YOU'RE THE MAN!

Today I've had a few enlightening conversations with guy friends and faculty that have helped guide my message. I've been taking their perspectives combined with factual information gathered from National Organization surveys of teen boys and my own creative ideas.

The phrase "You're the Man" seems to resonate with everyone I talk to. Today, faculty Michael Mages reacted to it, saying that it's affirmative, presents a positive idea of masculinity, and ties into responsibility well.

The research I've done suggests that teen boys respond well to messages that affirm their masculinity and paint them in a "hero" perspective as a male. I feel like this phrase "you're the man" is adaptable for my purpose, as it is something guys already say to each other, but can have added meaning regarding personal empowerment and responsibility when it comes to healthy choices (i.e. sex and contraception). It is more positive and less heavy-handed than other key messages which seek to influence behavior.

Gratitude

In the spirit of the Oscars and my own immense gratitude - I'd like to thank people who have helped me out so much recently on my thesis project!

Brian Camarena, creative inspiration + spontaneous beers!

Austin Colby, my brother! creative inspiration + moral support!

Jake Ginsky, creative inspiration across time and space!

Roxy Davison, moral support!

Michelle Carpenter, UCD - creative, strategy, moral support!

Bryan Leister, creative + strategy!

Brian DeLevie, UCD - creative + strategy!

Michael Salamon, UCD - creative + strategy!

Lauren Baker - Nurse Family Partnership - creative + strategy!

Joey Torres - Colorado Youth Matter - creative + strategy!

Using existing data instead of polling minors

I reached out to the University of CO -Office of Research Development and Education to find out the protocol and legality around polling underage people about sexuality.

I was referred to the CU Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board (COMIRB), an administration "made up of 25 individuals whose responsibility is to ensure that all research activities involving human participants are conducted in a way that promotes the rights and welfare of the subjects. "

Ita Leitner of COMIRB promptly responded to me, suggested I assemble an "Expedited Submission with all the applicable attachments and materials."

I asked where to find these documents - and she directed me to a web page with a dizzying number of forms, and kindly wished me luck on my project.

I was already feeling uncomfortable about distributing my survey to schools, but now I really felt like I was in over my head.

I zeroed in on two forms "Application-for-Protocol-Review" and "Attachment-H-Children". The forms are written in such a way that they suggest use for scientific studies, especially those involving administration of drugs, or psychological research.

While my research would require these forms since I am studying sexual behavior and values of minors, it is more of a sociological study.

In any case, I continued digging deeper in my research on the internet. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (which I've mentioned in prior posts) is an incredible source of information, and I was fortunate to find a study administered in 2009 which closely parallels the survey I had developed. Here is the survey:

That's What He Said; What Guys Think About Sex, Love, Contraception, and Relationships

There are a few differences between the National Campaign survey and mine:

• National Campaign study is a little older than I was aiming for (15-22, segmented to 15-18 and 19-22); I was planning to poll 13-17
• questions parallel, and sometimes improve upon, my questions
• this is a national study, not exclusive to Denver
• my questions focus more on teen pregnancy and parenting than on sex alone

The age difference is not too much of an issue because they did segment their responses, and regardless, the work I create for this project is intended to influence ideas of all these ages. Just because the lower bracket is excluded from the poll does not mean they cannot be a valid part of a target audience.

I spoke with Bryan Leister about my concerns for administering a survey on my own, with an audience COMIRB calls "vulnerable" (children) and on a sensitive, personal matter. Bryan argued that I am not prepared to be a good survey administrator - that there are very specific ways that polls should be structured/worded/conducted, and I do not have experience with that. He strongly supported that I use existing research to build my message. He also noted that any legitimate national study of teen boys shouldn't demonstrate any big differences in teen boy beliefs and behavior; those would probably apply to Denver boys as they do nationally.

So, at this juncture, I am redirecting my efforts towards developing powerful messaging from existing research, instead of orchestrating a survey myself.

