In 2009, after learning that DC had the highest HIV rate in the country, a Georgetown varsity athlete decided to recruit and train his NCAA student-athlete peers to deliver sexual health education at area schools – and Grassroots Health was born. Since then, more than 1,500 athletes have provided more than 50,000 hours of free sexual health education to over 10,000 DC teens. A three-year, sports-based health education curriculum covers sexual, nutritional, and mental health for middle school students in DC's highest-need schools. Health communication workshops for middle school students' parents and caregivers improve communication about what many find a sensitive subject. And community health fairs link students to critical youth-friendly clinical and social services. The athletes who provide their services at no cost are people to whom kids look up ... and to whom and listen.
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