The Abstinence Education E-Update is a free information service of the Division of Abstinence Education of the HHS/ACF Family and Youth Services Bureau, provided by the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth. Contact NCFY at (301) 608-8098 or ncfy@acf.hhs.gov. If you're having trouble viewing this e-mail, please click here to view a version of it on the Web.
August 19, 2008 Early-Maturing Girls Need More Parental Help Teacher-Student Relationships Key To Learning Health & Sex Education Family Meals Cut Risks for Teen Girls If Abstinence is Best, Why Teach Anything Else? Worth the Wait Offers Youth Contemporary Style Abstinence Education Creates Safe and Healthy Teenagers Program Teaches Teenagers that Abstinence Helps Them The National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth maintains a listing of organizations identified as potential funding sources for abstinence education programs. The listing includes grant descriptions and contact information. Technical Assistance To Broaden the Reach of Community-Based Abstinence Education Programs Kids In Need Teacher Grants Hershey Foundation Family Meals and Substance Use: Is There a Long-Term Protective Association? (2008) (fee required for full article) -- University of Minnesota researchers reported in the Journal of Adolescent Health [Volume 43 (2): 151-156] that girls participating in family meals were half as likely to smoke cigarettes and marijuana or drink alcohol. The authors also found a link between regular family meals and a lower risk of overall school problems, substance abuse, and violence for both boys and girls. Using Sibling Differences to Estimate Effects of Parenting on Adolescent Sexual Risk Behaviors (2008) (fee required for full article) -- The authors reported in the Journal of Adolescent Health [Volume 43 (2): 133-140] that regular family activities and positive parental involvement during mid-adolescence may reduce a young person’s sexual risk behavior during late adolescence. Youth who experienced more positive family involvement than their siblings during mid-adolescence showed a slower rate of risky sexual behaviors than their brothers or sisters through late adolescence. Positive Parenting Associated with Less Aggression in Early-Maturing Teen Girls (2008) Parental Involvement in Adolescent Romantic Relationships: Patterns and Correlates (2008) (fee required for full article) -- The study in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence [Volume 37 (2): 168-179] found the quality of parent-child relationships and certain parenting practices may have important implications for the child’s romantic experiences, especially intimacy with a potential partner. Discussion focuses on the importance of parenting practices in adolescent romantic relationships and the emotional climate of parent–offspring relationships as a developmental context for those practices. Autonomy and Relatedness with Parents and Romantic Development in African American Adolescents (2006) (fee required for full article) -- In a Developmental Psychology study [Volume 42 ( 6): 1347-1351], the authors found that African American adolescents who experience close relationships with parents in early adolescence may be more likely to remain in romantic relationships – whether good or bad -- as they seek independence from parents later on. The researchers said that early adolescents who were in single-parent, step-parent, or unstable families reported longer but less healthy romantic relationships in late adolescence. Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Brief The Costs of Father Absence (2008) Child Trends Facts at a Glance (2008) How Much Do You Know about Teen Sexual Behavior? A True-False Quiz Sustainability Conference Call Part I: Developing a Plan and Soliciting Gifts from Individuals Boys and Girls Learn Differently: The Science of Gender and Learning Web Cast Teen Online Social Networking Web Cast National Abstinence Education Grantees Conference The Abstinence Education E-Update Spotlight has highlighted various topics, from new Federal staff to effective State programs. Now, NCFY will highlight two States a month, looking at each State’s legislation, policy, and specific State features related to abstinence education. OHIO What’s Interesting in the State of Ohio State Law in Ohio
What’s Unique in the State of Ohio The Professional Development Workshop was established 14 years ago to promote and provide age-appropriate, parent-involved, culturally relevant abstinence education in schools and community settings. It has served over 25,000 students at 80 schools annually in a four-county area and includes middle school and high school curricula (including peer education), motivational speakers, abstinence fashion shows, afterschool programs for Akron innercity youth, and summer programs for 20 area community agencies. Professional development workshops for community professionals are held twice yearly. Data on the effectiveness of the effort will soon be available. Quote of the Day "Sexploitation runs rampant in multimedia: from music videos, radio, and commercials, to everyday movies. Who can stay pure in the midst of booty-shaking, Laffy Taffy, thong songs, and lap dances? The answer: You and I. Purity is possible. Abstinence is also possible. Renewed and restored virginity is possible." (Dr. Lindsay Marsh, founder of Worth the Wait, District Chronicles (DC), August 4, 2008) |
The Abstinence Education E-Update comprises links to Web sites with information on current events, research, funding opportunities, and other items related to abstinence-until-marriage education. Inclusion of this information does not imply endorsement by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY). Moreover, the points of view or opinions expressed on these Web sites do not necessarily represent the official position, policies, or views of FYSB, HHS, or NCFY.
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