Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/63981
taking steps to ensure the health of the next generation. "I'm very passionate about youth and how they can turn into healthy, happy, functional members of society," she says. It's a personal goal that's in line with growing attention from federal health departments such as the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as na- tional groups such as the National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH). With the help of focus groups through a program known as the Teen Outreach Reproductive Challenge (TORCH), a peer health education and leadership training initiative in New York City, the NIRH sought to understand why, despite com- The New York City program launched in 2003, and garnered positive reviews from teens and providers alike for shining a light on simple ways both providers and teens could break down the barriers that exist between them. From defining patient- doctor confidentiality for teens and reiter- ating the importance of a provider stress- ing that confidentiality during visits to more welcoming methods of questioning about health history, providers and teens were being armed with tools that empow- ered them in each of their roles. "So the [NIRH] developed a curricula and granted three other sites across the country $10,000 and their curricula to adapt to their own communities," Ole- jniczak explains. prehensive sex ed programs, teens weren't confiding in their health care providers. "In focus groups, a number of teens said that they would love to talk openly with their doctors about sex and sexual health, but they didn't know how to start the conversation. They hoped their doctors would bring it up, but the discussion was just not happening," Olejniczak says. "So [the NIRH, through its TORCH program,] started an initiative to bridge that gap." And they sought to do it in a unique way: By having teens play the role of educators to the groups on both sides of the equation, reaching out to their peers and the medical providers they see. The result was the Adolescent Health and were officially selected in November 2010, along with programs in Washington, D.C., and southern California. In January 2011, after creating an adviso- ry board of area health care providers, ad- vocates and parents, and getting its first set of Teen Educators on board, the Wisconsin Adolescent Health Care Communication Program became a reality. Now 10 local teens are charged with creating results. She and the WAWH jumped at the chance, Care Communication Program, which consists of two separate interactive work- shops. The first, called "Keeping it Real With Your Patients," is aimed at giving health care providers valuable insight di- rectly from teens themselves. The second, "Keepin' it Real With Your Doctor," relies on the exclusive access teens have to their own peers to reach adolescents with the information they need to communicate with their health professional. The WAHCCP teen educators are a tight- knit group. Meeting twice a month at the Goodman Community Center on Madi- son's near east side, the start to their meetings is often punctuated by squeals of excitement, high-pitched greetings and hugs—generally what you'd expect when nine young women (and one lucky young man) gather. It usually takes a good 15 minutes or so for the chatter and giggling to quiet down before Olejniczak brings them around to the business at hand. This is the second group of teens to be chosen through an application and in- terview process as educators with the March 2012 bravamagazine.com 61