Sister 2 Sister’s sexual purity and life development education has proven a strong preventive measure to the US Virgin Islands.  In a given school year, we visit each high school on the island of St. Thomas and St. Croix at least twice a year.  During these visits we speak to the young women in assemblies, informing them of alternative solutions to the significant challenges facing each of them on day to day bases.

In the summer, we bring the young women of the islands together for a three to four day meeting filled with relevant teaching welcomed by the young women.  As with the school session we educate and offer alternatives to the destructive behavior.   Not just information, but easily accepted behavior modification choices. 

As the young women make the Sister 2 Sister pledge they sign a formal agreement (See Appendix --) and solemnly affirm to refrain form all sexual relationships before marriage, to respect and honor the idea of purity in others and themselves, to be pure in heart and well in body, to refrain from drugs and alcohol, to respect parents and those in authority, to treat themselves like queens, to do their utmost best at all they do, and to respect the opinions of others. 

Our programs offer young women places to discuss their concerns and allow us the stage to offer alternatives to often destructive behavior.  Many adolescents tend to follow the crowd so if the crowd is moving in a negative direction, we may lose these girls to the status quo.  At Sister 2 Sister, we expose the hidden traps associated with peer pressure and use our group therapy type conversations and positive interactions of the girls to develop lasting commitments for successful behavior. 

The Sister 2 Sister workshops offer question and answer periods giving all attendees another opportunity to interact with one another.  Topics have included but are not limited to education, success, music, entrepreneurship, and abstinence (See Appendix --).  We have had sessions where girls admitted to being sexually active and later vowed to refrain from pre-marital sex.  Eyes are opened and the dreams of college admission are realized.  

Other topics include an explanation of the college process.  During this session, we provide information on the need to remain in school and we expound on the value of a degree when seeking employment.  We also offer job hunting skills courses and incorporate financial literacy utilizing the National Endowment’s Financial Education Program for High School Students (See Appendix ---).  Through this pre-established curriculum, which includes a student guide and workbook; the young ladies learn the secrets to wise money management.

Sister 2 Sister recognizes positive responses deserve play.  We understand the need to communicate positive feedback to the teenage girls. Therefore, we provide a venue for fun and educational trips and we have monthly special events that include banquets, slumber parties, mother daughter balls, shopping trips, and zoos.   We concur with the national experts, that it is imperative that we praise appropriate behavior in order to help teens feel a sense of accomplishment and reinforce values.