|
|
|
“It’s a Boyfriend/Girlfriend Thang” this week at The H.F.V. Wilson Community Center as students learn how to maintain healthy relationships.
Teachers from YW8 inc. have conducted sessions since Monday discussing topics ranging from healthy dating, sex before marriage, STDs and pregnancy.
Project Director Nan May said the YW8 inc. team formerly was the same team at the pregnancy resource center’s AGAPE Project.
“We have separated from the Pregnancy Resource Center and started a new team under a different board, but it is the same group of people,” May said. “Our new board consists of teachers and parents who have been in class with us and have seen what exactly we do. Our goal is to empower teens to make the healthy choice of abstinence until marriage with the purpose of reducing STDs and teen pregnancy.”
Students ages 11 to 18 have spent the week at the community center learning how to make healthy decisions in various aspects of life.
“What we’ve learned is, to change behavior, we have to change attitude and knowledge,” May said. “So if you want to change the behavior that our culture is teaching our kids that sex is very normal and there are no consequences, we’ve got to get in there and invest some time with them.”
May described the sessions as a wholistic approach to teach teens that to be healthy, you have to make good decisions in every aspect of life.
“By the time puberty hits, we better be talking to kids about refraining from high-risk behavior,” she said. “The Center for Disease Control lists sexual behavior among teens as a high-risk behavior. STDs and teen pregnancy are not healthy things for our kids. So we have developed a philosophy that encompasses the whole teen, looking at academic achievement, impulse control, sexual behavior and prevention.”
May referred to the week’s sessions as a camp atmosphere. Students participate in various activities designed to help them think critically. Tuesday’s activities included brainstorming and coming up with creative, pressure-free dating ideas.
“We have a lot of discussion in this atmosphere,” May said. “We teach students to set their own boundaries and use critical thinking skills. We use a lot of hands-on activities. What I want these students to do is come to a conclusion of what a healthy lifestyle would be for them.”
May said the key is to have open communication.
“It’s a Boyfriend/Girlfriend Thang” this week at The H.F.V. Wilson Community Center as students learn how to maintain healthy relationships.
Teachers from YW8 inc. have conducted sessions since Monday discussing topics ranging from healthy dating, sex before marriage, STDs and pregnancy.
Project Director Nan May said the YW8 inc. team formerly was the same team at the pregnancy resource center’s AGAPE Project.
“We have separated from the Pregnancy Resource Center and started a new team under a different board, but it is the same group of people,” May said. “Our new board consists of teachers and parents who have been in class with us and have seen what exactly we do. Our goal is to empower teens to make the healthy choice of abstinence until marriage with the purpose of reducing STDs and teen pregnancy.”
Students ages 11 to 18 have spent the week at the community center learning how to make healthy decisions in various aspects of life.
“What we’ve learned is, to change behavior, we have to change attitude and knowledge,” May said. “So if you want to change the behavior that our culture is teaching our kids that sex is very normal and there are no consequences, we’ve got to get in there and invest some time with them.”
May described the sessions as a wholistic approach to teach teens that to be healthy, you have to make good decisions in every aspect of life.
“By the time puberty hits, we better be talking to kids about refraining from high-risk behavior,” she said. “The Center for Disease Control lists sexual behavior among teens as a high-risk behavior. STDs and teen pregnancy are not healthy things for our kids. So we have developed a philosophy that encompasses the whole teen, looking at academic achievement, impulse control, sexual behavior and prevention.”
May referred to the week’s sessions as a camp atmosphere. Students participate in various activities designed to help them think critically. Tuesday’s activities included brainstorming and coming up with creative, pressure-free dating ideas.
“We have a lot of discussion in this atmosphere,” May said. “We teach students to set their own boundaries and use critical thinking skills. We use a lot of hands-on activities. What I want these students to do is come to a conclusion of what a healthy lifestyle would be for them.”
May said the key is to have open communication.
“We set goals and expectations, and they figure out a way to get there,” she said. “If we have young people thinking there are no consequences to sexual behavior just because their music is telling them that, that’s wrong. We need to look at what is really happening as far as rates of STDs and teen pregnancies. We try to give them skills and tools, rather than just telling them what to do.”
Other members of the YW8 inc. team include Susan Rogers, Beth Vaillancourt and Patty Crabtree. The group will conduct its program at Ardmore, Plainview, Lone Grove and Dickson school districts during the upcoming school year.
