As a writer for Sex, Etc., seventeen-year-old Mikailah Padawer tells teens everything they always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask.

Mikailah Padawer, 17, New Jersey

Mikailah Padawer

Seventeen-year-old Mikailah Padawer has a pretty cool after-school job, as far as we’re concerned. She is a writer for Sex, Etc., a New Jersey-based magazine and website that, like Teen Voices, is written by teens for teens. Sex, Etc. provides a safe place to discuss heavy topics such as sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual myths (no, Mountain Dew will not prevent pregnancy!). We spoke with Mikailah to learn about what she does.

Teen Voices: When did you start volunteering at Sex Etc. and how old were you?
Mikailah Padawer: I started to volunteer at Sex Etc. in January of 2008, when I was sixteen years old.

TV: How did you hear about the organization?
Mikailah: I heard about the organization through my sex education class in school. We would occasionally read the Sex Etc. magazine as a source for learning information.

TV: What you do for the organization and what do they do for teens? What are your responsibilities like?
Mikailah: I am part of the Sex, Etc. Editorial Staff, which is a group of writers and editors for the Sex, Etc. magazine and website. We come up with all of the story ideas and write all of the content. The magazine and Website are part of the “National Teen-to-Teen Sexuality Education Project,” which was developed by Answer, an organization at Rutgers University in New Jersey dedicated to age-appropriate sex education. As a magazine and a website, we are able to give teens access to information on sex and other things they might not have been able to learn about before.

TV: What is your daily routine like?
Mikailah: Our daily routine is packed with many different activities. We usually begin with a few “team bonding” activities that get our brains moving and help us create synergy. We spend a lot of time brainstorming for upcoming magazines or stories on the website. As a teen on the editorial staff, I must prepare a least one story for the magazine and must aid in the preparation of the upcoming magazine; this involves the layout of the front cover, themes of the issue and other stuff.

TV: What is your favorite thing about working at Sex Etc.?
Mikailah: My favorite thing about working at Sex, Etc., other than the fact that I feel like a grownup with a real job and real responsibilities, is the idea that I am able to make a difference in teens’ lives around the world. I am able to provide important information to teens that really need it. At the end of the day, I know I have made a difference.

TV: How do teens respond to the work you do? Are they supportive?
Mikailah: We get a lot of feedback everyday. The majority of the time it is positive; or the teens are usually asking questions about certain articles on things they don’t understand or want to learn more about. Since the website and magazine seem to be very helpful to teens, they are supportive of our work.

TV: Is your family supportive of your activism?
Mikailah: Truthfully, my family members were the ones who pushed me to apply for the job at Sex, Etc. They are very supportive of my activism and are very interested in the work I do. My parents are constantly asking me what I’m writing about or what my next assignment is.

TV: Why do you think it is important for teens to ask other teens advice about sex, as opposed to going to their parents or other adults?
Mikailah: I think it is important for teens to ask other teens about sex because I know it can be awkward to ask a parent or any other adult figure, but when it’s with someone your own age, it’s more comfortable. Here at Sex, Etc. our editorial staff of teens are all educated on the issues we are writing about. It’s important that teens come to talk to us about sex, if they can’t talk to their parents or other adult figures, because one should never be left in the dark about the consequences or mysteries of sex.

TV: Do you think teens are well-informed when it comes to sex education?
Mikailah: I think that here in New Jersey, teens are more well-informed when it comes to sex education than many other states in the United States. Though the way sex education is taught varies in each school, teens are taught more than the basics and are usually in a comfortable environment where they can ask to learn more.

TV: Can you recall something you learned from your Sex Etc. training that you had never heard before?
Mikailah: I was actually surprised when I heard that there were people who believed that if they had sex in a shower they wouldn’t run the risk of getting pregnant.

TV: What is the most common misconception teens have about sex?
Mikailah: I think the most common misconception teens have about sex is that they will never contract STIs* or HIV. They believe that they are invincible.

TV: What do you do for fun?
Mikailah: I enjoy dancing and hanging out with my friends. Since I live so close to New York City, I spend a lot of time there as well.

TV: Do you plan to continue in this field? Do you want to continue writing/working in journalism?
Mikailah: Being a junior in high school, I’m still not even sure where I want to go to college. I really enjoy being a journalist for a super cool magazine and the idea of being a journalist when I grow up does sound exciting but I’m not sure whether or not I will continue this field of journalism.

*STI: Sexually transmitted infection.