For more on VOX, go t0 www.voxteencommunications.org. For more on the summit, go to http://bit.ly/1AosJ0u.
For more than two decades, VOX Teen Communications has given a megaphone to teenagers to talk about the topics that they want to talk about, even if their parents don’t. Through their newspaper and website, community workshops and internal gatherings, VOX teens tackle everything from fashion to homophobia, social media to social isolation.
On March 7, VOX teen girls are facilitating a summit for 100 metro Atlanta girls who will use a variety of media forms to talk about sex and sexuality. VOX will publish the art, writings and videos from the day.
Alexandria Wilson, a VOX board member and junior at North Atlanta High School, provided insight on the summit, called “Girl Code: Your Voice, Your Sexuality.”
Q: What will you be doing at the summit?
A: I am in charge of the art component. We will be doing a couple of fun activities to get everyone engaged and talking about a serious topic: sex and sexuality.
Q: Why is it important to talk about that?
A: It is important to get the message out to girls, to let them know, that although you live in a male-driven society, you can still make a path for yourself. You don’t have to be put down. It is important to talk about sex and sexuality because it is big issue even when you are a baby and you get that pink blanket.
Q: Is it a tough topic to take on?
A: It is. A couple of years back, we had a girls’ group meeting at VOX and we were talking about sex and religion. I could not say the word sex. I was so nervous. There is a lot of work that teenagers need to do to make sure that they are comfortable and well-informed.
Q: Given all that your generation is exposed to, are you saying teenagers still don’t know about sex and sexuality?
A: Because we have the Internet and all of these books, adults just assume that we are going to look up information that is accurate. The most sex education that I ever got was from Tumblr and it wasn’t even very good. Yes, there are a lot of resources but not a lot of teens are going to take the time to make sure they are getting the proper information.
Q: What do you hope the girls attending your summit will take away from it?
A: I really hope that they branch out. We are doing a session where they will talk about what being sexy means. We want everyone to feel comfortable enough to say what they want to say and to be open to each other’s mindset. Maybe even go further and change their own mindset so that when they are out in public, they will say, there is a girl who knows who she is and kudos to her.
Q: What does sexy mean to you?
A: I think long lashes are sexy. And straight teeth — I wore braces for seven years. I always have my nails painted because I do nail art. If you go beyond the physical, being sexy means being able to stand up for yourself and being able to speak your mind, even if it is the opposite of what everyone else is saying. Being able to wear bright yellow rain boots with a pink sweater because you don’t care what people think.
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