Danielle Howa Pendergrass is a reputation that’s well-known within the Carbon and Emery communities, particularly by the ladies that revere her experience that’s given by way of Eastern Utah Women’s Health.
Howa Pendergrass has taken that experience additional, working to give Utah teenagers wanted info by way of a intercourse training program that she launched in 2020 referred to as the Eastern Utah Teen Council. This was created following years of requests to Howa Pendergrass to educate sufferers’ teenagers as they have been frightened that school rooms weren’t correctly instructing the topic.
Now, Howa Pendergrass works with Tomi Lasley, program facilitator, to present teenagers with correct info relating to intercourse and wholesome relationships together with management, talking and teamwork expertise. Since its inception, the council has labored to educate teenagers and provides them an inclusive house.
The council meets usually with group actions equivalent to a Sex Ed Trivia Night, shows on matters equivalent to wholesome relationships, discussions by teenagers for teenagers and extra. The program has gained traction in a short while, garnering curiosity from Scientific American and the Salt Lake Tribune.
When talking on this system, Howa Pendergrass acknowledged that she would by no means have considered coming right into a neighborhood and starting a program that appeared undesirable, however that it got here from listening, being requested and seeing the issues that come up from not having these discussions. The council offers viable info to teenagers that possible wouldn’t obtain it in any other case. In flip, these teenagers share this info with their friends, making a ripple impact.
Many of the matters, equivalent to consent, usually are not included within the state’s well being curriculum, which presently stresses abstinence. Lawmakers have voted in opposition to updating the intercourse training curriculum to embrace extra details about assets and methods for 2 years.
Howa Pendergrass acknowledged that she couldn’t watch for change to come from public training; it wanted to occur now. While she hopes that the curriculum will evolve sooner or later, she understands that native youth want this info now, particularly since a lot of them aren’t studying about intercourse and relationship at dwelling both.
Those which might be within the Eastern Utah Teen Council might discover extra info by visiting the council’s Facebook web page. Upcoming occasions, discussions and extra are featured on the web page, which is stored present by the council.
In addition, the Eastern Utah Teen Council is presently recruiting for the 2022-23 college 12 months. The council is open to teenagers in 10-12 grades and every member will obtain a $200 stipend per 12 months. For extra info, please see the flyer under.
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