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Public Health – MARS Education

MARS Educational Outreach

MARS offers a broad sexual health program that meets the National Health Education Standards for high school aged students.  The MARS program also meets the Age-Appropriate Sexuality Education Topic Guidelines, which are published by Oregon's Department of Education

What sets MARS apart from other sexual health education curriculums?

Peer Educational Model

MARS uses a peer-to-peer model because research shows that peers are a significant influence on attitudes and behaviors during adolescence.  Our MARS Outreach Workers, who are college-age males, lead the sessions.  This has provided students the opportunity to learn from peers similar in age who speak the same language and who the students feel they can relate to.

Male Involvement

Another highlight of the MARS program is its special focus to involve males in the area of sexual and reproductive health.  Talking with males in sexual health and gender role discussions is the key to a holistic approach.  Though the program aims to increase male involvement in these topics, females are welcomed, included, and important to the discussion.

Engaging Activities

The program at times uses tactics that are a little outside the box, offering activities to model behaviors and also to give a chance for the students to peer teach.  The program is dynamic and uses teaching methods that work well with different learning styles.  The MARS program can also be changed to meet the needs of different groups for students and class sizes.  We believe in our program and we are eager to offer it wherever welcome!

The MARS Outreach Workers lead discussions with groups of young men and women aged 13-25 in high school and college classes, youth groups, support groups, fraternities, residence halls, and other organizations.  They work as peer educators and teach a six-session program that covers:

Introductory Session:  Introduction to MARS and Development of Group Values

• Session I: Media and Social Influences on Sexual Behavior
• Session II: Defining Sex, Identifying Risks, and Decision Making
• Session III: How to Talk about Sex - Communication Skills
• Session IV: Abstinence and Other Contraceptive Methods
• Session V: Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Session VI: Health Relationships and Consent

MARS Outreach Workers

The MARS Outreach Workers are male college students. They have been carefully selected to work for the MARS program based on their leadership skills and strong belief in the MARS mission. The MARS Outreach Workers receive a comprehensive four-day training in the field of sexual reproductive health and the MARS program. In addition, they receive regular updates on current family planning and sexual health information.

MARS offers a broad sexual health program in many settings including schools and organizations serving at-risk youth. MARS uses college-age males, like Brian Dekker, to lead the program and engage young men. Photo by Gazette Times

 

Why MARS?

Reproductive health funding and services have historically targeted females. This focus has been successful in reducing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates significantly. However, the United States continues to have an increasingly large number of unintended pregnancies and STIs, including HIV/AIDS. While studies have shown that men have different attitudes and expectations than women about healthcare, they still have reproductive health concerns and needs. Statistics confirm these needs:

• By age nineteen, 8 out of 10 young men have had intercourse at least once. (Family Planning Perspectives, 1999)
• By their late teenage years, just over 2 in 10 sexually experienced men have had only one partner, and almost 3 in 10 have had 6 or more. (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1995)
• One-quarter of sexually active 16-year-old males report having a female partner who was age 14 or younger during the last year. (Urban Institute, 1997)
• 75% of women want men to play a greater role in ensuring contraception is always used. (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 1997)

The MARS program was developed to support men in addressing their sexual health needs. It was created in Benton County and has been showcased at local and national conferences as an innovative and positive approach to male involvement.

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