A Reality Check with Wanda Frey

Risky sexual behavior is a powerful temptation for today's youth despite the danger of disease and unwanted pregnancy. So, an Australian Quota club took action by dispensing a small dose of reality through a doll named Wanda Frey (named after Quota Founder Wanda Frey Joiner).

QI of Bateman's Bay, located in New South Wales, purchased a realistic, computerized doll to help local teens in a school-run program explore the emotional, financial, and social consequences of parenting. Named for Quota International's beloved founder, Wanda Frey is a doll who cries and demands attention, often in the wee hours, just like a real baby. She even tattles on her parents: a computer memory records responses of care, abuse or neglect, which are evaluated by the teacher.

Each participating student takes the doll home for three nights and two days. Using a key, the student responds to the baby's needs—mock feedings, diaper changings, sleep, and cuddling. The student can't pass off the responsibility to someone else because the key is attached to a hospital-style bracelet that cannot be removed from the student's wrist until the lesson is finished.

The Up in the Middle of the Night Reality Check aims to discourage youth from rushing into risky behavior without understanding the consequences of their actions, which change a young life profoundly. It's one of the many ways Quota International clubs reach out to youth throughout the world.

—Mary Margaret Yodzis, Senior Writer
© 2001