SinPena

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), worldwide, only 34% of young people have sufficient knowledge about HIV prevention and transmission, and two out of every three children have no idea what a period is before their first menstruation. Lack of access to sexual health resources and information is a cultural crisis affecting young people generationally . However with the rise of inequalities, misinformation, and the continued perpetuation of a sexually oppressed and shamed society, this problem has only gotten worse. As a study analyzing over 5500internet users found that between 46 percent and 81 percent of youth have used the internet to find out health information, including sexual health. The study found that the percentages were higher for LGBTQ+ kids, largely because they "did not have anyone to ask" for information. According to figures from the ENSANUT Continua 2021 survey published by the Ministry of Health in Mexico, around 86.4% of adolescents between 12 and 19 years of age in Mexico knew or had heard of a contraceptive method in 2021. Which was significantly lower than that observed in 2018-19 (90.4%). The problem of inclusivity,  discussions and access to the right resources is a catastrophic problem enabling period poverty, teen pregnancies, abusive relationships, and a life without bodily autonomy. We must make inclusive and complete sexual education accessible to teens in Mexico. 

SinPena makes sexual health accessible to teens living in Mexico in the form of an app, website and in-school resources. The SinPena app has three main features; a map with all of the nearby health centers, pharmacies, and gynecologists; an educational platform where users can learn about sexual health topics; and a social platform where users can share and discuss their experiences with each other and with health professionals. Similarly, the website has the same features that can be accessed without downloading the app. For the resources, SinPena organizes workshops, health fairs, and distributes period products to public low income schools in Mexico. Every platform uses the curriculum made by the founders of SinPena in partnerships with health professionals, LGBTQ+ activists, disabled activists, and other students led sexual health organizations. 

SinPena is made to serve adolescents ages 10-19 about their sexual health but with in school resources and workshops we will also expand our audience to children ages 5-9. We aim to provide inclusive sex information to low income communities which are the most affected by the consequences of an inadequate sexual education. They have the least access to resources, education, and structural aid in order to live an autonomous life. This solution provides a reliable resource that everyone with a smartphone can access. 

As an organization, SinPena was founded under the experience of being a middle and high school student from an underprivileged background in Mexico. We have interviewed over 600 students across the country about their sexual education and how they feel talking about sex with teachers, parents, and younger siblings. To say the answers are shocking is an understatement, as many said their parents shamed them for asking questions and they didn’t feel safe talking about it with teachers or friends. Many young girls stated they thought they were dying when they got their first menstruation, and one student even mentioned she thought she was growing male genitalia as she was uninformed about female autonomy. We have also made an analysis of the curriculum given by la SEP and at different schools in Nuevo León Yucatán. Most of the curriculum in private schools is discarded, as they try to preach abstinence, while in public schools teachers are left to talk about this, even though they themselves don’t know much about the topics. Additionally, we have interviewed teachers about their experience giving out sex Ed classes and what their observations on the youth today. One teacher mentioned she was asked about condoms from a student and she said she never used condoms with her husband.While other teachers mentioned their concerns with lack of consent and growing misinformation in social media. For the founders of SinPena, the most important thing is to understand and analyze the environment, information, and experiences of young people who lack the tools and resources to live a healthy and dignified life. They have seen first hand the importance of sex education with students they have given workshops to, as they have stated their gratitude for the resources and have been able to talk much te freely about sexual topics. We have also talked to health organizations such as ServiciosAmigables and Centro de Salud  to know why we can do to make the improve the sexual literacy of young people in the best way and manner. It is also important to mention that the founders have experienced the consequences of a sexually oppressed culture. Everything we do, we do for and with the guidance of adolescents in our community. 

SinPena aims to provide accessible sexual health to adolescents living in Mexico in the form of an app, website and in-school workshops. For the moment, we have a complete app prototype, website prototype, and have been presenting our sexual health curriculum to low income middle and high schools in our areas. However, we are still in the process of adding features to our online platforms, and are still yet to complete our curriculum. 

The SinPena app offers an engaging and memorable learning experience through interactive quizzes, games, and simulations, fostering better knowledge retention. It prioritizes user privacy and anonymity, crucial in cultures where discussing sensitive topics is stigmatized, providing a secure platform for seeking information without fear of judgment. The app also ensures real-time support via forums, and helplines, connecting users with experts for immediate guidance, while regularly updating content to offer the latest reliable information. Additionally, the app tailors its content to align with specific cultural norms and values that adolescents from Mexico can relate to, enhancing its relevance and effectiveness for users within their cultural contexts.The entire environment of SinPena is innovative and offers a complete service to everything an adolescent needs to grow and learn about their health. 

In the next year, SinPena hopes to grow their media platforms and improve their marketing so that more than 1,000 teens can have access to health resources online. We also hope to expand our programming team and add more branches to our organization; finance, logistics, design team, etc. Additionally, we hope to publish our app by the end of 2023 and complete our curriculum by that same time. In the next five years, we hope to grow to 10,000 users, have an active team, and we hope to not be relaying on volunteers. We hope by this time that we can make chapters in each state in Mexico to allow our in school resources to expand to as many areas as possible. We hope to make consistent improvements in our app, website and curriculum. We hope to train and AI to also be able to answer SexEd questions. Also, we hope we can be working with companies or health/governmental groups to make improvement in the way sexual health is handled.

 SinPena will allow the Mexican youth to forge their own path of education health and autonomy. It will allow women and girls the liberty to choose the path of motherhood. It will help create and shift our culture into one filled with empathy respect and acknowledgement of others health needs and experiences. The impact of creating a generation based on sexual literacy is unquantifiable.

2 full time staff. Alys and Ingrid cofounders and lead programmers. 

The SinPena founders have been working on their solution since January 2023. 

Our entire organization is built upon the principals of diversity, equity and inclusivity. We work with activist, diverse list of health professionals from around the world, and student groups in order to provide an inclusive environment for all who use and are impacted by SinPena. Health professionals who work with us have a history of working with underprivileged people and strive for equity and diversity. Everyone who is associated with our organization is aligned with the same goals and principals of diversity equity and inclusivity.