Healthy Respect Scores Points at Basketball Camp
Abstinence Educator Reaches Teen Girls at Charlie Ward Summer Camp Sessions

Zalika Warren teaches abstinence education to teens at the Charlie Ward Basketball Camp for Girls in the Bronx

Healthy Respect took to the basketball court and scored a slam-dunk when abstinence educator Zalika Warren gave a series of talks to young female hoopsters at the Charlie Ward Basketball Camp in the Bronx. Ward, a one-time New York Knicks star who now plays for the Houston Rockets, invited Warren to give six talks during the three-day camp to about 80 girls, ages 12-17. The camp was held at Manhattan College’s Draddy Gym.

“It was a great opportunity to reach young people who were motivated to achieve their best in sports, and show them how abstinence until marriage works into any plan for a successful life,” Warren said.

The camp also had a religious theme, with daily Bible study for the students. Since Healthy Respect is a secular program, Mrs. Warren focused on the medical and health data, which illustrate the benefits of abstinence until marriage.

During her talks on the first day, Warren began talking about the female reproductive system, and then spoke about the physical effects of early sexual activity, including the possibility of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. On day two, she covered the emotional toll of teen sex, such as regret, heartbreak and depression, and showed how teen sex can derail educational, career and personal goals. Her third-day talks addressed the practical aspects of resisting pressures from peers and the culture and actually putting abstinence to work in their young lives. These sessions included personal testimonies from successful adults who made the choice for abstinence until marriage.

“The idea was to show that abstinence is possible,” said Warren. “Some of the girls started off thinking that there was no way anyone could do this, but we had very fun-loving and normal adults get up and say that they practiced abstinence as teens and it was the best thing they could have done for themselves. Among the girls who were already considering or practicing abstinence, several said that the classes solidified their decisions to wait. “Learning about the medical and emotional risks of teen sex gave them even more courage to abstain,” says Warren, recounting personal conversations she had with girls during the week. The response among the teens was both powerful and positive.