Andreayna
I am currently a senior in high school. My two favorite subjects at school are English and History. There is something about those subjects that require me to really think and read in depth. I am the type of person who is creative, outgoing, and ambitious. (Break here) My hobbies include going to the movies, museums, knitting, and writing poetry. I also enjoy just sitting down by the river and thinking. I love singing, dancing, and being creative like making cards, painting, and making jewelry.
Being a peer educator is not a job I ever thought that I would have. I get the chance to inform people who haven’t had the chance to learn about their health and safer sex. The environment at S.P.E.E.K. is wonderful—this is a place where you can build strong relationships with your supervisors and fellow peer educators. This is also a place where you can be yourself and not worry about what people think about you. Here you’ll learn new information and new skills that are useful for life.
I have always been interested in learning about HIV/AIDS awareness, safer sex, and pregnancy prevention. I know that these are some of the major problems that many teens my age are facing and I want to help spread awareness. I want to be someone’s access to the real world. Many teens have questions but often get misinformed or ignored. So I decided to make it my business to make sure I learned the information. That way my friends could have someone they could go to when they have questions.
As far as school goes I want to graduate from college with degrees in psychology, international business and public health. I want to make a difference. I believe that no matter what, life has challenges and whether we succeed or fail we have to remember to “keep moving forward.”
Ariana
I was born and raised in Spanish (East) Harlem. I love to read; it is one of my favorite things to do. Some of my favorite books include: the Harry Potter Series, The Catcher in The Rye, The Twilight Series and Crank. Photography is one of my newer interests and is something I’m very passionate about. I focus on classic photography, 35mm black and white film. When I was taking photography classes, I learned the whole process of turning film into negatives and then turning negatives into actual photographs. Writing is another thing that I love. I wrote my first short story at age seven and have since delved into many genres such as poetry, narratives and song lyrics.
When I was in high school, I started working with S.P.E.E.K. as a peer educator. I did that for almost two years. It was my first job and it taught me more than I could have ever imagined. Working with people my own age gave me a better understanding of the obstacles we as teenagers face. There are so many pressures to be dealt with: whether or not to have sex, experiment with drugs, go along with the crowd or decide to stand alone. As a peer educator, I gained knowledge and skills to better prepare me for the world I would soon be in as an adult.
I have recently come back to S.P.E.E.K. on a part-time basis to help with writing articles for this website. Coming back was not something I was hesitant about. This place served as more than just a job for me during those last two years of high school. It was a place of growth, knowledge and understanding. The people here weren’t just supervisors and co-workers but so much more. S.P.E.E.K. is a place where you don’t just work. It’s where you thrive. There is no other place like it. There is nowhere else where you can gain the experiences that you gain from here. It is truly unique in that sense. S.P.E.E.K. has definitely become an ultimate blessing in my life.
Pregnancy prevention, STIs, communication are more than words, they are issues teens all over have to deal with. Working with S.P.E.E.K. has given me more than knowledge on these subjects. It has broadened my mind and expanded my perspective. I came into this place thinking one way and now think another, and it is for the better. I was very judgmental towards teens in general who contracted STIs. I automatically thought that meant someone was therefore promiscuous. Now, I know differently. STIs do not discriminate and can happen to anyone.
Getting involved in peer education is definitely something I would recommend. It’s a great experience to learn as you teach others.
I plan to continue with college and major in English or Creative Writing. While still in school, I hope to publish a novel. I want to go on to receive my Masters Degree. I plan to write books in the future and become a huge success. However, success isn’t the most important thing I seek in the future. What is most important is my happiness. As long as I am a happy person, I believe everything else in my life will follow in the same direction. One of my favorite quotes is, “People will always doubt your abilities. You just have to prove them wrong.” My true happiness will come from knowing that I have done my best and maybe taught someone else something in the process.
Ashley
a.k.a. “Ash->Cash”
I enjoy swimming, reading, writing short stories, and being with my family. Hanging out with my closest friends who make me extremely happy and accept me for who I am, is always a priority.
Originally, I decided to become a peer educator because I needed a job. However, after working at S.P.E.E.K. for a year, I realized I needed this job to keep me growing into a mature and healthy adult. I made new friends, I developed a new family and this is where I come whenever I feel like I need an extra push.
I have a family member who is living with AIDS and it was something that I thought I should look into. I realized that this was something that would affect my life and everyone in it. It is something I have to explain to those around me. With the knowledge S.P.E.E.K. has given me, when I am asked something, I know how to answer it.
Being a peer educator is a great job for me because I want to teach my peers about the many issues I have seen people go through. I enjoy helping people and wanted to continue to do so. Our job as peer educators is to help teens make healthy decisions in their lives, so they can pass it on to their peers. S.P.E.E.K. allows teens to get the information we need to be healthy rather than the superstitions and myths that can get passed on by our family and friends.
