What is CSE?
Comprehensive sex education (CSE) teaches that abstinence is the best way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and diseases (STDs), but it also includes medically accurate information about ways to reduce the risk of unplanned pregnancy and STDs, like birth control and condoms.
Research shows that abstinence-only education programs are not effective at delaying the initiation of sexual activity. On the other hand, CSE programs are highly effective in preventing the onset of sex, as well as reducing teen pregnancy and STD rates.
Why does it matter to Louisiana?
Louisiana has some of the highest rates of STDs and teen pregnancy in the country, and caregivers think the lack of sex education resources in our schools is one reason why. Check out this fact sheet for more information.
To find out what parents across Louisiana think about sex education, the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) and the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies (IWES) carried out a representative survey of 600 parents across the state in 2016. The resulting Louisiana Parent Survey can be found HERE.
Geaux Talk Campaign
Created by the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI), the Geaux Talk campaign is designed to empower Louisianans to incorporate comprehensive sex education into school curricula in order to combat the existing high rates of teen pregnancy and STDs. CSE promoted by Geaux Talk includes abstinence-based messages and content, and expands upon those messages with age appropriate medically accurate information. In addition parents and caregivers have the opportunity to select and support material that coincides with their family values and improves health outcomes for their children.
The inspiration for Geaux Talk came from the idea that all advocacy starts with a conversation. Our mission is to inspire and equip parents and caregivers, students, school board members, community groups and legislators to have discussions about comprehensive sex education and its benefits. These customizable conversations can cultivate the comfort necessary to inspire change.
We started Geaux Talk after surveying Louisiana caregivers about their attitudes and beliefs about sex education and how it should be provided in schools. We believe Geaux Talk will empower parents caregivers to contact school board members and other decision makers to incorporate desired CSE into existing abstinence-based curriculum taught in Louisiana schools.