2006 Georgia Abstinence Education Campaign overview and toolkit

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Welcome to the 2006 Georgia Abstinence Education Campaign
Campaign Overview and Toolkit Elements

It's not always easy to talk with kids or parents about sex. This toolkit offers you resources to help you connect with young people and their parents about the benefits of sexual abstinence until marriage. The goal is to share the facts and tips provided and facilitate a community dialogue around this important topic.

Children and Youth Coordinating Council partners with CWK Network, Inc. The Children and Youth Coordinating Council (CYCC) has partnered with CWK Network to launch an important educational campaign that focuses on abstinence until marriage and peer influence. Founded in 1998, CWK Network produces the Emmy award-winning Connect with Kids television series, featuring real kids sharing their true stories about today's youth issues. CWK Network has produced a custom television program for this campaign called The Real Majority, which will air throughout Georgia in January. (Broadcast dates inside toolkit.) Research shows that Connect with Kids programs on television and in the classroom are changing youth behavior and inspiring parents to talk with their children.

The Statistics Speak for Themselves The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that nearly 900,000 adolescents under the age of 19 become pregnant every year and about 3 million become infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) - a trend of epidemic proportions. When teens contract an STD, they face both physical and emotional stress. When teens become parents, they are less likely to complete high school and more likely to live in poverty than other young people their age. (Maynard 1996.) You'll find more facts and myth-busters inside this toolkit.

Abstinence Education is Making a Difference Recent studies show that more than half of all teenagers today are not engaged in sexual intercourse. More young people are choosing to be sexually abstinent until marriage, and finding that this choice gives them control over their future and their own bodies.

The Real Majority It is hard for teenagers to hear about "the real majority" because the media, society and peer pressure all seem to send messages that teens are or should become sexually active before marriage. Unfortunately, teens receive less information about the physical and emotional benefits of having one lifelong sexual partner within marriage. The Georgia Abstinence Education Campaign is providing that much-needed information.

Thank your for your participation in this year's campaign, and for helping to support the emotional and physical health of children throughout the state of Georgia.

Sincerely,

Danielle Ruedt Abstinence Education State Coordinator

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Children and Youth Coordinating Council

2006

Abstnence Education

What You'll Find Inside the Toolkit

A Reply Card to order your free video copy of the half-hour television program, The Real Majority, which airs throughout Georgia during the month of January (check local listings for broadcast dates). A list of participating television stations is available as a handout and online at www.connectwithkids.com/everybodysnotdoingit).

This Implementation Guide to help you use the campaign elements.

Two custom campaign posters to post in your organization and community to increase awareness about the Georgia Abstinence Education Campaign.

A list of participating television stations and broadcast dates for the half-hour program.

A sample Meeting Announcement for you to photocopy and post, announcing your own organization's video viewing and discussion meeting.

An Abstinence Fact Sheet with the latest information and statistics about youth sexual activity and abstinence until marriage.

A Parent Tip Sheet with expert advice to help parents talk with their children about the benefits of abstinence until marriage.

A magnet for you to post in your organization, showing your campaign support and creating awareness of the campaign website.

Information about the Georgia Abstinence Education Website: www.connectwithkids.com/everybodysnotdoingit. The website contains custom online resources, including video streaming of the half-hour television program, group discussion questions, youth self-reflection questions, and more. The site also contains downloadable versions of many of the toolkit documents.

f How to Use the Community Toolkit

Send in your Reply Card for your free video of The Real Majority. Once the program arrives, arrange a screening in your community setting. Invite parents, youth or both and use the materials in the toolkit and on the website to make the event a positive educational experience.

Complete and photocopy the sample Meeting Announcement to post in and around your community announcing the screening.

Start a discussion group for teens and/or pre-teens that focuses on the abstinence issues highlighted in the resources and the video. Use the discussion questions and self-reflection questions on the website to help facilitate the sessions.

Loan the video program to parents and/or students for home use or for leading discussions in other settings (religious meetings, civic groups and clubs, schools, etc.). Show meeting facilitators how to access additional materials on the website. (See details below or at www.connectwithkids.com/everybodysnotdoingit.)

Use materials in the toolkit and on the website to send information to parents through your organization's newsletters and direct communication channels.

