When confronted with the challenge of teaching a roomful of 12- to 14-year-olds about puberty, Rachel Tokarski kept the mood light but made sure not to giggle or blush along with the crowd.

Not so much older than her students, Ms. Tokarski, 20, has been a peer educator on health issues for Adagio Health for more than a year.

	Post-Gazette
	Rachel Tokarski teaches a group of kids "awesome communications" as part of the Adagio Health peer educators program. Click photo for larger image.

Adagio Health, which provides reproductive health care services, began the program about 10 years ago, said Mary Anne Poutous, who oversees Adagio's Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention as part of her role as director of community education. Then known as Family Health Council, the agency wanted to develop a program to curb teen pregnancy.

"We recognized the benefits of peer-to-peer education," Mrs. Poutous said. "The kids see the educators as a more credible source because of their age."

Family Health Council modeled its program on other peer-to-peer educator programs recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Adagio Health staff and seasoned peer educators train the educators, typically between 18 and 24, in 14 different topics such as assertiveness, sexually transmitted diseases, decision making, communication skills, hygiene, goal setting, pregnancy prevention and puberty. The educators normally speak at high schools as guest speakers throughout Western Pennsylvania. This past year peer educators in 18 different counties taught 44,097 students. They earn minimum wage and many stay in the program for four or five years, using it as a job during college.

Teachers typically contact Adagio Health and request the program. They choose which topic will be taught; like whether the sex education will focus on birth control, abstinence or STDs. The program is designed for children from kindergarten to high school, said Damion Wilson, manager of the pregnancy prevention center.

Adagio Health is trying to track the success of the program at schools, New Castle Youth Development Center and Abraxas Youth and Family Division. Mrs. Poutous said. At schools, students will take a test before and after the lesson to measure how much they have learned and teachers fill out an evaluation of the educators.

Ms. Tokarski, of Irwin, and Andrew Moore, of the North Side, taught two groups of kids ages 8 to 11 and 10 to 14 at the Westinghouse Valley Human Services Center in Turtle Creek. That day, the younger group was learning mostly communication skills and hygiene while the older group covered decision making and puberty. The presentations were part of a series of talks to the kids at the center.

Ms. Tokarski handled puberty while Mr. Moore, still training to be an educator, also addressed hygiene with the group of 10- to 14-year-olds.

"Can anyone tell me what puberty is?" Ms. Tokarski's inquiry was met with dead silence from the 15 or so kids sitting on the floor of the classroom.

She said she typically begins a presentation on anything involving sex education -- birth control, puberty, abstinence -- by telling kids to "get the giggles out."

Children periodically hid their faces with embarrassment while Ms. Tokarski held up a diagram of genitalia to describe how the plumbing works. She let the kids giggle, but she spoke frankly and answered questions seriously and as best she could.

Adagio's program is being expanded to work with teenagers in the juvenile justice system.

At the drug rehabilitation center at Abraxas Youth and Family Division in Marienville, Forest County, and at New Castle Youth Development Center in Lawrence County, a facility for adjudicated youth, residents recommended by faculty are trained to become educators and teach 40-minute classes. Herb McConnell, education director for Abraxas, said teenagers at the drug rehabilitation center have responded well to the program.

"There seems to be more open discussion," he said about a class he sat in on. People at the center are normally 14 to 19.

It works out well for both the young educators and the participants.

"You can take delinquent youths and give them the experience of going through an interview, presenting in front of a group and they get paid," Mrs. Poutous said. The young educators from those facilities can use the money to pay fines or restitution they owe if they have been involved in legal cases.

For more information on Adagio Health's peer education program, call Mary Anne Poutous at 412-288-2130.