Provide parents/caregivers and their children
with opportunities to practice communicating
about sexuality issues.
To enhance parent-child communication about sexuality issues,
programs that include both parent and child participation offer a
unique opportunity for parents and children to support one
another in their efforts to have ongoing dialogues about sexuality.
Providing facts about sexuality and sexual health as well as
exploring family values, attitudes, and beliefs, multi-session or
single-session programs can increase comfort with discussing
sexuality-related topics.
The research tells us that programs for parents and their children
can: increase the knowledge of both groups; can model discussions
of sexual topics and increase comfort with the discussions of sexual
topics; provide opportunities in the group and immediately
afterwards for young people and their parents to talk about sexual
topics with each other; and accomplish this in a comfortable
environment where everyone expects they are going to talk about
sexuality and where they see everyone else doing so (click here for information about this evaluated program).
Growing TogetherSM
Organization: Girls Inc., Indianapolis, IN
Original Target Audience: Girls nine to 11 years of age and their
parents and caregivers nationwide
Languages: Materials and sessions available in English and Spanish
"This gave me a better idea of where my daughter's head is," a
mother said after participating in the Growing TogetherSM program.1
Sponsored by Girls Inc., Growing TogetherSM is a program that was
implemented in 1985 and revised in 2001 (click here for information about this evaluated program). The
curriculum includes five interactive one-and-a-half to two-hour
sessions in English or Spanish designed to help girls and their
parents/caregivers communicate more comfortably about sexuality.
The first session, an orientation to help parents/caregivers build
their comfort level with sexuality issues, prepares them to listen
to and talk with their children in a nonjudgmental way. The remaining
sessions, for both parents/caregivers and girls, address anatomy,
puberty, sexual health, HIV/AIDS, myths and facts about sexuality,
communication, and values.The curriculum also includes a pre-/post-test
evaluation and provides information about administering, coding,
and scoring the tests as well as other resources to complement
the program's implementation. Only those organizations licensed
by Girls Inc. can utilize the curriculum and implement the program.
Growing TogetherSM
"The program is a good experience for mothers (or
other adults such as aunts, grandmothers, and older
sisters) and girls. As with many programs targeting
parents, affiliates have found it critical to provide
incentives to overcome obstacles to parents'
attendance or participation. They have done this
by providing transportation or vouchers; dinners
for mothers, daughters, and younger siblings;
babysitting for younger children; or other
incentives and gifts."
-Girls Inc.
For more information:
Growing TogetherSM
Girls Inc.
Healthy Girls Initiative
National Resource Center
441 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: 317/634-7546
Fax: 317/634-3024
Web site: http://www.girlsinc.org
Nosotras Viviremos (UPDATED)
Organization: National Coalition of Advocates for Students, Boston, MA
Original Target Audience: Latina farmworking mothers and their daughters
10 to 18 years of age nationwide
Language: Materials and sessions available in English and Spanish
The Nosotras Viviremos curricula, updated in 2001 by the National
Coalition of Advocates for Students, are two parallel training
manuals: one addressing the issues and concerns of farmworking
mothers/mentors and the other addressing the issues of
pre-adolescent and adolescent farmworking girls. Each consists of
six units, including basic HIV/AIDS/STD information, exercises,
stories, and a set of handouts that can be easily reproduced and
distributed to participants.The intervention is designed for implementation
in four sessions, with each session lasting between two and three
hours.
Nosotras Viviremos provides mothers with the opportunity to
develop and practice skills to help their daughters adopt and sustain
healthy and safe sexual decisions. Each curriculum addresses
intergenerational stresses between mothers and daughters and
how these affect positive communication.
The curricula are grounded in social cognitive theory, social influence
interventions, and Paulo Freire's philosophy of dialogical education.
They are designed to provide participants with an opportunity to
explore self-identity without discounting personal experiences or
values and to use self-reflection to move toward an understanding of
the need to address the reality of sexuality, HIV, and STDs in
their lives.
National Coalition of Advocates for Students no longer exists however, this curriculum is available at The Mary S. Calderone Library at SIECUS.