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2006
f Using the Half-Hour Television Program
Invite people from your organization and/or the community to watch The Real Majority television program together. (See broadcast dates in toolkit and on the website.)
You will receive your free video copy of The Real Majority in the mail. When you play it in group settings, pause the tape after each segment and discuss what you have viewed. Use the discussion and self-reflection questions from the website to facilitate learning.
Assign young people in your organization the task of watching the program with their parents.
Allow youth to show the tape to groups of peers or other pre-teens and teens (middle school classes, youth groups, church groups, etc.)
Encourage schools in your community to use the video program and correlating resources in health classes.
\V Using the Group Discussion and Self-Reflection Questions
Train parents and/or youth to become group discussion leaders using the resources in the toolkit and on the website.
Print the discussion questions and self-reflection questions to use as a viewing guide in group sessions. The discussion questions are for a group; the self-reflection questions are for individuals to write their personal responses to issues raised in the video.
Post the questions on the wall to help people continue to think about the benefits of abstinence until marriage and the consequences of early sexual behavior.
Use the questions as part of a homework assignment for youth as they discuss these issues with their parents.
f Using the Sample Meeting Announcement
Fill in your organization's name, date and session information on the sample Meeting Announcement in the toolkit (also available on the website).
Print copies of the Meeting Announcement and mail to families, inviting them to participate in a viewing of The Real Majority video program. Hold a discussion of the program at your facility.
Post the Meeting Announcement on bulletin boards and other visible locations in your facility and the community.
Include the Meeting Announcement in your organization's newsletter and/or post it on your website to let parents and youth know about upcoming abstinence-focused events.

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CYCC
Children and Youth Coordinating Council

2006

A,bstinence Education

f Using the Parent Tip Sheet
Make copies of the Parent Tip Sheet (also available on the website at www.connectwithkids.com/everybodysnotdoingit) and distribute during a parent meeting and/or video viewing. Have the group talk about specific ways they can implement the tips with their children.
During a parent meeting, use the Tip Sheet as a starting place and have the group brainstorm additional tips and strategies they can use with their children.
As a group, review the Tip Sheet prior to watching The Real Majority video, and have parents identify scenarios during the video where the Tip Sheet applies.
f Using the Abstinence Fact Sheet
During a community meeting, have parents and children pair up and quiz each other on the facts. Have one group member report to the rest of the meeting something new that they learned.
Review the Fact Sheet prior to watching The Real Majority video. After watching the video, ask participants to identify additional facts they learned or misconceptions they had prior to viewing the video.
During a parent meeting, instruct parents to take the Fact Sheet home and use as a starting point for conversation with their children.
IV Using the Community Website
www.connectwithkids.com/everybodysnotdoingit
Instruct parents to go to the website with their children, view The Real Majority video together, and use the discussion questions to begin a dialogue about abstinence until marriage and peer pressure.
As a homework assignment, instruct youth to view a streaming video segment on the website and complete and turn in the self-reflection questions. Anonymously read the youth responses to the self-reflection questions as a starting point for group discussion.
Have youth associated with a community program learn how to use the web at an on-site demonstration.
Download and print any additional materials you may need for your group sessions, meetings, program viewings, etc.

The materials and resources in this toolkit and on the web will help you support the Georgia Abstinence Education Campaign and increase awareness among youth and their parents.

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Children and Youth Coordinating Council

2006 Georgia Abstinence Education Campaign Fact Sheet
Respect. Achievement. Values. Empowerment.
The Benefits of Abstinence Until Marriage
Abstinence education encourages young men and women to wait until marriage to have sex. It means teaching young people about the risks of any sexual activity outside of marriage including oral sex; explaining the emotional risks of early sexual activity, and uncovering the truth about condoms, STDs and teenage pregnancy. But abstinence education is also about teaching self-worth and value. It is learning to respect yourself and others. And it is recognizing the power of standing up for what you believe in.
Everybody's Not Doing It. Join The Real Majority.
Based on data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS 2001 ), 54 percent of all students in grades 9 to 12 indicated that they had not had sexual intercourse. Even among the students who were labeled as "being sexually active," only two in five were currently sexually active.
The "V" word: How many teenagers are virgins? More than half of all teenagers are virgins until the age of 17. And, according to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health, 1994-2001) - the largest survey of adolescents ever undertaken in the U.S. - of the students who stated they were virgins during the first study, more than 80 percent were still virgins a year later. Source: Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S - SIECU; The Heritage Foundation
Don't let them fool you: Teen sexual activity is declining. According to a 2001 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sexual intercourse among middle and high school students decreased nearly 15 percent over the past 1O years. This is excellent news, and many experts attribute the decline to successful abstinence education. Your participation in this campaign could help today's teens live healthier, safer lives.
A Teen Epidemic: Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) While teens make up only 1O percent of the population, they contract 25 percent of all
STDs - a trend that health experts have termed an epidemic among young people today.
Three (3) million teenagers a year contract an STD. Many STDs are incurable and last a lifetime.
Forty-six percent of girls contract an STD during their first sexual encounter. Three in 10 girls will become pregnant before their 20th birthday. One (1) million U.S.
teenage girls get pregnant each year; nearly one-third of those pregnancies end in abortion. Source: Alan Guttmacher Institute; The Heritage Foundation; teenpregnancy.org

