Boston youth organization seeks more extensive sex ed, condom distribution

The Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF), a youth-led neighborhood improvement organization in Boston’s Jamaica Plain, is asking for better sexual education for their peers, according to the Boston Globe.

The group reports that area teens are undereducated about safe sex practices. They told the news source that some of their peers believe they cannot get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) from oral sex, or that using a condom is useless since it is likely to break.

The HSTF has released a new video asking the Boston Public School System to improve Jamaica Plain’s sexual education system, and to install youth counselors in local schools who would discreetly distribute condoms to inquiring teens, the newspaper said.

Teens and young adults account for significant portions of the nation’s STD rates. Those who believe they have contracted an STD may benefit from online testing services, particularly if privacy is a significant factor.

Youth aged 13 to 24 account for approximately 13 percent of new HIV infections each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.