Age-appropriate sex education prepares young people for today’s world and sets them up for success in all their relationships. Young people who receive sex education have better self-esteem and healthier relationships. But Missouri schools currently don’t require any sex education to be taught in the classroom. If sex education is offered, the curriculum is not required to include sexual orientation or gender identity, and abstinence must be represented as the preferred behavior.
Planned Parenthood’s sex education programs provide the information that people of all ages and identities across the St. Louis area and Southwest Missouri need to make informed sexual and reproductive health choices. Read on to learn about how Planned Parenthood prioritizes sex education for high school students in the St. Louis area and how local teens can get involved.
What is TASH?
TASH stands for “Teen Advocates for Sexual Health,” a Planned Parenthood program that provides St. Louis area high school students with sex education. Through TASH, teens learn about sexual and reproductive health and rights, sexuality, and how to be advocates in their communities. Students create a common language surrounding identity, sexual health, advocacy, intersectionality, and public policy. TASH students use what they learn to dismantle white supremacy and systems of oppression that block access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Cindy Reyes, the Youth Programs Coordinator for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, leads TASH alongside certified teen Peer Educators.
What can students expect during TASH meetings?
TASH students actively learn together alongside their peers, covering topics like STI (sometimes called STD) risk and prevention, boundaries, consent, and media literacy. This means that no two meetings are ever the same. TASH meets three times per month, with meetings at Planned Parenthood’s Central West End location every second and fourth Wednesday evening and a retreat every third Saturday morning. These Saturday retreats provide time for students to explore more nuanced topics and generate impactful discussions and reflections. We provide free snacks for all meetings and free lunch for Saturday retreats, as well as a transportation stipend for attending meetings.
Who should join TASH?
Any high school student in St. Louis City or County is eligible to join TASH. Students who are curious about the world around them, excited to challenge stigma, and determined to work toward a world with reproductive freedom for all people are a great fit for the TASH program. Our application opens in the summer, but our interest form is open already. If you sign up, we’ll notify you when the application opens.
Why should students join TASH?
TASH educators support students in learning the facts about sexual and reproductive health and rights, building confidence in their own values to make the healthiest decisions for themselves in the future. Students learn to establish boundaries, prioritize communication, and care for their sexual and reproductive health. In addition to learning essential skills for their own lives and futures, TASH empowers students to use their voices for advocacy and become change makers in the world. Teens have the opportunity to lobby in Jefferson City, connect with new people, and learn about the communities where they live. TASH involves parents and caregivers as well, offering a joint parent-teen meeting and encouraging students to discuss topics in TASH at home.