Monopolies are not always run by private companies. They are not always monopolizing goods or services. Sometimes ideas are monopolized. Sometimes they are monopolized in places we trust. Because states in the U.S. are given the rights to decide most of their laws, some states choose to limit what can be taught in public schools. This is especially prevalent in how individual states choose to teach their students about sex. Some opt for an all encompassing or “comprehensive” sex education course. This requires schools to teach about four major areas of sexual health: Abstinence, Contraception, HIV/AIDS and other STDs, and Pregnancy. This makes sure information that students need is available to them, whatever they choose to do. Other states choose to teach through “Abstinence only” courses, where they are not allowed to teach students about any form of contraception or pregnancy/STD prevention. Those states are almost always found to have higher cases of STDs and pregnancy in teens aged 15-20. Abstinence only education puts a monopoly on the information a student can receive, using the excuse that if they don’t know about it, they won’t do it. Unfortunately, as the data shows us, that is simply just not the case. Illinois, which until recently had an abstinence only policy, had one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country with 33 in every 1000 girls. Obviously, that system isn’t working. If it were, Illinois should have had one of the smallest rates in the country. States with that policy are working backward from the data, saying that if we follow their ideas, the data will change. Instead, we need to follow the data and change the ideas. Teens will have sex no matter what. It is the job of our schools to teach them about the dangers and risks involved, and how to keep themselves safe.

My infographic gives you the facts and an idea of what we need to change. I have also included a short list of some websites if you want to learn more about sex ed.

INTRO: TITLE OF PIECE

“So right in the middle of two major streets in Evanston there’s this big piece of land. It was going to be made into a bunch of condos and retail space, but the developer ran out of money in the 2008 crash so the land is just kind of sitting there. There used to be a fence around it, but people wanted it to be taken down so they could used it for whatever they wanted. Now all people use it for is to get the the train faster.

The area that surrounds the lot is pretty nice, its busy and has some great retail and delicious restaurants, and most of them are small, Evanston owned businesses.

There is no central point for people in South Evanston to congregate, no Downtown area. I want to create an outdoor community area for people to have available to them in the summer time. The area doesn’t have to be very grand, just a little bit of outdoor seating for everyday, which could be paid for by the city, and it could be a shared outdoor eating space, with free wifi (also paid for by the city) that would give people a reason to get out and enjoy the summer. I would also want to have some community events take place there, like a weekly farmers market. There is a farmers market in central Evanston on Saturdays and one in West evanston on Wednesdays, so perhaps on Mondays South Evanston could have one. This could also help pay for the wifi and seating area. Another idea I had was to do a sort of movie night for the community, so people could come out and have a fun, family friendly night. We do this at my house for my neighbors, and it is always so fun  and a great way to build good relationships. Even small things like book drives or open mic nights can bring people out and showcase just how awesome Evanston is.

This block of land has so much potential to be great for the community. It shouldn’t go to waste just as an area of grass people use to get to the train quicker.

My piece is an image of the skyline of Chicago, stuffed and turned into a pillow. It then has cut outs of the buildings in front of it glued to the top. My print is very organic with the flowers growing, so I loved the idea of the juxtaposition of organic vs. the clean cut lines of the city. Chicago has a special place in my heart, because my entire family grew up in Chicago. The pillow is not particularly cozy, but it can be slept on, and I encourage the audience to give it a try.