Leading Sex Ed Groups Brochure 10-10
Streetwise to Sex-Wise: Leading Sexuality Education Groups with High-Risk Youth
Presenter: Steve Brown, Psy.D.
Why A Training About Sexuality Education With High-Risk Youth?
Aren’t all teens high-risk?
While it is true that all youth are at risk for sexual health problems, youth identified as “at risk” are especially prone to such problems including unwanted pregnancy, self-destructive or abusive relationships, sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, sexual dysfunction, or sexual assault and abuse either as a victim or abuser.
The statistics bear this out:
- A study of youth in out-of-home care found that they were twice as likely to become pregnant as teens not in out-of-home care.
- While 20 percent of African-American males nationally report having consensual sexual intercourse by age 13, 40 percent of African-American males in a juvenile detention facility reported having intercourse by age 10.
- While one study found that 29 percent of girls nationally experienced sexual assault by age 18, estimates of sexual abuse among runaway and delinquent females has been as high as 55 percent.
Although these statistics indicate that these teenagers have profound problems related to their sexuality, they rarely receive quality sexuality education taught by trained adults. Parents or foster parents often are uncomfortable talking with their teens about sexuality. They often are NOT in mainstream school settings where students receive sexual health education. Finally, settings serving high risk youth often shy away from this topic because it is controversial or they lack skilled staff to teach the topic.
The choice is not whether teens will learn about sexuality. They are constantly learning from the media, peers, and personal experimentation. The choice is whether we leave sexuality education to these unreliable and, at time, exploitive sources OR provide educational opportunities for teens to learn accurate sexual health information and explore their feelings and values.
Content of the Training
This highly participatory full-day training will teach an approach and method for leading sexuality education groups in settings serving high-risk youth using the curriculum, Streetwise to Sex-Wise: Sexuality Education for High Risk Youth, 2nd Edition.
All participants will receive a copy of the curriculum at the outset of the training.
Training topics will include:
- Rationale for teaching sexuality education to high-risk youth
- Principles Underlying the Streetwise manual
- Creating A Group Atmosphere Conducive to Learning About Sexuality
- Common Teen Attitudes About Sexuality
- Examining Our Own Sexual Learning
- Getting Comfortable Talking About Sexuality
- Demonstration of lessons plans related to various topics in human sexuality such as:
v Sexual and reproductive anatomy
v Abstinence and pregnancy prevention
v HIVAIDS
v Safer sex
v Homosexuality
v Healthy versus unhealthy relationships
- Teaching practice
Note: Participants will be expected to do practice teaching to a small group of peers as preparation for leading sexuality education groups in their setting. The practice teaching will be done in a supportive learning atmosphere.
Who Should Attend This Training?
Clinicians, nurses, occupational therapists, direct care staff, administrators, correctional officers who are interested in learning how to lead sexuality education groups in their settings. Settings that provide services for high-risk youth include:
- Residential treatment programs and group homes
- Shelter for runaway and homeless youth
- Foster care agencies
- Substance abuse programs
- Alternative schools
- Schools for emotionally disturbed or learning disabled children
- Juvenile detention and correctional facilities
- Outpatient mental health programs
- Sexual abuse survivor groups
- Juvenile sex offender programs
- Inpatient or partial-care psychiatric programs
- Extended day programs
- Job training programs
- Teen parent programs
- Support groups for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth
IMPORTANT NOTE: The group leader’s comfort level talking about sexuality and rapport with young people are critical factors determining the effectiveness of sexuality education groups. Administrators who are selecting staff to lead sexuality education groups in your setting should consider the following criteria:
- Select a staff person who is genuinely interested in teaching this topic.
- Select a staff person who is able to establish rapport with young people, yet also remain professional.
- Select a staff person who you believe is comfortable, or could become comfortable, talking with young people about sexual issues.
