AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Teen pregnancy is a hard enough issue for parents and adults to talk about, much less teens. But that's what this group of young people is committed to doing in their own schools.
Wednesday, members of the PEACE Program, or Peer Educators Acting for Change and Equality, met with the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition.
They gave a mock presentation similar to ones they'll show to their fellow students during the school year... telling them how and why to avoid teen pregnancy or answer questions about what they should do if they are already in that situation.
"Adults can go in and talk all day long about this but you relate better with people your own age and if they have someone coming in talking about teen pregnancy they may feel more comfortable talking to someone their own age", said adult ally for the PEACE Program, Kodi Blankenship.
Not only does the PEACE Program feel kids are more comfortable confiding in their fellow students, two of these peer mentors, Melissa and Keely, said they can actually relate.
"It's uncomfortable for some people. I'm used to it because I have family members and stuff that were teen moms", said peer mentor, Melissa Rogers.
"I think for me, it really kind of hits home and I know kind of a lot about it because my mom was a teen mom and I saw how she struggled and some of the things she went through and how it really affected her life", added another mentor, Keely Gun.
It's knowledge like that, leaders say, that shows these kids have wisdom beyond their years.
"They've made that impact on their own fellow students", said Blankenship.
"It's better to wait because you're young and you don't want to, like, not ruin your life but you don't want to pause your life to have to take care of a little kid", said Rogers.
The PEACE Program has four peer groups in schools right now, at Riveroad Middle School and High School, Amarillo High and Tascosa.
