Al12- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 18, 1998

Teen moms back condom
machines in washrooms

TEEN MOMS at a school
district-run daycare centre
strongly support the idea of
making condoms available
in school washrooms.

At least 65 per cent of stu-
dents at Caledonia
Secondary are sexually ac-

tive, estimate students
Kristy Strachan and Leanne
Woods at PACES. ‘

They and other young
women at the daycare centr¢
had a number of reasons
why condoms should be
made available,

THe most common argu!
ment is that it’s too embart
rassing for teens to buy con},
doms at drug stores or su#
permarkets,

“Some peopie are too
shy,”” said Dawn Green.
She’s a student at
Caledonia, and has twd
daughters enrolled at the
daycare centre, ‘““They’re
worried that the clerks
might think they’re kind of
young.”

Another student wondered
if there was an age limit on
purchasing birth control of
any sort. (There isn’t.)

Strachan also said having
condoms made available at
school would make it more
convenient for students who
might not be bothered to
take a trip into town,

‘People are having sex
umyhow,’’ she said,

Strachan also felt it was
important for schools to pro-
mote safer sex. .

Leanne Woods, who has a
son at PACES daycare,
thought condoms should be
made available free in the
washrooms, She dida’t like
the thought of having to go
to counselor for them, be-
cause some teens might find
that experience embarrass-
ing.

“There’d be Jess teen
mothers if birth control was
more available,” _—said
Woods.

Sarah de Leeuw of the
women’s centre is trying to
make that happen. She’s

hoping the community will .ponisanodel.as - = .

rafty behind her effort “to
coitvince the school board to
make condoms available at
schools.

Petitions have been sent to
several locatians around
town.

kkk kk
PACES students were ex-.
ploring and learning about
different birth control op-
tions last week, when public
health nurse Alice
Christensen visited ‘the

They’re
hard
to find

IF YOU'RE a teen, and
you're too embarrassed to
buy condoms at the drug
Store or supermarket, where
can you get them? Not too
many places.

Condoms aren’t available
in schools and nearly all gas
stations and hotels don’t
have condom machines in
the washroom — at least
those to which teens have
access.

The Terrace Standard did
at informal survey of local
businesses, Of 12 contacted,
condoms were only avail-
able in the washrooms of
one — Mount Layton Hot

Springs.
When asked, — school
counselors said  they’ve

heard teens can buy con-
doms at places like hotels
and gas stations, or hang-
outs like Chalkys, but that
isn’t the case,

Sarah de Leeuw, of the
Terrace Women’s Resource
Centre conducted her own
survey, phoning a large
number of gas stations and
other businesses. She said
she didn’t find anywhere
that teens could buy con-
doms anonymously.

Teens can get free con-
doms at the Planned
Parenthoad clinic, ran Tues-
day nights at the Northwest
Community Health Services
Society building (formerly
the Skeena health unit.)

Information on a wide va-
ricty of birth control, plus
free counselling, is also
available. Phone 638-2027,

PUBLIC HEALTH nurse Alice Christensen shows teen mothers Leanne Woods

_ and Dawn Green how to insert a diaphragm. Christensen was at the PACES

school for young moms recently, for a birth control demonstration, The teens en-

school.

Christensen brought in a
wooden model of a penis
and a plastic model of the
vagina and uterus, Students
were able to practice how to
properly apply a male con-
dom, female condom,
diaphragm, spermicide and

- more,

But the majorily of high
school and junior high stu-
dents don’t seem to have the
chance to do use the display.

Christensen said in order
for her to bring her display
of parts and birth control
options, she has to be in-

*vited by a teacher and usual-
‘ly approved by the school’s
principal, and sometimes the
counselor as well. And that

doesn’t happen too often,
Occasionally a_ principal
will intervene, and sanction
part of the display, but rule
out items. like .the wood

While the display at
PACES provoked a few gig-
gles, it also prompted the
young women to ask ques-
tions.

One teen asked if two con-
doms are safer than one.

