation next week that we are preparing for.

-Erica