Loving Yourself
by
Dana Burpo, 19 years old
Listen to me say what I say
See what I see- love is a beautiful thing
There is a saying THINK BEFORE YOU LET IT GO
The question is- do you care about your future?
The choice is yours. Don't give your body to anyone.
The pain in my eyes seem
so sad to see the youth of today
giving their bodies to anyone.
Is this your ideal of happiness to have HIV?
What are your goals of life- to be heartbroken?
Dear to step out of the box of loneliness,
and putting yourself down.
You can do anything. The world is yours for the taking.
Keep your head up and remember your body is your ART.
So HOLD ON to your power line which is your
BODY and your FREEDOM.
Don't be afraid to say NO.
You were born with a COST
so rejoice in your BEAUTY!
Comments about the Los Angeles Free Teens Presenter Training, October 19-22, 2007
Jacob McCarthy
I think that I was not only able to gain points related to teaching the content, but personally also many positive points. I especially liked the Relationship Bank Account example. I think I liked the iMagazine the most, because it almost works as a mini-instructor, and it is very easy to use and understand!
“Most of the Free Teens workbook activities make the individual think deeply about their future. And if they are in a relationship, maybe evaluate it (the relationship) to gain a better understanding (reality) of the situation that is occurring.”
The main thing I learned: Longterm relationships need passion, intimacy, compatibility and commitment to make the relationships work. I strongly agree with this statement. Second, emotions can be strong, but that does not mean it’s love. Many, such as myself, get the two confused or think they are the same, but they’re not.”
“I liked the statistics that were shown, & also the (discussion of how) the media, pictures, and music influence what teens think. I plan to create a club where teens can find out about the things that are discussed in the Free Teens/Relationship Intelligence powerpoints. Also, where they can ask questions and for those questions to be answered.”
Jazmin
I really enjoyed the program because I really got informed. I really thought about the consequences of having uncommitted sex. I used to think that having uncommitted sex was cool. Thanks to these presentations I’m not having sex until I’m married. I used to think I was going to have sex with my boyfriend, but not anymore.”
Alicia
“Can’t wait to get my hands on the curriculum and learning it like the back of my hand to share with as many youth as possible! I want to learn more and more and spread it like crazy!”
Maria Valenzuela
“I was able to take in knowledge that can help me in my future and when I have friends who are in difficult situations I can give advice. Knowing the possible outcomes of premarital sex (maybe leaving you with unwanted “gifts” and “presents”) can really affect someone’s future. I can use this in my everyday life, knowing that not having sex is the right thing to do no matter what other people think, because in reality I will be the one benefiting, not them!”
Heidi Iseda's report on 1st Middle School Presentation
I had the opportunity to present part 1 of the Free Teens Leadership Training program to a class of 6th graders at a middle school in LA. My teacher friend gave me two class hours. The kids were very enthusiastic and engaged in the presentation. They are still very young, and I had to break down some of the concepts, simplifying many words, etc. They had a lot of comments and questions. When I was talking about being a grown up, one kid said she has a 17-year old cousin who just had a baby, so I asked her, do you think that means she's grown up? Of course, she said no. There were more questions, too many to mention. I wish I had taped the session. Overall, I think they got the message to keep their purity until the right time. They also really enjoyed the role-playing of refusal skills part! |
