If you are anything like me, you are constantly on the cell phone: answering calls, texting friends and browsing the internet. A new craze has swept through teens called sexting. For those that don’t know, sexting is the use of a cell phone or computer to distribute pictures or video of sexually explicit images. In most cases, teens send pictures of themselves to either a boyfriend or girlfriend. However, this phenomenon is not just amongst teens. Celebrities such as Vanessa Hudgens, Paris Hilton, and NBA star Greg Oden have all had their private pictures posted on the internet. But let’s focus on teen sexting.
In a recent poll, 20% of teens admitted to sending nude or seminude pictures of themselves to their partner. Although the picture is only for your significant other, you have no control over who else will see that photo. There is a great possibility that your photo will be shared with friends, shared with more friends, and so on. It is impossible to know whose hands your photo will end up in.
What about the people that have these sexting photos? Under the Child Pornography Laws, anyone that has pictures of naked girls under the age of 18 can be prosecuted as sex offenders and face jail time. That also means registering as a sex offender. Think it can’t happen to you? There have been ten states that have already prosecuted people that possess sexting pictures. It doesn’t end with cell phones. Myspace, Facebook and other social networks where teens can post pictures of themselves is becoming a problem. Photos that are posted up on a profile will live on the internet forever. Anyone with a computer can look at your image and save it to their computer.
The repercussions of sexting can be very problematical. Take the story of Jesse Logan. In 2008, the teen sent nude pictures through text message to her boyfriend. After their breakup, he proceeded to send all of those pictures to everybody at her high school. Jessie suffered vicious harassment, abuse and name calling from her fellow classmates. As a result, she became depressed and afraid to go to school and eventually dropped out. Two months later, Jesse committed suicide at the age of 18. Bottom line, don’t share any pictures that you don’t want haunting you for the rest of your life. Make good Decisions!
Ruben Dominguez 
Well, I want to take this opportunity to (re)introduce myself to everyone who is involved with our project! Although, I am the newest member of the P2W family in Orange County, I actually worked for this amazing organization, many years ago, when it all began! Unfortunately, I had to take a job closer to home but when the opportunity to return presented itself, I couldn’t pass it up. There were simply too many great memories of helping kids find a better way in life and I knew it was meant to be. I’m so excited to be back on board and I just want to share with you that it is a great privilege to work with people of all ages, and help make a difference in the community and also encourage you that no matter where life leads you, it’s never too late to do what’s right!
As I’m sure you know, with the decisions we make in life, there are consequences for all of our choices. When we chose correctly we get benefits and rewards and when we chose poorly there are often costs or penalties! What I feel is important though is that we take the opportunity to reflect on our decisions, and we use them to mature into the kind of people we want to be! It’s so important how we perceive things after the fact, I have personally turned my life around and I believe that it’s no coincidence that I now have the opportunity to share about lessons that I’ve learned from my crazy life. I believe that life is a learning experience and along the way we all make mistakes.
The important thing about making mistakes is learning from them and not repeating them. Everything that I’ve gone through in my life has shaped me to become who I am today. So, I want to be clear, it’s not my purpose to obtain sympathy or defend criminal conduct but to prove that it is never too late to change! That in fact we should all learn from our past and be people of character who know when to draw the line in the sand and say “enough is enough!” I know you might be reading this and thinking that you have life figured out but I want to challenge you to recognize that it’s never too late to live life and view life in a new way!
Audie Estrada
Orange County Instructor 
Today on my way to work I drove by one of my favorite places to eat lunch since I’ve been working here at Proud To Wait…a lil place on 21st street called “I Love Teriyaki”. For only $4.99 + tax, I can get a delicious bowl of white rice topped with delightfully grilled strips of teriyaki chicken. Mmmmmm….I love this place. It’s cheap, walking distance from work, half way healthy, and each bite filled with explosive flavor causes a great experience in my mouth. Need I say more?
I started to think more about some of the things that I “love”. I’m loving this Jamba Juice that I’m sippin’ on right now. I love bacon wrapped shrimp…I love “all you can eat shrimp” at Red Lobster. I love afternoon naps. I love the tv show LOST…I love the characters and the storyline, as well as the strong messages of conflict between faith and science. I love old skool rap, r&b, oldies, hip-hop, gospel, emo, indie rock, folk, hardcore…you can pretty much say that I simply love music!