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CYCC
Children and Youth Coordinating Council

2006 Georgia Abstinence Education Campaign Fact Sheet
Something to talk about: Getting STDs from oral sex Many young people today do not believe that oral sex is really sex. It is. As with sexual intercourse. you can contract painful. life-long STDs from oral sex.
One in four teens is living with an STD. Today's most prevalent STDs are: HPV (Human papillomavirus), the most common STD with more than 30 sexuallytransmitted strains; includes genital warts and can lead to cancers in men and women; HPV is the cause of 93 percent of all cervical cancer; Genital Herpes, a life-long disease that causes painful sores around the mouth and genital area; Chlamydia. one of the most common STDs which can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PIO), often causing infertility in women; Gonorrhea, pain and burning when urinating - untreated can cause male infertility and female PIO; Syphilis, left untreated can cause serious health problems and even death; HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the underlying cause of AIDS, which leads to complicated health problems and death; there is no known cure.
The truth about condoms, pregnancy and STDs According to The Medical Institute, condoms do not protect you 100 percent of the time from pregnancy or STDs. Research shows that condoms have no impact on the risks of sexual transmission of HPV - the leading cause of cervical cancer in young women. Research also shows that even with proper condom use, there is still a 60 percent risk of genital herpes infection, and a 50 percent risk of Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Source: The Medical Institute; Dr. Meg Meeker, author of Epidemic: How Teen Sex Is Killing Our Kids.
Condoms also fail to protect against pregnancy more than most people think, due to condoms leaking, breaking, slipping off, or not being used correctly or consistently, particularly among young people. Consider this from Dr. Meg Meeker, doctor of adolescent medicine and author of the 2002 book Epidemic: How Teen Sex Is Killing Our Kids. "Remember, we are talking about the same kids who forget to do their homework, brush their teeth or take the dog out. Can we really expect them to use condoms each and every time they have sex?11
A sure thing: Abstinence is the only 100 percent effective way to ensure not getting pregnant and not getting an STD.

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CYCC
Children and Youth Coordinating Council

2006

Abstinence Education Campaign Fact Sheet

Mind-body connection Sex can cause emotional pain, too. Studies show that once a teen relationship has sex in it, that relationship often changes - suddenly the focus is on having sex, instead of having fun. This often causes stress, anxiety and fear. Even more traumatic for young people, having sex often ends the relationship: 61 percent of teen sexual relationships end within three months; 80 percent end within six months. Many teens become depressed by what they have done sexually. or anxious about their reputations. Sexually active teens are far more likely to attempt suicide than teens who abstain from sex. Source: The Heritage Foundation; Add Health Study.
Wish you had waited? Eight out of 10 girls and six out of 1Oboys who are sexually active wish they had waited until they were older. Because of the emotional trauma, many young people wish they could "turn back time" and not be sexually active with their boyfriend or girlfriend. While they cannot change the past, they can control the future: Remind young people that they can choose to abstain from sexual intercourse and oral sex at anytime - with their current relationship or in their next relationship. Just because a teen has been sexually active before does not mean he or she has to be sexually active again. Source: The Heritage Foundation; Add Health.
Waiting until marriage makes a better marriage.
Many experts - and spouses themselves - believe that couples create a stronger marriage by choosing to wait to have sex within a marriage. Couples say they have a deep sense of trust, commitment and unconditional love, and have avoided the emotional and physical consequences associated with STDs and multiple partners. Studies further show that couples who waited until marriage are less likely to contract STDs in their lifetime. Source: The Medical Institute for Sexual Health; Abstinence Clearinghouse.

Resources:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - www.cdc.gov CDC: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System - www.cdc.gov/yrbs/ Add Health Study - http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth The Heritage Foundation -www.heritage.org Alan Guttmacher Institute - http://www.agi-usa.org/ The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy- http://teenpregnancy.org/ Epidemic: How Sex is Killing Our Kids by Meg Meeker, M.D. The Medical Institute - www.medinstitute.org The Children and Youth Coordinating Council - www.cycc.state.ga.us

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Children and Youth C'.oordinating Council