The most interesting thing I have done is probably opening my friend’s eyes to what birth control is and how it works. When we went to the clinic she got on the pill, and learned a lot more about STIs than she knew before she walked in. I accomplished a goal I had set for myself in less than an hour.
LIVING IT! I want to write stories, and talk about my experiences as a teen. In life and in general I just want to be happy with the choices I make.
“TEACH THE BABIES”
Cassima
I am interested in dancing, singing and drawing. In the future I want to attend school for Fashion Design with hopes of opening my own boutiques all over the world. For now, I just put all my ideas down in a sketch book.
As teens, we have to deal with many issues such as pregnancy, making decisions HIV/AIDS and STIs. By spreading the knowledge that I receive from this program, I can help my peers make better choices, learn to talk to each other, and lower the statistics. I can teach them how to protect themselves.
I decided to become a peer educator because I like the message that is being sent out by the S.P.E.E.K. program. This job is different from working at other places. I get the joy of working with people my own age. I can express myself freely, work at my own pace, and get positive encouragement from other teens. The environment is like no other, and the family-like atmosphere is always welcoming.
When I started to work at S.P.E.E.K., people didn’t think I had the nerve to actually go up to teens and talk about sex and all the issues surrounding it, but this is what the S.P.E.E.K. program has taught me. Besides the knowledge, this program helps me with my communication skills, speaking in public, how to work in a group environment, and especially how to adapt. These skills will help me especially as I grow and get into the Fashion Industry. You need to have all of these characteristics and qualities in order to get ahead and be successful.
In the future I hope that younger children can get sex education that fits their age group. I feel that if the information is given out earlier, it is more likely that by the time kids get to be teenagers, they will think about the choices they have before they make any decisions about sex.
Jayquan
Some of my hobbies are playing basketball, watching a lot of TV, and I also like to read a good book now and then. My favorite shows are Law & Order SVU, Kitchen Nightmare, and Gossip Girl. I like these shows because they are about things that can happen for real.
The reason I decided to work with the S.P.E.E.K. Peer Education program was to make a difference with teens by showing and telling them the best ways to practice safer sex. I wanted to educate my peers on everything that could happen to them and harm them in the long run. I got interested in this job when I realized that it can happen to me and my friends. The thing is that now when my friends tell me that they think they have an STIs, I know what to tell them and where they can get help.
The most interesting thing I’ve done as a peer educator is co-facilitating the male group. This group was fun because I got to teach younger guys and help them make smart decisions about life. The hardest thing for me at S.P.E.E.K. has been doing a waiting room group, which is a workshop in the clinic waiting room. This was difficult because I was so nervous the first time. I practiced a couple more times though and I’ve gotten very good at it. I feel at ease so they are fun now.
I would recommend this job to other teens because it will help to better themselves and others. They will learn how to make safe decisions and stay protected. S.P.E.E.K. helped me to do this by asking me to think about my actions before I do anything. I like working here because I’m involved and learning new info. Some ambitions I have in life are to graduate high school in the year 2010. After that I want to go to culinary arts school, and then open my own restaurant. I like to cook Italian and soul food. When I cook I feel great because I’m making someone else feel good as well.
“Live for today because tomorrow is not promised.”
“It be like that some times.”
Melissa
For fun I like to hangout with my girls, go shopping, watch movies, listen to whatever is on my ipod, and go out to dinner. I also love being a student because school has always been something I enjoyed. I attend Herbert H. Lehman College and my major is Social Work.
I decided to be a peer educator when I was a junior in high school because I wanted a job that was going to make a difference. I wanted to meet new people, learn new things, and be able to pass on what I learned to others. Here at S.P.E.E.K. I am constantly obtaining new knowledge and reviewing what I already know at the same time. I am able to be myself and am constantly being challenged. Learning about HIV/AIDS, pregnancy prevention, safer sex, communication, anatomy, and STIs opened my eyes to what is going on in today’s society. I want to educate peers about these particular issues because everyone has a right to learn about these issues and be aware of them.
Many teens have this “It won’t happen to me” attitude. This is why many teens, especially in my community, are faced with issues such as teen pregnancy and STIs. Many girls are faced with decision of delaying school because they have to take care of their child, or even picking up a job while they go to school in order to support their new family.
At first, I didn’t have too much faith in peer education because I didn’t think a peer talking to their peers was effective. I figured that they wouldn’t listen because we were around the same age as them. After doing this work for a few years, I know that hearing information from someone around your age makes a big difference. I hope in the long run that teens do become more aware and more peer education programs continue to do work within their communities to raise awareness not only to teens but also to parents. I also hope that one day we find a cure for HIV and resources become more available to teens when they have questions and need health related services.
