You’ve probably heard about documentaries made by adults, like Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 or Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me. But have you ever seen a documentary made by a teenager?

To see one, check out It’s Not about Sex, by four teens from the Educational Video Center (EVC), a media organization that teaches teenagers documentary video production and media analysis. EVC teens get to make their own documentaries about issues that are important to them. And they do everything from brainstorming ideas to shooting footage to editing the final film. These teens have tackled such topics as drug abuse, teen suicide and police violence.

I spoke with four New York City teens—Aaron Alberto, 18, Danny Potts, 19, Jessica Cele, 18, and Shon McGoy, 18—about their recent film, It’s Not about Sex.

Sex, Etc.: Sexual violence is a pretty heavy topic. How did you decide to making a film about that?

Jessica: It is a very heavy topic, and often heavy topics are less likely to be talked about. Sexual abuse has always be an issue, but because it is taboo, people are often afraid to tackle it. I picked it because the viewers we were aiming to attract were teens, and teens face problems [like sexual violence] at school and home that they feel are embarrassing or uncomfortable to discuss. I just wanted to get the message out to them.

Sex, Etc.: If your film could only be 30 seconds long, what would be the main point you’d want to get across?

Aaron: Don’t be afraid of saying what happened, because it’s not your fault. And if it’s incest [sexual intercourse or sexual activity between people who are related], don’t be afraid just because the person who violated you is part of your family. Report it. He or she had no right to do that to you.

Danny: A person who has been a victim of abuse shouldn't keep quiet about it. He or she should get help from an agency that can help.

Jessica: If the film could only be 30 seconds, I’d use the section I did: “Can it happen to me?" Because it can happen to anyone—male, female, child, adult.

Sex, Etc.: What was the most surprising thing you learned about sexual abuse or violence?

Aaron: I was shocked when a woman we were interviewing told us that as a child she had been molested by her father. She went on to explain that it had a big effect over her life, and no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, it never felt all right.

Danny: That in 73 percent of all cases the victim knew the attacker.

Sex, Etc.: The title of your film is It’s Not about Sex. If sexual violence isn’t about sex, what is it about?

Danny: A sexual offender is not out to have sex, but to find some way he or she can have control over someone else.

Shon: Sexual violence is about power and control for the offender who commits the crime.

Sex, Etc.: Was it difficult to get teens to open up to you? And, if so, how did you accomplish it?

Jessica: It was only hard when we had to interview teens about their story. For many, this was still fresh in their minds, and it wasn't something that they'd spoken about so openly to a group of strangers.

Aaron: We really didn’t aim specifically for teens. We just went to shoot interviews, and we asked people if they would be willing to talk about this topic. During one of the interviews, a woman came up to us on the street and told us about her experience with sexual abuse. We were all surprised, because we thought if someone were to give us such a personal story it would be in a room, not outside in the streets. There were a couple of stories we found like that.

What’s shocking about sexual violence is that most sexual perpetrators are not people jumping out of alleyways or even strangers to their victims. Forty-five percent of perpetrators are friends, acquaintances or relatives of their victims. And 73 percent of sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone the victim knows, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey. What’s even more shocking is the fact that more than half of sexual crimes go unreported.

If you are a sexual assault survivor and need help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network Web site, Rainn.org.

If you’re a teen living in New York City and you’d like to get involved with EVC, call 1-212-465-9366.