iWait - Weld Waits

WeldWaits Updates
SEX CAN WAIT!
Summer 2009
Page 1 ... A note from WeldWAITS
Page 2 ... Movie Premiere
Page 3 ... Men’s Health PitStop
Page 4 ... How are we doing?
Page 5 ... Program Updates
Page 6 ...”iWait”! Ad Campaign and Merchandise
A Note from WeldWAITS
Y
ou may have noticed a delay in receiving this edition of WeldWAITS Updates! We have been so busy “doing” that we didn’t have time to write about it!! Since we last talked to you, we have created a new advertising campaign including an ad for Cinemark Theater, written and helped produce a movie on healthy marriages,
hosted a premiere for the movie, hosted a father/son event that turned into a family event of about 400 people called
the “Men’s Health PitStop”, and given many, many presentations from Roggins, to Johnstown, to Greeley, and New
Raymer! We’ll try to update you on some of these events. I also wanted to share with you some cool stories outside
of Weld County:
On March 11, some of our friends from Friends First, a Longmont based abstinence education program, attended
“Day on the Hill” in Washington D.C., an event sponsored by the National Association of Abstinence Education. It
allowed youth ages 11-18 to go to Capitol Hill to meet with their senators and house representatives and share the
personal impact that abstinence education programs have had in their lives. Last year only about 100 students attended and this year it was over 450!
Check out this link to an NBC Today Show featuring a positive conversation about abstinence education. http://
video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=f5cbac74-5493-4071-974f-f162e7451d30 The woman
on the right being interviewed is national abstinence speaker, Julie Carrier. She is also the author of BeYOUtiful (a
book for girls prelaunched at the National Girl Scouts Convention.) I especially like how she emphasized that there
are many abstinence programs available and the poor results of some studies does not reflect on All abstinence programs.
World Premiere!
“Until Death Do Us Part”
Friday, May 8 - 6:30pm
Journey Christian Church
2332 27th Street, Greeley
(NW corner of 23rd ave. & Hwy 34)
Sponsored by Weld Waits
World Premiere of “Until
O
Death Do Us Part”!
n May 8, WeldWAITS hosted the premiere of “Until Death Do Us Part” at Journey Christian Church. The
inspiration for this 45 minute film produced by WeldWAITS and Colorado Digital Video came from the comment of a 17 year old male who said the only good marriage he had ever seen was his lawyer’s. WW staff realized
there are many teens in Weld County without a role model for healthy marriage and decided to showcase some positive examples. They interviewed several local Weld County
couples ranging from newly engaged to married for over 50
years who candidly shared their love stories. The couples
describe how they met, how they work through conflicts, their
favorite thing about marriage, and advice to other couples
seeking to have a “forever relationship”. Several small children
and high school teens were also asked about their opinions and
dreams about marriage.
“Until Death Do Us Part” will be available for classroom use in
the fall of 2009. For more information call
970-304-6420 x 2379.
Men’s Health PitStop
Dale Budensiek and Corrie Johnson take
car show registrations.
I
Tyler of the Fatherhood Initiative and Phil and Garth who
comprise Black and White Productions, stop for a photo after
the presentation.
n honor of Men’s Health Week (June 9-15) and
Father’s Day (June 21), the WeldWAITS program of Weld County Department of Public Health
and Environment teamed up with The Fatherhood Program, LiveWell, Banner, City of Greeley and other community organizations to host a father/son event on June 13, 2009 entitled “Men’s Health Pit Stop.” Using the tagline of
“Healthy Men, Healthy Communities” the goal of the event was to encourage men to take care of their health both
for themselves and for their families. It was also an opportunity to raise the bar for dads to help their children be
aware of and prevent risky behaviors such as drugs, alcohol and premarital sex.
The Family FunPlex outdoor amphitheater was a perfect venue to host the PitStop which featured a car show, healthy
grilling demonstrations, several local bands, and 33 health booths with information on everything from cancer
screening, to fitness, to relational health, to employment services. In their unique and edgy style, Black and White
Productions from Minneapolis spoke to teens on “How to live Pants Up in a Pants Down World” while Mel LaMar,
a local magician entertained the younger children with a magic show. There was definitely a variety of entertainment
options and information available in this first community collaboration for men’s health! Rev your engines for an
even better event next year!
How are we doing?
M
ost people would not argue that abstinence is the only 100 % way to prevent teen pregnancies and STDs; however, they do argue about how effective it is to teach kids to wait. In January 2009, we conducted a follow-up
study of the WeldWAITS Program in one of the schools we have taught the most. WeldWAITS has been teaching
WAIT Training to Eaton High School 9th graders since January 2001. In three hours of instruction, students learn
about:
• the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual and financial consequences of teen sex, media influences and
hopes and dreams;
• sexually transmitted infections including symptoms, transmission, testing, treatment and prevention; and
• the steps of physical intimacy and setting healthy boundaries in dating relationships.
In January 2009, 85% (100/118) of the Class of 2010 was surveyed. Students were classified into two groups based
on whether they said they had received training (63%) during their freshman year at Eaton High School or had not.
The group that did not receive training served as a quasi-comparison group. Table 1 and Figure 1 summarize some
of the student’s self-reported attitudes and behaviors about abstaining from sexual contact. More students who received training are choosing to wait and not having sexual contact compared to the non-trained group.