Peer education is an opportunity I feel everyone should go through. It has helped me decide my career in becoming a social worker and also become more involved in college life. I have gained the confidence to become a leader in my social work club and just have fun with life. I am glad I listened to my best friend to apply to work at the SPEEK program and that I made it =)
"Expect nothing, live frugally on surprise."
-Alice Walker
Michael
I am a college student and currently a peer educator. I enjoy playing basketball and going to the movies whenever I get the chance. One of my favorite movies is Heat with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
I decided to become a peer educator because I want to be able to inspire teens to make good choices when it comes to sex and let them know they have options. Working at S.P.E.E.K. is completely different from other jobs; peer education is about spreading awareness and reducing disease in teenagers. Before being a peer educator, I had almost no knowledge about HIV/AIDS and pregnancy prevention and now I want to pass what I learned onto my peers. I also get to spread the word about the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center and other free clinics where they can seek help.
The most interesting thing I have done with S.P.E.E.K. was attending retreat. This experience allowed us to bond with each other and to participate in different challenging activities, such as the cat walk and other high ropes. The hardest thing I’ve encountered was facilitating a workshop with 14 and 15 year olds on the correct way to use a condom. It was scary and I was nervous. At first, I fumbled a little bit on some of my statements but I had a health educator there to assist me and in the end everything was fine. As the workshop continued I was able to regain confidence and put my skills and knowledge to good use.
Giving teens options is the best solution to whatever problems they may be having. Helping teenagers with their issues is a big task for any type of counselor. I believe that a person should make decisions based on what will benefit them and their families. My friends and family feel I’m doing a great thing. I recommend youth get involved in peer education so they can be able to utilize their skills to develop a way to inform other teens. Safety is # 1.
I am now attending the College of Westchester; I’m majoring in Accounting and want to pursue a career as a Certified Public Accountant. My ambition in life in general is to help people in different aspects of their life.
“In order to succeed, your desire for success has to be greater than you fear of failure.”
-Bill Cosby
Plum
I love to dance and watch dance performances. I am interested in all types of dance from ballet to hip hop and everything in between. Singing, writing poems and drawing are also things I enjoy doing. This past school semester I took a sketch book art class and now I am addicted to sketching people on the train.
I became a Peer Educator because being a resident of Spanish (East) Harlem, which has such a large number of people infected with HIV/AIDS, I know I can make a difference. Teens need to be aware that it’s best to know yourself physically and mentally and that you have control—no one else can tell you when you are ready. I’ve always liked reaching out to my peers and giving them support on things they were not comfortable asking adults. Through peer education, I can help prevent so many of my friends from being another statistic.
My family and friends are so proud of me and the work I do here at S.P.E.E.K. My friends feel more comfortable asking me questions about sex ed and it’s easier for me to get them to go to the clinic because I help them make appointments. My younger cousins come to me to ask questions or for condoms.
In the future, I would like to study adolescent psychology or social work and work in a school. I also dream of opening up my own group home for teen girls. I recently got involved with politics because of the Presidential election. I was picked twice to go with a group of students to Ohio to help out with the Obama campaign. Thanks to my contribution, we’ve elected a black president. So who’s next? Me, the first black female president!
Vanessa
Before I started at S.P.E.E.K., I really didn’t know what a peer educator was. My social worker asked me if I wanted a job and I said yes. As soon as I began the interview process, I knew this job was different. Not only do I get to interact with people, but I get to learn different things that are going on with teens.
I am very interested in HIV/AIDS awareness because members of my family have AIDS. I wanted to learn more about the virus and how you can get infected. I had a lot of different questions. Once I started the training all my questions were answered. I’m also interested in safer sex and pregnancy prevention because I feel like it is a topic that should be stressed with teens because many teens I know have gotten pregnant. I guess they feel like they are in love with a guy and that having a kid from this person is the next step.
The hardest thing that I have come across as a peer educator is speaking in public. Sometimes I get stuck. When I study I can remember everything and have the information down pat and then when the time comes and I’m in front of a lot of people, I forget. Working at S.P.E.E.K., I have learned some ways to face this challenge. One thing I do is I let one of the presenters go before me and I practice in my head while the person is speaking. Another trick I use is to rehearse what I am going to say with one of the health educators and they help walk me through it.
What I like to do for fun is go to the studio and sing or chill with my friends and have a good time. I really like to listen to old school and rap music. My favorite artist is Young Jeezy. I like to sing; Rapping is not my thing, but singing I like it because it relaxes me. I forget about all my problems and feel that I can do anything I want as long as I put my mind into it. I can sing about anything I want that goes on in my life. Well, for the future I really want to finish school and go on to college so I can be a social worker or a detective for special victims.