2006 Georgia Abstinence Education Campaign Parent Tip Sheet
Respect. Achievement. Values. Empowerment.
Abstinence Until Marriage - Parent Tip Sheet
It's not always easy for parents and children to talk about... sex. However, statistics show that parents have more power than they think. A survey of teens by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (April 2001) asked: "When it comes to your sexual decision making, which of the following is most influential?" The results:
Parents - 38.3% Friends - 1.7% Religious organizations - 9.1 % Brothers and sisters - 7.4% Teachers and sex educators - 6.8% The media - 3.6%
Parents: You Join the Real Majority, Too
Approximately 80 percent of parents want teens to be taught that they should not engage in sexual activity until they are married or at least in an adult relationship leading to marriage.
Ninety-one percent of parents want teens to be taught "the best choice is for sexual intercourse to be linked to love, intimacy and commitment. These qualities are most likely to occur in a faithful marriage."
Source: Shannan Martin, Robert Rector, and Melissa G. Pardue, Comprehensive Sex Education Versus Authentic Abstinence: a Study in Competing Curricula, The Heritage Foundation, forthcoming.
Choosing abstinence is a way for your child to have control Young people today have big plans for their own futures. Waiting until marriage to have sex is one way for kids to be in control of their future and achieve their dreams - without the risk of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and the emotional pain of early sexual activity.
Talk about abstinence as it relates to your child's life Help your child set goals. Then, discuss how sexual activity could keep him or her from achieving those goals. For example, having sexual intercourse before marriage puts your child at risk for STDs. Some STDs can lead to infertility, reducing your child's ability to have a family when he or she is married. Another possible consequence of teens having sex is pregnancy, which often keeps a child from finishing high school or attending college. When parents talk with their children about the positive reasons for choosing abstinence, as well as the negative consequences of having premarital sex, it helps children make healthy decisions today that could affect their future. Source: The Medical Institute for Sexual Health

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Children and Youth C,oordinating Council

2006 Georgia Abstinence Education Campaign Parent Tip Sheet

Be part of the dream. Support your child's future plans:
1. Believe that your child can remain abstinent until marriage. You have to believe it first yourself - teens can wait until marriage. Many parents think that having sex is simply part of growing up; or that sex, like drugs or alcohol, is part of adolescence. It's not. Remember, today, more than half of all teens 17 and under are virgins. Source: Dr. Meg Meeker, Epidemic: How Sex is Killing Our Kids.
2. Encourage your child to choose friends with similar values and beliefs.
3. Discourage early dating and relationships; instead, support your child's participation in group activities.
4. Explain that sex is not love and love is not sex. You do not withhold love by choosing to abstain from sex; you do not show love by having sex.
5. Get to know your child's friends and whom they are dating. Stay involved: Know where your child is, what he/she is doing, and with whom.
6. Teach your child to avoid risky situations; drug and alcohol use often lead to sexual risk-taking.
7. Role-play how your child will resist peer pressure. (Use the suggestions listed below.)
8. Help your child stay in school and succeed. Studies show that children who abstain from sex are more likely to graduate high school and college. Source: The Heritage Foundation Add Health Study.

"No" is a complete sentence... but sometimes it takes more. Help your child stay true to his or her commitment when faced with a choice to have sex or abstain. Practice these suggestions with your child:
Take a deep breath and say these words, "No, I don't want to have sex."
If the question arises while you are kissing or cuddling, stop what you are doing and change the tone of the moment. Emphasize your words with actions.
Tell the other person the depth of your commitment to abstinence. If you don't plan on having sex until you are married, say so.
Do not try to diffuse the tension with lots of kissing and/or other physical gestures; this will confuse your message of "No."
If the other person pressures you or tries to force you to have sex, YELL "No!" and physically push them away. Leave immediately.
If the other person pulls the old, "If you loved me you'd do it" line, tell him or her: "If you loved me you wouldn't keep asking." Sex is not love and love is not sex.
If you feel uncertain of your ability to stay true to your initial "No," leave.

Resources: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy- http://teenpregnancy.org/ The Heritage Foundation - www.heritage.org The Medical Institute - www.medinstitute.org Epidemic: How Sex is Killing Our Kids by Meg Meeker, M.D. 4Parents.gov - www.4parents.gov The Children and Youth Coordinating Council - www.cycc.state.ga.us

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Everybody's Not Doing It. Join The Real Majority.

Presents
YOUTH ABSTINENCE EDUCATION
A video and discussion session about youth abstinence. Includes real stories from kids about the
power of positive choices and the truth about physical, social and emotional issues.
WHERE:
TIME:
CONTACT:

Brought to you by the Children and Youth Coordinating Council through a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Programming produced by CWK Network/Connect with Kids.

For DVD-ROM,
con t a ct : Reference Dept., UGA Libraries