How did Positively Waiting start?
Several of us back in 1997 got the brilliant idea that if we just TOLD teens, “Sex makes babies!” they’d stop doing it… yeah, right. So THAT didn’t work! Teens already knew sex makes babies, but what they didn’t know was how they were being LIED TO. Ramsay Devereux (now a Positively Waiting Advisory Board member) and Karen Kropf (Program Director) started asking the students what affected their attitudes, decisions and behavior about sex. The program we use today is the result of what they taught us. After many years developing the program under the auspices of the Pregnancy Resource Center, our non-profit was launched in January of 2003 with their blessing.
Do teens really listen?
We do something very few adults are able or willing to do. We tell our own story. Teens have heard about facts, stats and data. But those are just numbers roaming around in their heads. They don’t have any meaning in “real life.” Our story (Jim and Karen Kropf) is sad and compelling. We live with the permanent consequences of our adolescent sexual decisions. But our story also includes the challenge of starting over, the years we learned to resist temptation, how we gained control of our passion, so that when we vowed “you and you only” those weren’t just words with no meaning. They had power behind them.
Teens are very relational. They want to belong. They are in love with being in love. Our story is a real-life example of love’s high standard.
Are your presentations usually done in an assembly format?
No, most often, we are in one classroom all day, for 5 or 6 periods. We prefer it this way, because it’s so personal. No one “escapes” hearing they are worth waiting for!
Do you use the exact same messages in every venue?
Every presentation is tailored exactly according to guidelines of the hosting authority, without exception. On public school campuses, probation camp or other secular environment, we accept the authority of our hosting facilities. Those presentations deal exclusively with the physical, emotional and relational consequences of non-marital sexual activity. When we speak in a church or religious school, we add, on request, the spiritual aspects of sex outside of marriage.
Ultimately, we only bring the material that is appropriate and allowed for the environment we are in. One host prefers to emphasize the physical/emotional risks and another wants to emphasize the spiritual/relational risks. We can adapt. All we want is for kids to be safe.
Are churches or Christian schools are more receptive?
Actually no. Churched kids have “heard it all before,” so they're actually harder to win over. Sometimes they are unkind. But we feel a lot of satisfaction when they say, “I’ve been hearing ’don’t do it’ for years but THIS time I finally got it.”
Is that where you get your funding, from churches?
As a matter of fact, few religious organizations support us. Their objection is it's a waste of time to talk about the benefits of sexual self control (abstinence outside of marraige/faithfulness within marriage) in public schools, because young people will not be able to stick to their pledge without supernatural intervention.
While we agree that resisting temptation in our sex-saturated culture is extremely difficult, we also believe young people are capable of making healthy choices, if they are given practical tools and compelling motivation.
All of our support comes from the communities we serve. We do not accept any government funding, and our public school presentations are offered free as a community service. However, we do send out a monthly newsletter inviting donations (the average is about $30.00) and we supplement those donations by charging a nominal fee for parent presentations, adult workshops, and singles seminars.
What about the kids who won’t wait?
This may be controversial, but we are not against birth control or condoms, per se. Some kids smoke, drink and do drugs in spite of knowing the risks... so? We don’t lower the standard because some of them do. By the reasoning, we are dead set against giving any child the impression that “Sex with Protection” is the same as “Abstinence until marriage/Faithfulness in marriage.” Our advice assures their safety (physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually). Every other option puts them at risk for serious consequences.
Teens have easy access to condoms and information about free birth control (have you seen a bus bench lately??). But WE would never be willing to look a child in the face and say, “Yes, dear, everyone else deserves 100% protection for their body, heart and dreams. But YOU only deserve 85% protection... so here’s a condom.”
Someone who cares a lot less about that kid than we do will have to say that.
Want to see or schedule a presentation? click here
Several of us back in 1997 got the brilliant idea that if we just TOLD teens, “Sex makes babies!” they’d stop doing it… yeah, right. So THAT didn’t work! Teens already knew sex makes babies, but what they didn’t know was how they were being LIED TO. Ramsay Devereux (now a Positively Waiting Advisory Board member) and Karen Kropf (Program Director) started asking the students what affected their attitudes, decisions and behavior about sex. The program we use today is the result of what they taught us. After many years developing the program under the auspices of the Pregnancy Resource Center, our non-profit was launched in January of 2003 with their blessing.
Do teens really listen?
We do something very few adults are able or willing to do. We tell our own story. Teens have heard about facts, stats and data. But those are just numbers roaming around in their heads. They don’t have any meaning in “real life.” Our story (Jim and Karen Kropf) is sad and compelling. We live with the permanent consequences of our adolescent sexual decisions. But our story also includes the challenge of starting over, the years we learned to resist temptation, how we gained control of our passion, so that when we vowed “you and you only” those weren’t just words with no meaning. They had power behind them.
Teens are very relational. They want to belong. They are in love with being in love. Our story is a real-life example of love’s high standard.
Are your presentations usually done in an assembly format?
No, most often, we are in one classroom all day, for 5 or 6 periods. We prefer it this way, because it’s so personal. No one “escapes” hearing they are worth waiting for!
Do you use the exact same messages in every venue?
Every presentation is tailored exactly according to guidelines of the hosting authority, without exception. On public school campuses, probation camp or other secular environment, we accept the authority of our hosting facilities. Those presentations deal exclusively with the physical, emotional and relational consequences of non-marital sexual activity. When we speak in a church or religious school, we add, on request, the spiritual aspects of sex outside of marriage.
Ultimately, we only bring the material that is appropriate and allowed for the environment we are in. One host prefers to emphasize the physical/emotional risks and another wants to emphasize the spiritual/relational risks. We can adapt. All we want is for kids to be safe.
Are churches or Christian schools are more receptive?
Actually no. Churched kids have “heard it all before,” so they're actually harder to win over. Sometimes they are unkind. But we feel a lot of satisfaction when they say, “I’ve been hearing ’don’t do it’ for years but THIS time I finally got it.”
Is that where you get your funding, from churches?
As a matter of fact, few religious organizations support us. Their objection is it's a waste of time to talk about the benefits of sexual self control (abstinence outside of marraige/faithfulness within marriage) in public schools, because young people will not be able to stick to their pledge without supernatural intervention.
While we agree that resisting temptation in our sex-saturated culture is extremely difficult, we also believe young people are capable of making healthy choices, if they are given practical tools and compelling motivation.
All of our support comes from the communities we serve. We do not accept any government funding, and our public school presentations are offered free as a community service. However, we do send out a monthly newsletter inviting donations (the average is about $30.00) and we supplement those donations by charging a nominal fee for parent presentations, adult workshops, and singles seminars.
What about the kids who won’t wait?
This may be controversial, but we are not against birth control or condoms, per se. Some kids smoke, drink and do drugs in spite of knowing the risks... so? We don’t lower the standard because some of them do. By the reasoning, we are dead set against giving any child the impression that “Sex with Protection” is the same as “Abstinence until marriage/Faithfulness in marriage.” Our advice assures their safety (physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually). Every other option puts them at risk for serious consequences.
Teens have easy access to condoms and information about free birth control (have you seen a bus bench lately??). But WE would never be willing to look a child in the face and say, “Yes, dear, everyone else deserves 100% protection for their body, heart and dreams. But YOU only deserve 85% protection... so here’s a condom.”
Someone who cares a lot less about that kid than we do will have to say that.
Want to see or schedule a presentation? click here
