WHO ARE WE?

  SHAC!

What is SHAC?

SHAC stands for Sexual Health Awareness Club, a club that we believe would be beneficial to the students of  Coral Reef Senior High School. 


How did this idea come to mind?

Upon talking in our science class, the topic of diseases, specifically STD’s and STI’s, came up. The four of us were taken aback by the complete lack of knowledge that each one of us possessed regarding the subject. We all knew what they were, and that they existed, but we realized that talking about them amongst ourselves was very limited, and it occurred to us that we were not the only teenagers who lacked knowledge about basic concepts under the category of reproduction and safety. We decided that starting a club would be a good way to raise awareness and create a new generation of well-informed, safe individuals.


Our purpose

While we do recognize that Coral Reef currently incorporates HIP,  a program that covers similar topics that we would like to address, to the freshmen via their social studies class, our mission is to go beyond HIP. We represent the opportunity for anyone, not just freshmen, to provide input and bring topics to surface regarding sexuality and sexual health that HIP might not. The people who are the most sexually active or susceptible to consequences regarding sex  in our  school are most likely not freshmen, and may have forgotten information that was read to them by HIP members in the few sessions that HIP covers consensual and safe ways to approach sex. Our mission is to start the conversation. And by starting the conversation, we want to create a year-round source of information to address concerns through a blend of factual knowledge and peer-oriented  relatability. 


Our Chosen Club Sponsor

Our club sponsor is Mrs. Barreda, an AP Psychology teacher who stands out among other teachers thanks to her relatability, flexibility, and the profundity in the way she cares about and understands every one of her students. Given that psychology is Mrs. Barreda’s strong suit, she can help our club better understand the way one’s brain works during late adolescence regarding sexual matters and provide assistance and meaningful insight in finding ways to approach sex safely and consensually.


How do we know we’re not the only ones?

In order to solidify the hypothesis that we were not the only ones who encountered a lack of knowledge and who didn't address these topics as often as we believe they should be addressed, we conducted a survey via social media, and the results are as follows:


Forms response chart. Question title: How old are you? . Number of responses: 109 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: Do you think that there should be (more) classes on these topics, fewer classes or were the number about right?. Number of responses: 109 responses.


Forms response chart. Question title: Do you feel that you are well-versed in topics regarding sex (including but not limited to, forms of contraception and their pros and cons, STI’s, STD’s, how to prevent them and how to identify them...)? . Number of responses: 109 responses.

( 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree)


Forms response chart. Question title: Do you feel comfortable talking about sexual activities with your parents?. Number of responses: 109 responses.


Forms response chart. Question title: Do you have a trusted adult with whom you CURRENTLY confide concerns about sexuality/ sexual activities while being COMPLETELY honest? . Number of responses: 109 responses.


Forms response chart. Question title: Do you feel that sex is a taboo subject? . Number of responses: 109 responses.


Forms response chart. Question title: Sexuality and sexual activities should be a topic more openly spoken about among teenagers and their respective adults. . Number of responses: 109 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: I often feel ashamed and embarrassed to openly talk about sexual activities in my everyday life. . Number of responses: 109 responses.

Forms response chart. Question title: Do you feel sex is taken seriously enough by your peers? . Number of responses: 109 responses.


Forms response chart. Question title: Do you currently attend Coral Reef Senior High School or are planning to? . Number of responses: 107 responses.


Important points to note:

  • 75.2% of participants believe there should be more classes that cover sexual health

  • Only 11.9% believe that they are completely well-versed in topics regarding sexual health

  • Only 14.7% feel comfortable talking about sex with their parents, whereas 40.4% are somewhat comfortable and 45% not at all

  • 62.4% of participants do not have a current adult that they confide concerns about sexuality/ sexual health with 

  • 80.7% of participants believe that sex is not taken seriously enough by their peers

  • 47.7% of participants strongly agree that sexuality and sexual health should be more openly spoken about among teenagers and adults, and an additional 23.9% agree with this statement


This is what we are striving to change!

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