Not 50, replied
Christensen, since friction
can build between the twa
condoms, causing breakage.
Some students wondered

how a diaphragin prevents
sperm fom escaping around
the edges, how to remove a
diaphragm and when is it

safe to do so.

We

THIS CONDOM machine is

, joyed the frank discussion which gave them the chance to ask questions.

in the women's

washroom at Hanky’s — and therefore isn’t acces-
sible to teens. The Terrace Standard only found one
business where teens could discreetly buy condoms.

Christensen also explained
how a cervical cap worked,
and how women can find
their cervix in order to prop-
erly insert the cap. She also
brought along a device
called Lea’s shield, for

women who are allergic to
latex.

Christensen encouraged
the teens to become familiar
with their bodies, and to
have regular pap and breast
exams.

Start Counting Your Paycheques

Have you ever thought
about the number of
paycheques you'll receive
before your retire? If you
haven’? , here’s a sobering
thought; a 25-year old who
plans to retire at age 65 has 960
paydays left. A 45 year old has
only 480. Assuming that you
will receive 24 paycheques a
year for the rest of your
working life, how many do you
have left?

Now consider how much
you save from each paycheque
towards your retirement. For
many Canadians, a paycheque
barely stretches over the Iwo
week pay period. The fact is,
most of us have limited time
and resources before we retire.
But it’s important to remember
that we may live another 30
years after retirement. That
challenge is to bridge the gap
between how much we can put
aside for retirement and how
much we'll actually need.

There are three ways you
can bridge the gap: by saving
more, by working longer or by
choosing growth investments.
Saving more is a good idea, bul
it's always possible, especially
if you're paying a mortgage or
raising children. Depending on
you job, working after 65 may
not be possible. In any event,
it’s difficult to tell now how
you'll feel about working when
you're 68, And even if you do
work longer, it's better to work
by choice than because of
financial needs.

That leaves growth
investments: putting at least
some of your money in the

slock market, where there’s
potential for greater returns,
Teturns that can ort pace
inflation.

. Peter: Arcadi
Personal Financial Analyst

Primerica Financial
Services In Terrace

Many people are intimidated by
the complexities of the stock
Market. They are more
comfortable with another, easier
way lo invest: equity mutual
funds, which offer professional
money management and
diversification. Historically,
well-managed equity funds have
oulperfortied other types af
investments over the long term.
In addition, there are a variety
of mutual funds available,
which give you an opportunily
to choose funds that match your
tisk tolerance and time horizon.
“In most cases: people carn a
finite number of paycheques,”
says Elizabeth Hayle, vice-
president of marketing at
Trimark. “So, if saving more or
working longer aren't. options
for you, you'll have to make
your savings work harder. That

means starting early with a
regular invesiment program so
your money has a longer time
to grow. It also means locking
at financial vehicles like
equilics and equity mutual
funds because they offer the
best opportunity for growth
over time.”

The earlier you invest in
equily mutual funds, the more
growth potential your money
will have. For example, if at
age 25, you invest $2,000 per
year (at the beginning of each
ycar) for 10 years and then stop
investing, at 10 per cent return
you'll have over $610,000 at
age 65, But, if you wait until
you're 35 and invest $2,000 for
the next 30 years, you'll have
about $360,000, That’s a loss
of $250,000.

By laking the time now to
find the best long-term
consistent return, you can
improve your financial future
significantly, Even one
percentage point can make a
dramatic difference over time.
If, at the beginning of each
year, you place $5,000 in an
investment that earns sight per
cent over 30) years, rather than
one that earns nine per cent,
you lose out over $131,000.

“There are three things you
can do with your paycheque:
spend il, lend it or invest it,”
says Hoyle. “Before you spend
another paycheque, think about
how many you have left.”

How many paycheques do

you have left?
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The Annual General Meeting

of the
TERRACE PUBLIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
will be held on
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19/98

at 7:00 p.m.
in the Terrace Library Meating Room
Elections to the Board of Trustees will take place,
Nominations for these positions will be accepted fram the floor

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