The Message

Pure Passion is a nationally-known peer-to-peer education program that encourages the importance of positive decision making, self-image, healthy relationships, and following your passions.

We deliver our message through the following:

P2 ANNUAL EVENT – We hold our big event at a school or in the community in Kent County every year.  Students are selected to plan the event, showcase their passions, and model appropriate and stylish clothing in the show.  The message is delivered through these students and also communicated through video, art, music, and speaking.

The focus of this event is helping students consider the image that they are presenting to others and the choices they are making, related to sexuality. P2 role models teach students how to dress positively, in a way that is both modest and stylish. A nationally-known youth speaker also teaches Sexual Risk Avoidance, a proven education method for helping young people make informed, responsible decisions regarding sexual activity while using medically-accurate health information.  If you would like to consider hosting the P2 event, email p2@wedgwood.org.

 

P2 TOURING TEAM – Our P2 Touring Team is a group of students ages 14–21 who travel to communities in West Michigan, bringing the P2 message.  These role models lead workshops where they share how following their passions has helped them “Avoid the Risks” and temptation of sexual activity.  In addition, these teens demonstrate how to dress in a way that promotes a positive image and lifestyle.  The P2 Touring Team also serves as a youth advisory council for the Coalition on Adolescent Choices and Health (C.O.A.C.H.), The Michigan Abstinence Partnership (M.A.P.).  To request that the Touring Team come to your organization, email p2@wedgwood.org.

 

P2 MEDIA – Our media projects include video, social media, posters, and the P2 website.  Projects produced by area teens and youth professionals allow us to reach a wider audience online.  In addition, this website offers tips for parents and teens regarding maintaining a positive image and sexual risk avoidance.  Our “Avoid the Risk” section provides teens with medically-accurate health information about the consequences of engaging in sexual activity so that they can make healthy and informed decisions.  The content features real questions from real teens addressing common questions that adolescents have regarding sexual activity.

   

P2 addresses clothing choices as one of a series in steps towards healthy decision-making. We encourage teens to recognize their positive qualities  and make clothing choices which represent them.  People often communicate who they are on the inside by what they look and act like on the outside. Pure Passion for Fashion showcases a variety of fashions that make you feel good on the inside and look good on the outside.

It’s challenging to dress in a way that is both stylish and modest. The media tells us that “image is everything” and “you need to look a certain way”. The media also shows sexually suggestive programming, ads, and messages without being honest about the consequences of that behavior.

Pure Passion presents TRUTH! Sex is a wonderful thing, in the right time and place….marriage. The benefits of waiting are many and include avoiding sexually transmitted infections and emotional distress. We believe that teens have the power to make responsible choices for their lives and through P2 we give them encouragement to consider the benefits of waiting for sex.

  • 1 in 4 sexually active teens will contract a Sexually Transmitted Infection.
  • Feelings and emotions are affected too. Studies show that sexually active teens are far more likely to feel depressed.
  • Saving sex for marriage is a decision that is packed with positive benefits.
  • 100% FREE from worries of pregnancy, STI’s or emotional entanglements.
  • CONFIDENCE! The strongest people are leaders not followers. So what if it seems like everyone else is having sex! (By the way, they’re not)
  • You are LOVED and WORTH WAITING FOR.
  • RESPECT, HEALTH, HAPPINESS, AND A HOPEFUL FUTURE!
  • The style we choose can reinforce positive decisions for a healthier future!

(Parts of this article were taken from www.medinstitute.org )

Our message is delivered through:

  • Fashion, provided by area retailers, modeled by students.
  • Drama vignettes that address peer pressures that teenagers face.
  • Music and technology
  • Nationally-acclaimed speakers that encourage abstinence from risky behaviors and living your  passion.
  • Teens showcasing their passion by sharing their talents.

   

What's Your Passion? from Pure Passion for Fashion on Vimeo.

  

Passion is Proven!

According to the Search Institute, encouraging teens to identify and pursue their sparks or  “Passions”, with the help of deep, supportive relationships, are critical components in the work of helping a young person succeed. Their research results strongly suggest that having at least one “passion”, plus the support to develop it, is significantly and consistently related to having better outcomes, both in behavior and academics.

Students with sparks tend to be, and to feel, healthier. They tend to be less depressed, less worried, and more satisfied overall. They place greater importance on being connected to school and making contributions to society, which are factors strongly related to school success indicators such as academic confidence and grades. Helping young people identify their sparks, and providing them the opportunity to develop those interests, appears to be  an way to help teens lead healthier lives and make positive decisions.

SEARCH INSTITUTE INSIGHTS & EVIDENCE • NOVEMBER 2010 • VOL. 5, NO. 1