The Star-Ledger
August 5, 2009
Aliyah Shahid

There are Tupperware parties, Mary Kay parties, and scrapbooking parties. This month add "home health parties" to the list in Perth Amboy.

Nothing will be bought or sold, but one thing will be traded: knowledge about sex. The parties are for adults and the goal is to teach them how to talk to teenagers about sex and birth control.

The parties work like this: A host will invite friends over and two trained experts, armed with plastic models of genitalia and information on birth control, will educate partygoers on reproductive health issues and teach them the importance of communicating that knowledge to their children and other adolescents in the community, according to program coordinator Soveyra Acosta.

Dubbed "Plain Talk" or "Hablando Claro," the national program has been brought to Perth Amboy by the nonprofit Jewish Renaissance Foundation in an effort to combat teen pregnancy in the city. A $94,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services will pay for the program.

While "Plain Talk" operates in 17 cities across the country, Perth Amboy is the first New Jersey city to sign on, said Tammi Fleming, director of Plain Talk National Replication Center in Philadelphia.

Acosta said the parties will help create and recruit more knowledgeable adults in the community whom teens can talk to about sex.

"A lot of the adults are not informed, and the majority are afraid and don't know how to approach or start a conversation," Acosta said.

Teen pregnancy is on the rise in Perth Amboy. According to Pamela Kelly, manager of data and evaluation at the Central New Jersey Maternal and Child Health Care Consortium, there were 115 teen births in the city of approximately 50,000 in 2007, compared with 100 in 2006.

At Perth Amboy High, at least 30 girls became pregnant during the last school year, up 50 percent from the year before, according to school nurse Miriam Hernandez. And that number only includes the girls who shared the information with Hernandez. Not everyone does.

Stephanie Rodriguez, a program coordinator for the consortium who teaches prenatal classes to pregnant teens, said there were a myriad of reasons -- including lack of education, low income and lack of self-esteem -- why Perth Amboy had such a high teen pregnancy rate.

During each two-hour party, four topics will be covered: reproductive anatomy and physiology, birth control, sexually transmitted infections and communication strategies.

Perth Amboy's seven "experts" were trained over a month by representatives of Plain Talk and Planned Parenthood. They will have to pass an online test to become certified.

At a Perth Amboy training session last week, Judyth Brown, an educator with Planned Parenthood, discussed communication techniques and situations the future leaders might encounter during parties, including how to deal with an irate parent who has learned his child is sexually active or how to react when a teenager asks for birth control.

One trainee, Nancy Rosario, said her sister was pregnant at 16. Rosario, 26, said she came from a traditional family that did not talk about sex.

"It's nice to be part of an initiative I'm passionate about," said the Perth Amboy resident. "It's also nice to open the line of communication between adults."

Acosta said the goal is to have 60 home health parties a year. She said Plain Talk will recruit hosts through fliers and community events.

Several residents surveyed by the Jewish Renaissance Center in March said they would be interested in hosting a party.

The survey was completed by 320 adults and 172 teens. Only half of the adults said they were very comfortable talking with teens about sex. And just 17 percent of female teens and 18 percent of male teens said they were very comfortable talking with adults about sex.

"I think the program is fantastic," said Brown. "Many of the adults have learned this in high school, but to reinforce it again in adulthood is fantastic. It brings together people and strengthens the community and creates bonds."

To host a party, call the Jewish Renaissance Foundation at (732)-376-6020, ext 23515.

Aliyah Shahid is a reporter for New Jersey Local News Service. She may be reached at ashahid@njlns.com or (908)-243-6233.