Teaching Chastity


by Kerry Brine

Hi, this is a short note to tell you a bit about a group that tours high schools in Canada, speaking to our youth about Chastity. This is such an important message for all young people to hear. There are many groups and speakers who teach about Chastity, I'd like to tell you about just one.

The team is called the Challenge Team and was founded in 1993 by Rebecca Morcos who was involved in the pro-life movement and decided to try and get to the root of the problem even before it begins. I was a member of the Challenge Team in 1994, before I was married. It was a group of young adults 18-23, who volunteered six weeks of their lives, after university classes end but before high school was out.

The team was officially a non-religious organization but almost every member was inspired by a deep faith in our Lord. They could therefore reach both the private and public school systems as well as youth groups. The goal was to educate young people about the virtues of saving sex for marriage. They promoted chastity as a healthy 'lifestyle choice'. They use facts, skits and humor to reach their audience. And they speak about the reality of risks taken by teens using contraception.

It's grimly surprising. A 1 in 6 chance of getting pregnant while using the condom over a one year span, the rampant spread of STD's among our young people etc... the emotional consequences of entering into a sexual relationship before the convental commitment of marriage. Often, the youth audiences have never heard of these hazards before.

The Challenge Team also gives the youth the option of starting over again even if they've already made some bad choices. It's never too late to start practicing Chastity, they promise over and over. The highlight of the presentation is when they speak about the freedom that Chastity brings;

  • freedom to plan for the future,
  • freedom from heartbreak,
  • freedom from worrying if they will get pregnant etc...

They end with some practical dating tips, and a skit entitled "Ways to Say No". Surprisingly enough this will be the first time some of our young people will hear that Chastity is an option for them. Society has been telling them that they are uncontrolled, uncontrollable walking hormones and they won't be able to say no, so make sure they have a condom. The response from the kids to the message of Chastity is most often positive. They want to know that it's O.K to say No, and that they are not alone, or that it is not too late for them. I know teams like this make a difference.

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