COLUMBUS – Twelve Columbus students graduated from Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio (PPGOH)’s Peer Education Program on June 26, at the Jerry Hammond Center. Mayor Andrew Ginther delivered remarks.

Ohio is the only state in the country without health curriculum standards. As a result, Ohio schools have become stuck with a huge gap in sexuality education, falling back on antiquated state education laws and outdated language. And earlier this year, Ohio lawmakers advanced legislation that restricts Planned Parenthood’s ability to serve as a provider of sex education to Ohio’s public schools.

To close this gap, and as part of its work ensuring young Ohioans have access to comprehensive sexuality education, PPGOH’s Peer Education Program, a collaboration with the Ohio Center for Sex Education, provides youth, ages 14-19, with the tools to become leaders, educators and advocates for healthy sexual choices, behaviors, attitudes and relationships in their schools and communities.

Once the students’ training is complete, they are required to provide a total of 55 one-on-one presentations, a single presentation to an audience of 10 or more people, and another to a group of over 100 individuals through an outreach event utilizing the lessons they’ve learned before being able to graduate. Graduating peer educators must successfully prove they have learned to educate their peers on developing essential life skills, such as building healthy relationships, refusing and delaying intercourse and planning for adulthood. The program has also empowered graduating students to advocate for changes in government and school policy regarding reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights and more inclusive sexual education.