Thesis paper outline, v1

Ideas for show promo

BFA SHOW PROMO IDEAS

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

• poster
• postcards
• biz cards
• email blast
• website - showcasing artists and link to each of our websites (a Wordpress site? a site with a crazy homepage?)
• guerilla flyers - with tabs to pull off -stuff on lamp posts
• Facebook event
• stickers
• DJ
• Get a bar to sponsor an after party and publicize that too

distribute postcards to

• ad agencies
• art stores,
• galleries,
• cafes,

NOTIFY

• agencies
• westword
• 5280
• The Creative Group
• other hiring-entities

Busy week

I have a busy week... meeting with Lauren Baker of Nurse Family Partnership, Joey Torres of Colorado Youth Matter, as well as Michelle Carpenter and Bryan Leister, my mentors.

I deeply hope to have a better plan by Friday...

Surveying the boys

I woke up this morning thinking about my thesis, and began to take notes furiously before I started my day.

I am nervous about how I will pool an audience to draw information from. I began to consider how I would poll teen boys.

First, I believe it is absolutely necessary to tell teens exactly what I'm doing and why - have trust & transparency.

I want to get this research done in the next 7-10 days! Yikes.

Where to approach teens?

-org's, i.e. Girls Inc. CO Youth Matter, Aurora Teen Pregnancy Project

-McDonalds (I know Travis was kidding, but it's actually not a bad idea)

-on campus

-on the street

-skate park

-sex ed program at a school

-set up survey website / put on craigslist?

The really tricky thing is that these are quite intimate questions, and I'm not sure what is the best platform to get good answers. Accosting kids on the street is sort of sudden and intrusive; if I conducted an online survey, I'd want to make absolutely sure it is truly teen guys who are answering (not girls, and not random other people).

Maybe I can pass out the survey with a website code, and there is an incentive to completing the survey? Uggh… I can't afford to spend money on incentives… (maybe they get free condoms?! a code for mail-order Trojans :-)

Then I asked - is there any forum online where GUYS (teens) talk about sex? I feel like there are tons of sites for girls.

A short, simple survey on paper - anonymous - seems like a decent idea. I explored some potential questions I could ask, to get a read on what teen guys think about sex, birth control, and their personal responsibilities.

Here are some of the questions I came up with - VERY rough, just ideas.

================================

An anonymous questionnaire for teen boys.

Have you ever bought condoms?

Have you NOT bought condoms because you:

a) are embarrassed

b) don't have money for it

c) don't know where to get them

d) don't believe they're important

e) other ________________________

Do you think birth control is the responsibility of

a) girl

b) guy

c) both

d) neither

Who do you think is usually the one who does take responsibility for birth control?

a) girl

b) guy

If you decide not to use a condom, is it because you:

a) were unprepared (did not have one)

b) got caught up in the moment

c) don't know how to use it

d) don't think it's important

e) it is insulting to you or your partner

f) it causes suspicion between you and your partner

g) other ________________________

Do you ever worry about getting your partner pregnant?

a) no, never

b) sometimes, but chances are slim

c) a little, I should probably take more precaution

b) yes, definitely

If you answered "no" to the above, why are you not concerned?

______________________________________________

Have you ever considered how your life would change if you became a teen father?

a) yes

b) no

When you hear of other teen parents, do you think: (check all that apply)

a) that won't happen to me

b) they must have wanted it

c) they didn't take precautions

d) other ________________________

Did you know that 3/10 girls become pregnant before they turn 20?

Does this change how you feel about the importance of birth control?

a) yes

b) no

Do you think it's important to use a condom during sex because

a) it's a proven way to prevent pregnancy

b) it's a proven way to prevent STI's

c) you've been told it's important

d) not really sure why it's important

I choose NOT to wear a condom because:

a) takes away from the pleasure

b) don't like how it feels/looks

c) makes me feel like less of a man

d) it's awkward to put on

e) it kills the moment

Do you get most information about sex from

a) girl friends

b) guy friends

c) the Internet

d) school educators

e) non-school programs/educators

f) parents

g) siblings

h) TV & movies

i) other ________________________

If your partner became pregnant, would you

a) commit to fathering it, regardless of school/future plans

b) explore options besides parenting

c) leave it to the mother, it's her problem

d) no idea, I can't imagine that happening

e) that wouldn't happen to me