2006 Youth Activist Scholarship -- Richard Ross

Richard Ross is a senior at the Law and Government Community Service High School in Queens, New York City. He has made a strong commitment to providing teens with the best possible sex education and accurate information about their reproductive rights. Donna Lieberman, Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union said of Richard: “he has played a crucial role in one of the most valuable youth groups in New York City.”

Following is Richard’s scholarship essay.

My commitment to improving the sexual health of adolescents is rooted in my own experiences. My mother contracted the HIV virus before I was born. Fortunately, I didn’t acquire the virus, but at ten-years-old when she told me she was HIV positive it just hit home. My mother has dedicated herself to activism and prevention. Since the age of thirteen, I have been working by her side to do whatever I can to educate young people about HIV/AIDS. That’s why I’m thankful to the Community Healthcare Network’s Teens P.A.C.T. (Positive Actions and Choices for Teens) program for giving me tools to promote teens’ civil rights. Every young person has the right to accurate sexual health education. In New York, teens also have the right to receive affordable, confidential reproductive healthcare without their parent’s permission.

Working as a Teens P.A.C.T. Peer Educator for the last four years, I have learned first- hand the values of education and empowerment. Teens P.A.C.T. provides teens with access to accurate information about sexual health and a safe space to express themselves freely. As a Peer Educator, I present workshops to teens on a range of issues from self-esteem to safer sex. I also encourage them to access the reproductive healthcare services they need. I became an activist because I believe that teens are not only more likely to grasp sexual health information when it comes from another teen, but they are also more likely to make positive choices if someone like them is modeling healthy behavior.

In addition to presenting workshops with Teens P.A.C.T., last spring I helped plan a

teen health conference called “More than Just Sex” where three hundred teens attended health workshops and a resource fair. I also helped create the scripts and acted in a series of sex education videos made by teens, for teens and about teens. The videos, called “Somethin’ To Think About,” were purchased by the New York City of Education for use in public high schools and by several organizations throughout the country. I am especially proud of these projects because they have allowed me to communicate my message in different ways, to make sex education fun and teen-friendly, and to reach a large number of young people.

As much as I love working at Teens P.A.C.T., there have been tough times. Last year I

took a break from the program because my grades dropped. Having time away helped me realize that I need to balance work and school in order to succeed in both. Next year I plan to go to Old Westbury College in Long Island to study business management. Eventually I want to own a sneaker boutique in Jamaica, Queens. As a business owner, I will continue to educate teens about HIV/AIDS and their right to reproductive healthcare by sponsoring youth conferences, health fairs, and college scholarships. Success for me means continuing to help young people follow their path and do the right thing.