Planned Parenthood of South Texas has a very active education and outreach department providing presentations and programs to groups all over the Coastal Bend area. Our trained Community Health Educators cover eight-counties and our programs provide current, accurate information about family planning and healthy sexuality.

We believe that when people are informed they can make better choices and take control of their own health decisions, preventing many unfortunate consequences while encouraging healthier relationships and stronger families.

Planned Parenthood's specific mission is to PREVENT the unhealthy, unwanted, and unplanned consequences of sex. We believe education is the front line of prevention when it comes to reproductive health and family planning.

If you would like to voice your support for medically accurate
comprehensive sex education (including abstinence education),
we encourage you to visit EDUCATION WORKS TEXAS!

What is SEX Education?

Sex education is HEALTH education. It is a life long process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs and values about sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. It encompasses the physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual aspects of our humanity. Understanding healthy sexuality allows us to make informed decisions in all aspects of our lives so that we can be responsible, respectful, happy, and safe as individuals, couples, families and communities.

What do PPST Community Health Educators do?

• PPST educators are invited to present on a broad spectrum of topics including puberty and basic anatomy, healthy relationships, healthy dating, dating violence, rape and coercion, life skills such as values and decision making, goal setting, communication, abstinence, contraceptive methods, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and AIDS, parenting, child neglect/abuse, and harassment in the schools and in the workplace.
• We may be asked to speak to one group one time, or present a series of topics on a regular basis.
• We offer after-school programming for teens, often as separate boy / girl groups.
• We speak to classrooms, parent groups, social service professionals, teachers and administrators, foster families, church groups, incarcerated adults and youth, civic organizations, and business groups.
• Programs are age-appropriate and adapted to meet the special needs of each audience.

Are you looking for a speaker for your next meeting?

Can important health information benefit the members of your club or group?

Do you want to know more about our education and outreach programming in the South Texas Coastal Bend community?

Contact the PPST Education Department today!

Here are just a few of the programs offered by Planned Parenthood's trained community health educators.

• Baby Think It Over This program uses programmed dolls to give teens a chance to experience the demands of parenting. This program has proven to be very effective in providing teens a chance to experience the demands of parenting. What makes this project particularly effective is that it is home-based. The dolls go home and the parents become involved in the educational process. The program is appropriate for a wide span of ages: late elementary to college-aged students. The dolls cry at regular intervals to simulate the need for feeding, holding, or changing. They also cry when neglected or handled roughly. The purpose of this project is to help teens understand through experience the time and effort needed to care for an infant. Students take the doll home for the night or the weekend. A digital readout shows whether a doll has been abused or neglected. Pre and post tests are given to draw conclusions about parenting responsibilities. Parent, teacher and student feedback is very positive.
• Young Men United and SHE Thing These after-school groups are geared toward teen pregnancy prevention. They help teach boys and girls about the responsibilities of becoming adults. Sessions are discussion based and include a wide variety of issues important to today's teens.
• Programs for Parents This program is geared toward increasing skills of parents to help them feel more comfortable in their roles as the primary sex educators of their children.
• Professional Education and Training Services This program provides assistance and support in areas of family planning, human sexuality, and family life education.
• Counseling for Teens & Parents This counseling provides factual information about sexuality and helps teens and parents resolve issues related to sexuality.

Educational services, programs, and materials are made available to the public through a combination of grants and contributions from individuals.