While on tour a couple months back, my friends and I were discussing our love for food. Since we were on our way down to San Diego, we were looking forward to all of the amazing dining experiences we would encounter while in So Cal. I quickly got on my iPhone and pulled up the Yelp app to find the highest reviewed restuarants in the area. I knew what I wanted to find first and foremost…a Taqueria. I was in the mood for some bomb mexican food. I tuned to my friend Kindred who was driving and exclaimed “I LOVE TACOS!” I quickly remebered a short dvd by Rob Bell called “Flame”. He says in the same train of thought…”I love my wife…and I love tacos”. Isn’t it funny that we use the word “love” so losely. Could this be the reason why so many people in today’s generation treat sex so casually and losely? We are quick to say we love something or love someone… and therefore we are quck to act upon what we say and express it through the act of sex, without taking into consideration what it means to truly love. Some people would even go as far as to say that they “love sex”.
Love is a verb. Love is sacrifical. Love is patient. Love is not self seeking. Love is a choice! When it comes to having sex…if we truly “love” someone…then we will be willing to express that love by waiting. May we take a moment to step back and reflect on how our actions line up with our words when it comes to saying, “I LOVE…” !!!
Jack “Minista RMB” Nordby
I remember at a young age wondering why my friends were laughing at a dirty joke because I didn’t understand it. As I grew up I began to notice that my friends knew a lot about SEX and I didn’t know anything. Well I thought my friends knew, but just like me they didn’t anything. Growing up SEX was not discussed, explained or even mentioned in my home. I don’t know if it’s a Latino thing or my parents didn’t really know what to say. Unfortunately, I learned what my friends and what the media said about SEX and it was not a healthy view on SEX.
I could only imagine what it might be like to be a parent and now you have to inform your child what SEX is. It might be the most difficult thing for a parent to do because you don’t want your child to get any ideas or look at you the wrong way. But it will be one the most important things a parent could ever give their child. Information from a loved one that can explain what it means to wait and to become one with their spouse is the greatest advice you could ever give your child. Most kids want their parents to inform them and believe it or not they will appreciate it.
6 out of 10 (59%) teens say their PARENTS are their role models of healthy, responsible relationships.
Nearly 9 out of 10 (88%) teens say it would be easier to avoid early sexual activity and teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their PARENTS.
I want to encourage parents to inform their children about SEX because if you don’t the media and their peers will do the informing. I believe parents have the ability to change their children’s views on many things and one is SEX. In our program Proud to Wait! We offer classes for parents that can assist them in speaking with their children about some touchy subjects, like SEX.
Even though my parents did not speak to me about SEX I had to make a conscious decision whether I was going to have SEX like my friends were or was I going to save myself for my future wife. My friends and the media told me that SEX is good and everyone is doing it. But the truth is that a little over 50% of young people reported that they have not had SEX. So in other words not everyone is doing it! Once again parents you have the power to influence your children. Don’t allow others to take your place in influencing your children. Take a stand and protect what is yours!!!
Proud To Wait!! Y Que!!!
Alfredo “Chito” Rosado
Sacramento Lead Instructor
“Hey everyone, how’s it going out there?”
“Well lets see where do I begin…. Oh yeah, so last week as I was driving through nice and toasty sunny Southern California and I couldn’t help but to feel as though I was being bombarded by all these ads. It’s nuts, and even though I love Southern California, there is a lot of traffic. When I’m in traffic I look around and what do you think I see when I’m looking around? YUP, you got it a bunch of advertisments. For example they have ads about Food, Strip Clubs, Beer, Casinos, Radio Stations, Lap Bands, more Beer and so on. It’s sad to say but many of these ads tend to work too. Like the Lap band for example, you look at that ad and then you look at yourself and you tell yourself “Dang, I got to lose some Weight.” You see a Taco Bell ad and you see all that cheese melting on the burrito and you tell yourself ,”Dang, I got to have that burrito.” Next thing you know we are hooked on those burritos and pretty soon need to start considering that Lap band procedure. The point I’m trying to make is, no matter where you look there is some type of Ad awaiting you. The Super Bowl was a few weeks back and it’s probably the only time people sit on their couch really watching the commercials. I would say about 40% of them were promoting partying and drinking. What I was asking myself was where are the ads that say that 1 out of every 4 Americans have an STD? Where was the Ad that says teen pregnancy isn’t like Juno where you might go home and you’re parents are just going to say! ”June bug its okay!!!” I wish the Media industry would get the hint and just keep it real. Well that’s all from me for Now.
Stay Up,
Jimmy Gomez
PTW Los Angeles
Page 4 of 7 « First ... « 2 3 4 5 6 » ... Last »