Becoming a Teen Badge
Organization: Planned Parenthood of North East Pennsylvania,
Trexlertown, PA
Original Target Audience: Latina and White girls in grades four through
seven and their parents and caregivers in the local suburban community
Language: Sessions available in English and Spanish
In Pennsylvania, Junior Girl Scouts in three councils—Penn's
Woods, Great Valley, and Scranton Pocono—can fulfill several
parts of the requirements for their Becoming a Teen Badge by
attending a workshop designed to provide puberty information
and enhance family communication (developed by Planned
Parenthood of North East Pennsylvania in 1998) with their
moms, step-moms, grandmothers, or other adult females.
Before the workshop, which is conducted either in English or
Spanish, the mothers (or other accompanying adult) receive a
packet of resources and a workshop outline designed to increase
their comfort level with the material. Workshops are held at Girl
Scout troop meetings and are typically an hour and a half long.
The ultimate goals of the program are to open the door for
moms and girls to talk about sexuality and to increase the girls'
awareness and comfort with body changes and the increased
freedom and responsibility associated with puberty.
Becoming a Teen Badge
"The question 'How the sperm gets into the woman to fertilize
the egg?' always comes up. We prepare the moms for the
question and help them with continued discussion."
-Planned Parenthood of North East Pennsylvania
For more information:
Becoming a Teen Badge
Planned Parenthood of North East Pennsylvania
Susan Smith, Director of Education
P. O. Box 813
Trexlertown, PA 18087
Phone: 800/935-0689, extension 124
Fax: 610/481-0486
E-mail: susan.smith@ppfa.org
Web site: http://www.ppnep.org
Parent-Child Human Sexuality Workshop
Organization: Family Guidance Center, St. Joseph, MO
Original Target Audience: Parents/caregivers and their
children in St. Joseph and smaller communities throughout
Northwest MO
Language: Materials and sessions in English
Organization: Hastings Family Planning, Hastings, NE
Original Target Audience: African American, Latino, and
White parents/caregivers and their children in the local urban
and rural communities
Language: Sessions in English
Since 1998, Hastings Family Planning in Hastings, NE, has
successfully replicated the St. Joseph Parent-Child Human Sexuality
Workshop in both urban and rural settings (click here for information about this evaluated program). In
response to a need in the community, Hastings Family Planning is
working on a Spanish-language version of the original workshop.
In addition, a teacher in the Hastings public school system attended
the workshop with one of her developmentally disabled
students and decided to modify the five-week program into a
two-and-a-half hour workshop specifically designed for
developmentally disabled young women to attend with their
parents/caregivers. She will soon modify the workshop for
young men.
Parent-Child Human Sexuality Workshop
"We keep the class sizes to no more than 30 people:
15 parent-child pairs.
Also, many parents/caregivers have brought younger siblings
to the workshop when they are at the appropriate age."
-Hastings Family Planning
For more information:
Parent-Child Human Sexuality Workshop
Family Guidance Center
Leechia Jones
510 Francis Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
Phone: 816/364-1501
Fax: 816/364-6735
E-mail: ljones@familyguidance.org
Ordering information for curriculum:
YWCA
Jean Brown
304 North 8th Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
Phone: 816/232-4481
Fax: 816/232-4494
E-mail: ywca-1@ccp.com
Hastings Family Planning
422 North Hastings, Suite 204
Hastings, NE 68901
Phone: 402/463-5687
Fax: 402/463-0571
Sharing Healthy Adolescent
and Parent Experiences (UPDATED)
Organization: Camp Fire USA, Orange County Council, Tustin, CA
Original Target Audience: Parents/caregivers and their children nine to 16
years of age in the local urban and suburban community
Language: Sessions available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese
Sharing Healthy Adolescent and Parent Experiences (SHAPE) is a
program in Orange County, CA, to help parents and young people
communicate about puberty and other sexuality-related issues.
Originally implemented in 1994 by the Coalition for Children,
Adolescents, and Parents, it was acquired by the Camp Fire USA,
Orange County Council in 1999. Charging a fee to cover costs,
Camp Fire USA offers two courses that include at least 10 pairs
of parents and children. SHAPE classes are requested by schools,
PTAs, faith communities, community-based groups, and
private homes.
Available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, SHAPE I offers
parent/daughter and parent/son classes designed for youth nine
to 12 years of age and their parents. Scheduled one night a week
for two hours, the course runs for five weeks. The first session is for
parents only and is intended to explain the topics and materials, address how to be an askable parent, utilize teachable moments and avoid absolutes, as
well as answer questions. Topics addressed throughout the
remaining sessions include anatomy, puberty, HIV/AIDS,
menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, hygiene, abstinence
and contraception, peer pressure, and building relationships. Overall, the objectives of Shape are for participants to increase their knowledge of reproductive health and pregnancy, for young people to increase confidence in their ability to communicate with parents and caregivers, and for parents and caregivers to be able to discuss reproductive health issues and convey their values to their children.
