Healthy Choices Program
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SHARE
Door of Hope implements a Sexual Health and Relationship Education (SHARE) Program in schools and community groups to support students in making positive, informed decisions.
This abstinence-based program covers topics such as setting boundaries for healthy relationships, developing refusal skills to avoid risky behaviors, goal setting, recognizing destructive patterns, and understanding the influence of social media, pornography, and sexting. It also includes instruction on internet safety, STI basics, and building self-esteem and confidence. The program is delivered to Middle and High School students by trained adults in an engaging, interactive format.
Goals
- Inform and educate young people regarding the outcomes of their sexual choices
- Teach a positive and healthy approach to sexual risk avoidance techniques
- Encourage a lifestyle reflecting sexual risk avoidance techniques
- Encourage healthy relationships and goal setting
- Empower youth with skills to resist pressures and build confidence in healthy decision-making models
Strategy
- Age appropriate program taught in middle school, junior high, and high school
- Cited and medically accurate statistics sourced from the CDC, NIH, and Medical Institute for Sexual Health
Methodology
- Pre-test students for a qualitative measurement of knowledge
- Post-test students for a quantitative measurement of knowledge and possible behavioral changes
High School Program
The SHARE program is flexible and can be adapted to fit your school’s schedule and curricular needs.
Session 1 - Pregnancy
- SHARE program overview (Fake News/Facts Survey)
- Consent guidelines
- Reproductive system functions and fertilization basics
- Fetal development stages (conception – birth)
- Safe Delivery of Newborn Act
- Teen pregnancy and impact on educational goals, finances, employment, social life and relationships
- Legal responsibilities for parenthood
Outcomes: Students will have a realistic understanding of the challenges that come with teen pregnancy. They will understand that sexual activity is a risk factor for unplanned pregnancy. Decisions to be in a committed, faithful, monogamous relationship is the best choice for raising children. They will examine the steps of fetal development and have an opportunity to examine fetal models at various stages of development from conception through 20 weeks.
Session 2 - Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Identification of common sexually transmitted infections, their symptoms and transmission
- Health impact and consequences of STD/STIs, including HIV/AIDS
- Risk factors for STIs
- Current statistics on how STIs are impacting the health care of our youth
- Prevention strategies and risk reduction vs risk avoidance
- Importance of testing for those who are sexually active
Outcomes: Students will have a better understanding of the nature of STIs as well as be equipped with information to allow them to make good choices for their overall health. They will understand that being sexual is not just a physical activity but affects their emotions and heart as well. Following the optimal health plan is effective for STD/STIs as well: avoid sexual activity, be tested for STIs if they are sexually active, and to see the benefits of discontinuing being sexually active if they have begun.
Session 3 - Relationships
- Relationship basics (every type!)
- Explore dynamics for healthy relationships following the Relationship Attachment Model (RAM)
KNOW, TRUST, RELY, COMMIT, TOUCH - Role play scenarios based on a healthy relationship model
- Recognizing safety zones for relationships
- Family dynamics, peer pressure, values that influence relationship decisions
- Importance of trust and time in relationship formations
- Benefits of waiting
- Signs of unhealthy relationships
Outcomes: Students will have a better understanding of the importance of establishing a relationship with healthy boundaries and how to move through the tenets of the RAM teaching. There are activities which aid them to work through development of healthy decision making and to recognize destructive behaviors. Each student will leave with the knowledge they have value and deserving of respect. Presentations deal with all relationships and not only those involving attraction. Students will be better equipped to handle all relationship pressures that come from their current and post high school experiences, in college and the workforce.
Middle School Program
The SHARE program is flexible and can be adapted to fit your school’s schedule and curricular needs.
Intro
Young people in their middle school years are often given more independence and freedom as it comes to social media and internet technology. As a result, they are often exposed to entertainment and cultural influences which encourage experimentation and the belief that we are autonomous without risk or consequence to sexual choices. Presenting at age appropriate levels, students are taught the importance of boundaries, healthy relationships, freedom from consequence, goal setting and healthy decision making with entertainment. Physical consequences (impact of STIs, pregnancy) are also highlighted with encouraging consideration of marriage and monogamy. All sessions use power points and interactive activities to highlight the lessons.
Session 1
- The importance of having information (based on evidence based research) in order to make informed decisions about sexual activity
- Pregnancy as a potential outcome of sexual activity
- Importance of setting boundaries and standards for relationships
- Guidelines for establishing healthy relationships
- Refusal skills for risky behaviors
- Infatuation vs love
- Guarding your heart
- Emotional and physical impacts of sexual activity
Session 2
- Importance of setting short-term and long-term goals in our lives
- Life Journey
- Balancing goals with realities and relationships
- Recognizing destructive behavior patterns (pornography/sexting)
- Gain awareness of the Impact and influence of social media
- Safety on the internet
- Recognizing signs of toxic relationships and guarding against them
- Learning how to benefit from knowledge and not repeat mistakes
- Reminders of worth and value – self-esteem and confidence building
Session 3
- Sexually transmitted diseases and infections – differences and similarities
- Statistically speaking… realities of today’s culture
- Understand the transmission of diseases and infections
- Symptoms (and lack of) for common STIs
- Dangers and impact of 6 major STIs and the impact on health (including HIV/AIDS)
- Bacterial vs Viral infections
- Benefit of monogamy in relation to risk behavior