What we learned from this study is that WeldWAITS Training is working! We also learned that by the junior year,
students could potentially benefit from a “booster shot” to remind them of the consequences of sex and the benefits
of waiting. As a result of this study, WeldWAITS talked with the counselors and principal at Eaton High School and
is planning to add more instruction about healthy relationships to the junior year curriculum.
Table 1. Eaton High School Class of 2010 attitudes and behavior about abstinence and sexual contact.
I am choosing to wait until marriage
I still feel undecided about waiting
I am not sexually active yet, but do not
plan to wait until marriage
I will continue to have sexual contact
E a to n H ig h S c h o o l C la s s o f 2 0 1 0
G ro u p a v e ra g e c h a n g e o v e r tim e
F a vo ra b le a ttitu d e to w a rd a b s tin e n c e
4
F a vo ra b le a ttitu d e to w a rd s e x
3 .5
Mean
3
2 .5
3 .6
3 .3
3 .2
1 .9
2
1 .8
1 .5
1 .5
1
B e fo re tra in in g
Im m e d ia te ly a fte r
tra in in g
T im e
T w o ye a r fo llo w -u p
Received
training
(n=53)
40%
32%
13%
No
training
(n=40)
35%
33%
8%
Overall combined
Class of 2010
(n=93)
38%
32%
11%
15%
25%
19%
For the Class of 2010 students who received training,
we examined their average scores on two attitude
scales compared to the group of students who were
surveyed immediately before and after the training
given during their freshman year. Figure 1 shows
how student’s attitudes fluctuated over the three time
points. The good news is that student’s attitudes
towards abstinence remained higher than before
the training and their attitude toward sexual contact
remained lower than before training. On the other
hand, the Class of 2010 student’s may need some
additional training in order to maintain favorable attitudes about abstinence.
Youth Helping Youth
O
n July 13th and 14th, WeldWAITS held a training
for youth selected to be “RESIST Peer Mentors”.
RESIST (Radically Empowering Students in Slaying Temptation), the youth portion of our program, is
finally realizing a long term dream of reaching out to
mentor young students before they become involved
with risky behavior.
Mentors from a variety of Weld County schools were
selected according to their leadership skills, academics, passion for helping kids, self reported lifestyle
choices, and a recommendation from a teacher or
advisor. In the training they focused on team building,
communication skills, qualities of a good mentor, developmental assets, and activities for the coming year.
Eleven high school students from Pawnee, Highland, Greeley Central, and Greeley West will be
working with Scott Elementary 5th graders once a
month this year to model healthy behaviors, empower younger students to set boundaries, avoid
drugs, alcohol, unhealthy relationships, and set
goals. Lessons will include information on character, media and self image, and friendships.
For more information on RESIST, contact Heidi at
304-6470 x 2379.
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Program Updates
Quinciñera Classes:
Next session begins July 18, 2009. For information call Our Lady of Peace at 353-1747.
RESIST:
New mentoring program just beginning! Look for an update in the fall edition of
WeldWAITS Updates! Call 304-6470 x 2379 for more information.
Teen Counseling:
Parents or teens with questions or concerns about involvement in risky behavior please call 304-6420 x 2423 for
appointments.
Parent Workshops on How to Talk to your Kids about Sex:
Consider arranging a “Lunch and Learn” at your worksite or presentations for PTO’s and other parenting groups.
Call 304-6420 x 2423 for more information.
It has been a huge bonus to the WeldWAITS program to have the input, humor, and expertise of Dale Budensiek working with our program for the past
6 months! He coordinated the car show for the Men’s Health PitStop – drawing 45 beautiful cars for our first event, and working primarily with the boys
at North Range’s TOPS program. He built relationships with the young men
and taught them the healthy relationship skills of WAIT Training in a way
they were able to grasp and integrate into their lives. It is with a mixture of
sadness for us and joy for Dale and his family that we say, “goodbye” as they
head to China where Dale will be teaching. We wish him the best and know
that his Chinese students will benefit from the healthy relationship education
he can share along with his classroom subjects
Dale and his family at the movie premiere.
Male Abstinence Educator wanted for Weld County Public Health and Environment – Abstinence Education
Program. Position: Community outreach worker for 10 hours per week. Salary negotiable according to experience and education. WAIT Training, bilingual, and experience working with adolescents preferred but not
required. Training and support provided. Requires own transportation, valid Colorado driver’s license and vehicle liability insurance. Position does require basic computer skills and good written and verbal communication
skills. Primary duties will include classroom and community presentations, program development, and mentoring.
New Ad Campaign!
In June, WeldWAITS launched their new ad campaign “iWait”! The intent
is to personalize the WeldWAITS message for teens and make them think,
“why” do I want to wait to have sex? Having a reason “why” is a huge step
in the right direction of making a plan for “how” to wait. Several of the reasons suggested in our campaign are: “to avoid a broken heart”, “to live STD
and pregnancy free”, and “to live without regrets”.
Look for “iWait” ads in the Cinemark Theater this summer! T-shirts and bracelets are also available. T-shirts are $10 each. Bracelets are $2.00 each. Call 3046420 x 2423 to order or mail in the attached order form with check or cash.
1555 N. 17th Ave
Greeley Co. 80631
Phone: 970-304-6470 Ex 2423
Fax: 970-304-6452
[email protected]
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