Available in English and Spanish, SHAPE II consists of co-ed
classes designed for young people 13 to 16 years of age and
their parents.
Scheduled one night a week for two hours, the course runs for
five weeks. Topics addressed include anatomy, STDs, healthy
relationships, decision-making, sexual pressure, abstinence,
contraception, and parenting (using Baby Think It Over dolls).
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“This program empowers participants by providing knowledge, understanding, and skills to deal with sexual development. We have learned that parents need guidance and reassurance talking to their children about sexuality. And children enjoy learning in a fun, safe environment with other kids their age. The children gain more comfort with the topic and begin using words they have not used before. Children find their parents more approachable than before and often a bond is established, serving as a protective factor against teen pregnancy and other problems.”
-Jennifer Barber
|
For more information:
Sharing Healthy Adolescent
and Parent Experiences
Camp Fire USA, Orange County Council
Jennifer Barber, MPH
Director of Family Life Education
14742 Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Tustin, CA 92780
Phone: 714/838-9991, extension 27
Fax: 714/838-0567
E-mail: jennifer@campfireusaoc.org
Web site: http://www.campfireoc.org
Teen Outreach Program (UPDATED)
Organization: Cornerstone Consulting
Group, Houston, TX
Original Target Audience:
Girls attending an after-school
program in the St. Louis, MO
public schools
Language: Materials and sessions in
English
Organization: Family Service of
Roanoke Valley, Roanoke, VA
Original Target Audience:
Parents/caregivers and young
people in participating middle
schools and high schools in
Roanoke City and Roanoke
County, VA
Language: Materials and sessions
in English
Initiated in 1978 by the St. Louis Public Schools, Teen Outreach
was originally an after-school program targeting high school girls.
In 1981, it was sponsored by the Junior League of St. Louis and
the Danforth Foundation. And, in 1987 it was adopted by the Association of
Junior Leagues International as part of their national
youth agenda.
Teen Outreach Program (TOP), managed by Cornerstone Consulting since 1995, is a youth development program for young people between the ages of 12 and 17. Sponsored by 125 organizations with more than 200 sites, TOP is a national program targeting middle and high school students in a variety of settings where they routinely meet, reaching over 15,000 youth in the continental United States, Virgin Islands, and emerging programs in Nigeria and Canada.
TOP integrates community service; classroom-based activities using the Changing
Scenes curriculum (with a sexuality component); and service
learning, a strategy that helps young people connect community
service experience to classroom learning, and, ultimately, to
their lives.
Since 1990, one TOP model sponsored by Family Service of
Roanoke Valley (FSRV) in Roanoke,VA, has complemented this
youth development program by including a family involvement
component.
Offering five two-hour sessions in the evening, FSRV partners
with two local school districts (Roanoke City Schools and
Roanoke County Schools) to offer "family night out" gatherings
for families and students in local high schools. The program provides
dinner and child care as incentives to increase participation.
During one of the five sessions, a parent-only workshop is held
for 40 minutes that addresses parent-child communication about
sexuality-related issues. This workshop aims to increase the comfort
level of parents and provides basic sexuality information.
Family Service of Roanoke Valley also partners with three
after-school programs (West End Center for Youth, St. John's
Community Youth Program, and Presbyterian Community Center
Pathways Program in Roanoke), offering "family night out" gatherings
for middle school students in which they present their
parent-only workshop.
For more information:
Teen Outreach Program
Cornerstone Consulting Group, Inc.
Gayle Waden
One Greenway Plaza, Suite 550
Houston,TX 77046
Phone: 713/627-2322
Fax: 713/627-3006
E-mail: gwaden@cornerstone.to
Web site: http://www.cornerstone.to
Family Service of Roanoke Valley
Cheri W. Hartman, Ph.D., Director,Youth Development
P. O. Box 6600
Roanoke,VA 24017
Phone: 540/563-5316
Fax: 540/563-5254
E-mail: chartman@fsrv.org
Reference
- Sexuality Information and Education Council of the
United States (SIECUS), "Where Parents and Caregivers Can Find
Help," SIECUS Report, 2001, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 12-13.
