From Advocates for Youth:
- The MYCouncil members have been across the state surveying the sale and accessibility of condoms to young persons. Sending in data and personal stories, we all could not help notice how all of us had experienced some form of shame or embarrassment when asking for or looking at the condoms. When you walked up to a store employee they, as usual, were eager to help and answer any questions you had, but when asked “Can you tell me where the condoms are?” they made strange looks and made you doubt if you were suppose to ask such a thing. One of our members, after asking the worker where the condoms were, was asked her age because the worker believed she was not old enough to be acquiring condoms. Many stores in our communities had condoms behind the counter, forcing young people to ask for the clerk to retrieve a box. This display method instantly made things awkward for the teen wanting to purchase this method of protection. When the condoms were in the aisles, we received judgemental looks from adults at numerous locations. The question here is, how are teens suppose to protect themselves and their health when they are made to feel awkward and out of place when seeking protection? The shame and embarrassment we teens feel when buying condoms is holding many of us back from being safe.
Here's an idea..ask your mom and dad.