LIVE LIFE LIKE YOU GONE TOMMOROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Virginia
I love to listen to music and to dance. I can dance really well in modern and African dance. I performed at the Apollo once and I had so much fun. I loved the attention. I would have to say that I listen to mostly Hip Hop and R&B, sometimes Rap and Pop. I performed a lot as a child and I‘d love to start again but I have a lot of other things in my life now.
What made me interested in this field was the fact that teen pregnancy, the lack of safer sex behaviors, and the spread of STIs are so common and teens lack a lot of the facts. If I had this type of program around when I was in high school I would have been really grateful and I would have taken advantage of it. Hearing sexual health information from teens is a little more effective than hearing it from adults and I wanted to be that teen delivering the truth and helping teens understand these topics a little better.
I want to help by first getting information out to my friends and family. Whether we’re eating, cleaning, or chilling I bring up sex and sexual health just to see what they know and most of the time they have the wrong information. The message I give is don’t be afraid to explore your sexuality if you are ready; just be careful. Use good judgment and be aware of what the risks are.
The most interesting thing I’ve done as a Peer Educator would have to be working with the Drama Club. I got to make a short film with a group of 16 teens on teen pregnancy called You Decide. We worked with the teens to create characters, write and edit the script from scratch, and rehearse and film the movie. It was about a group of teens who were going through situations many teens in high school go through: not being able to communicate in their relationships, having a pregnancy scare, not relating to a parent. The time we put in was well worth it because it came out great!
My friends and family think my job is so cool. The adults love what I do and they think it’s really positive and wish that more schools and clinics had services like this. I’d recommend that other youth to get involved in this because not only are you helping others, but you are growing a lot as a person doing this job and are educating yourself.
I want to attend school for fashion and move out of the city for a while. My future goal is to be a world renowned fashion model and designer.
“Never live today like yesterday.”
Anita
I first realized I was into reproductive health when I was nine-years old; my cousin who at the time was an undergraduate at CUNY Hunter College always had books about the anatomy of the human body and issues like contraception. I admit that my curiosity got the best of me when I was in high school because my interest in learning about reproductive health grew towards HIV/AIDS, pregnancy prevention, and safer sex in adolescents.
After starting the Community Health Education program at Hunter College, my knowledge of adolescent sexuality and reproductive health expanded to wanting a career in education as a health teacher or counselor. To explore my options, I started interning at S.P.E.E.K. this summer alongside the peer and health educators. The main purpose of my internship at S.P.E.E.K. was to use what I learned in school about the principles of health education and apply it to the “real world.” Being around the peer educators was the first time I was exposed to working with teens.
After I graduate, I plan to use what I’ve learned here at S.P.E.E.K. and apply that to the educational field. I haven’t decided yet if being a teacher is right for me, but the one thing that I’ve taken away from being an intern is that teenagers need proper guidance and support. When they have the right information they can not only empower themselves but others as well. Sexual and reproductive health information should be accurate, reliable and responsive to meet the emotional as well as physical needs of youth; this is my hope for the future of sex health education. I feel as though youth, especially the really young ones are often misinformed about sex and if I could change that by becoming a health educator then that is my goal.
Arlette
Health Educator
Knowledge is the key to Empowerment and Communication is the key to Success. When teens feel empowered their attitudes are positive, options appear clear, and they make better choices. We all need to become more open to the idea of talking about sexuality so that sex will not be taboo, but dinner talk. HIV/AIDS, Sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies are 100% preventable. I feel that the teen whose life I touch, just might be the person in the future who touches the life of my teens.
Yesenia
Health Educator
Through my work at SPEEK I have learned that teens know what they want but often times things get lost in translation. I feel privileged to be in a position where I can help teens translate to everyone else what is going on. Everyday is an adventure; they keep me on my toes!
Katie
Health Educator
After many years of being a peer health educator, I am thrilled to be working with SPEEK. Peer education is an incredibly powerful tool in the promotion of healthy sexuality and the prevention of STIs, HIV and unwanted pregnancy. I am so happy to be a part of a program with such talented and dedicated young people.
Silvia
SPEEK Coordinator
When I hear peer educators refer to the people in this program as family, it’s clear to me why, after 21 years, I continue to do this work. I am grateful to all the young people who, by sharing happy and sad moments, have let me into their lives. It has been my privilege to work with remarkable teenagers. I urge all of them to use their abilities to turn their dreams into reality. My future ambition is to spend my leisure time in the company of my pets and family, drinking virgin piña coladas, while lying on a hammock reading the latest best seller or responding to e-mail from former peer educators.