"'What are you
doing in the war against AIDS?’
needs to be one
of the first
questions people
ask any leader
in any sector
anywhere in the world."

- William J Clinton,
former US President, 14th International
AIDS Conference

The Key Concepts Behind WHY WAIT?

With the breakdown of traditional family and community values resulting from the rapid change in Africa, young people lack role models. Many young people consequently find no reason to wait—to abstain from premarital sex.

Rationale

The purpose of WHY WAIT? is to give youth sensible reasons to wait so they can make informed decisions regarding their future. It is not just admonishing them against harmful behavior. It extends to providing hope for a joyful and fulfilling marriage, which comes from making healthy moral choices.

Theme

Young people are “special” and “worth waiting for!”

• They have been created in God’s image, both male and female.
• God loves them and wants them to have a meaningful relationship with Him, others, and themselves.

Human need: The basis

The WHY WAIT? program is built on meeting two basic “felt needs”: the need for security and the need for significance.

• Security: a sense of belonging.
• Significance: a sense that one’s life has meaning, that one is able to contribute.

The basis for meeting these two needs is love—being loved and being able to love.

• Although love is a basic human need, it is something that is learned.
• The expression of love to others is the ultimate evidence of faith.

True love will always protect and provide.

Human dignity

It is essential to define human being before defining human rights. There can be no basis for defining human rights without a basis for human dignity.

We are living in an age of racism, sexism, tribalism, poor self-concept, drug and sex abuse, etc., which denies the very essence of a creatior's creative plan. This adversely impacts not only the society at large, but the individuals living in it. Therefore, we must first and foremost affirm God’s creation which declares:

• the worth and dignity of each human being;
• the equality of male and female;
• the responsibility of each individual.

Love provides and protects

After establishing individual human dignity, people need to understand how love both provides and protects. All of God’s basic principles of life embody both provision and protection.

Human dignity calls for responsibility

Mankind has the responsibility of stewardship over creation. We are called to help provide for the development of human and natural resources. We are also to help protect these resources through conservation.

Servant leadership

Responsible stewards are servant leaders who empower their followers, rather than using power to dominate them. Servant leaders affirm their followers’ God-given dignity and nurture their human potential.

Cultural boundaries—cultural expressions

Human needs know no historical, geographical, or cultural boundaries, only different cultural expressions. We do need to understand the culture in order to understand what the individual in that culture is expressing. Thus, in teaching the curriculum, we must make the expressions (i.e. activities) relevant to the culture.

The virtue of values

In addition to imparting an understanding of true love and its expressions, we need to build in values that will become internalized and result in establishing healthy behavior patterns and/or behavior change. Unlike the individualistic, narcissistic West, much of the world finds the individual accountable to the society or community. This is, however, all too often, external accountability rather than an internal set of values. It is expressed in the idea of shame versus guilt. Generally, it is a sense of shame that people feel only when they have been caught by members of the community. It is usually not a genuine sense of guilt because of transgressing against their moral conscience.

The mind matters

Associated with affirming the dignity of humanity, both male and female, there needs to be an emphasis on the mind—knowing the truth and choosing to act upon that knowledge. Youth need to know that they can make right choices, and make behavioral changes—something that much of contemporary philosophy rejects. They also need to understand that the mind is the greatest sex organ and needs to be protected.

Human sexuality is learned

Our sexuality involves both psychology and physiology. Because there are no innate guidelines, human sexuality is dependent on our learning.

Love is a choice

Young people need to understand that true love is first and foremost an act of the will. Christ said, “A new commandment I give you: that you love one another.” A commandment is an appeal to the will.

A clean heart for a new start

People also need to know that with right thinking and right behavior, there can be new beginnings.

Vision and virtue

There is a connection between vision and virtue. One has to see correctly before one can act correctly.

Concern and influence

Caring teachers always have concern for their students. However, they realize that they can address that concern by focusing on influencing the students toward healthy behaviors and relationships and by giving them tools for resisting negative peer pressure.