We Don’t Want Sex Tips From Karen
by Mallory McPherson-Wehan
On this week’s episode of F*ck Wellness, I had the privilege of chatting with my friends, Carrie and Zack, about what sexual health looks like on a college campus. Carrie and Zack are on the sexual health task force of the GW Capital Peers, a student-run peer health education group on campus. I was a part of the GW Capital Peers when I was in graduate school and met Carrie and Zack on the task force while I was there.
One of my biggest takeaways from the episode was the importance of peer-to-peer education when it comes to sensitive topics like sexual health. Carrie tells the story of how she frequently educates her sorority sisters on sexual health topics that they probably wouldn’t ask an administrator about. Zack explains that many GW staff are two or three times his age and demographically very different from him which makes it challenging to rely on as a comfortable resource.
Though most of the episode focuses on our own anecdotal stories about peer education, research suggests that college-aged students are more likely to modify their behaviors and attitudes if they receive health messages from peers who face similar concerns and pressures. There have been studies looking at the impact of peer education on attitude, decreased HIV transmission, and improved social skills. Most peer health education programs focus on harm reduction, prevention, and early intervention. Carrie and Zack talk about how the GW Capital Peers aim to do risk reduction around sex and alcohol because the reality is many college students will drink and have sex. Specifically, peer health education has been shown to increase contraceptive use and decrease sexually-transmitted infections.
One example of peer health education that Carrie mentioned during the podcast was one of our task force’s outreach events. A group of us were in Thurston Hall, GW’s freshman dorm, standing behind a table full of condoms in every shape, size, and color you could imagine. We were there to give out condoms as well as educate students on safe sex and dating app safety. It was really hard at first to get students to engage with us. They speed-walked past us and avoided eye contact. We tried a bunch of different tactics until finally Carrie started mentioning to the passing students that we had glow-in-the-dark condoms. This really piqued student’s, especially men’s, interest and they started stopping at the table and chatting.
I was reflecting during the episode that if a group of middle-aged administrators tried to do that same outreach event it would not have gone over well. Who wants to grab glow-in-the-dark condoms from someone who is not in your age group? Lots of universities use peer education for health promotion and from the google search results, they seem to be thriving. Some universities pay their peer health educators; other ones give them academic credit.
Carrie and Zack both touched on the importance of diversity in peer education. It’s important that the Capital Peers reflect the rich diversity of the university in order to best serve and connect with students. As Zack says at the end, the diversity of the Capital Peers is key to its success because no matter where you're from or who you are, someone of the Capital Peers is likely to have something in common with you.
Being a part of the Capital Peers in graduate school and now getting to connect with them as an administrator at GW is so rewarding. I see the passion they put into their events and the enthusiasm they have for educating their peers. This episode brought me a lot of hope knowing that Carrie and Zack will be out in the world educating even after they leave GW.
