Planned Parenthood North Central States is paying teenagers to attend their sex-ed summer camp in Mankato in July.
“Sign up is free, lunch is provided daily, & those who complete the program receive a $150 gift card!” the abortion provider said.
Looking for youth opportunities in Mankato this summer? Sex Ed Summer Camp is a week long, in-person program from 7/24-7/28 for ages 15-18. Sign up is free, lunch is provided daily, & those who complete the program receive a $150 gift card! Apply by 7/19: https://t.co/BoxbMfBC7M pic.twitter.com/71E2VGgOCf
— Planned Parenthood Minnesota Advocate (@ppmn) July 7, 2023
The organization said “Sex Ed Summer Camp” is a week-long, in-person event for teens aged 15 to 18. It’s taking place July 24-28.
“Participants will use knowledge they learn to educate friends and peers,” the online application states. “Topics covered include sexual anatomy, birth control methods, sexually transmitted infections, relationships and consent, and more!”
The application also asks for the teens to list their preferred pronouns.
Sex Ed Summer Camp isn’t the only sex-related kids’ programming this summer from Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood Southeast hosted an online sex-ed camp for kids in elementary school through high school and featured additional classes for adults and caregivers. An image on the sign-up form depicted cartoon breasts.
Planned Parenthood North Central States was planning to hold a sex-ed camp for kids ages 13 to 15 at its Minneapolis location, but it got canceled because of a lack of interest. This camp was also paying teens to participate, promising a $100 gift card after completion.
According to Planned Parenthood’s website, the camp, S’MORE Sex Education Camp, would have taught minors about things like sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, barrier methods, consent, and pregnancy options.
The goal of the camp was to turn the participants into “peer educators” so that the children could then educate their friends about what they learned. Planned Parenthood also hoped to provide the children with a “safer sex education kit.”
The director of Planned Parenthood’s sex education arm faced criticism in December when Fox News discovered his claim that children are “sexual beings” from birth. Some of Planned Parenthood’s sex-ed materials describe “puberty blockers” as “supplies that could be helpful during puberty,” according to a Fox News report. The report says Planned Parenthood showed students in a Washington elementary school a “gender wheel,” which taught them about obscure terms like “genderfluid” and “femme.”
The organization also recently dismissed virginity as “patriarchal” and a “social construct.”
Planned Parenthood is a leading advocate and provider of comprehensive sex ed, or CSE, which some Minnesota Democrats would like to require in all public schools.
Child Protection League, a vocal opponent of CSE in Minnesota, says comprehensive sex education teaches that children “can have any kind of sex anywhere, anytime, with anybody, at any age, and it’s perfectly normal.”
“CSE removes all natural and protective boundaries for children and teens, encouraging early sexual exploration in graphic detail,” the group says on its website.
A 2020 review found “little evidence that CSE programs are effective at producing positive impacts on their participants,” noting that in some cases CSE led to increased sexual activity.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
