How to talk about STDs - Using STD Videos to Model Communication

Teaching sexual communication skills is an important component of sex education. Without the ability to communicate about sexual health, young people are not able to make and follow through on healthy decisions and may be put at risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Classroom settings are limited in their ability to illustrate what healthy communication between partners looks like in real-life situations. Videos modeling conversations about STDs offer new and compelling ways to show teens what healthy and respectful communication looks like when young people are in sexual situations. The videos on which this lesson is based were designed to help young people feel more comfortable and confident in their ability to talk about STD prevention and management with a sexual partner. These videos can be used to supplement other programming on STDs.