Spring girls family-based sexuality education class now enrolling
Parents need and want to be involved in the sexuality education of their children, but often do not how to teach them. “Kids Need to Know,” the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department’s family-based sexuality education program, is now enrolling.
The class, geared for fifth- and sixth-graders, meets for two hours once a week for five weeks. The course begins with a “parents only” night where curriculum and materials are discussed and any questions are answered. Following Parents’ Night, the class continues with weekly parent-child sessions for four more weeks. One parent accompanies the child to each class.
Reproductive body parts and purposes, puberty, pregnancy, childbirth and sexually-transmitted diseases are discussed. Decision-making skills are emphasized. Videos, games and other interactive activities help make the classes fun and interesting.
The girls class will be held Tuesdays, Jan. 17- Feb. 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. The cost is $50 per family.Registrations must be received one week prior to the first night of class. For more information or to register, visit www.ldchealth.org or call (785) 843-3060.
Kids Need to Know logo by ldchealth
Students in coalition discuss ways to better address teen issues
There’s a conversation taking place concerning important issues for Lawrence’s teens.
And teens are the ones having it.
More than a dozen area students comprising the Wake-Up Coalition gathered Wednesday at Lawrence Arts Center to talk about what they say should be talked about more effectively: teen pregnancy, teen suicide and sex education.
“The kids identified these as the central issues they thought were most important,” coordinator and teacher Shannon Draper said. “School counselors are overworked, so the kids thought, ‘Why don’t we do this ourselves?’ Which is amazing to have kids so interested.”
The coalition, created with the help of a $10,000 renewable grant, has partnered with the GaDuGi SafeCenter and the arts center to create a peer-to-peer counseling and mentoring program for area junior high and high schools.
“I really like the whole concept of helping peers,” coalition member and Lawrence High School junior Jordan Gaches said. “It makes people not feel like they’re so alone.”
The program is still in its beginning stages but hopes to facilitate conversation among teens on tough issues as well as open communication lines across generations.
“I really am excited to see how we can get people connected,” Gaches said. “I’m excited to get the ball rolling.”
Look what LiveWellOmahaKids.org did!
These great videos, produced by SKAR Advertising in Omaha for LiveWellOmahaKids.org and the 54321Go! project.
For elementary school kids:
For teens:
Teen HIV testing recommendations often not followed
The CDC currently recommends that doctors begin testing for HIV when patients are 13, unless the patient declines the test. But many doctors are not following these guidelines, while "Americans ages 13 to 29 represent more new HIV infections than any other age group, making up 34 percent of new infections." Read the article here.
It's supposed to be this simple: A teenager goes in for an annual physical, and at some point the doctor says: " HIV testing is a routine part of the exam. Would you rather not be tested?"
But almost four years after federal officials urged that routine HIV testing begin at age 13, unless the patient declines, experts say many health care providers who treat teenagers have not adopted the recommendations.
According to the article, some possible explanations for this lack of testing include pediatricians being uncomfortable talking to their patients about sexuality especially when the patient is as young as 13, cumbersome state laws and lack of training to talk about testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
