Your Life, Your Health, Your Future

Your Life, Your Health, Your Future.

Your Life, Your Health, Your Future is a series of classes available for middle and high school students in Sarasota County.  The classes teach students how to make decisions about risky behaviors including sex.  Students learn and discuss medically accurate information regarding sexual health and talk about how decisions about sex and other risky behaviors impact life.

Course Description

The classes follow the Making a Difference curriculum.  Modules include:

Getting to know you and steps to making your dreams come true.  

• Describe the benefits of proud and responsible behavior.
• Identify at least two reasons why teens have sex, the consequences of sex, and strategies for reducing those consequences.
• Describe at least one goal they wish to achieve in the future.
• Identify barriers to achieving their personal goals and strategies for overcoming them.

Understanding adolescent sexuality and abstinence.

• Identify the physical, emotional, and sexual development that occurs during puberty.
• Identify sexual messages from the media, peers, and parents.
• Identify the sexual behaviors to avoid when practicing abstinence.
• Identify some of the benefits of abstinence.

HIV.

• Identify the basic facts about HIV and AIDS.
• Identify which behaviors are low risk, high risk, or no risk for contracting HIV.
• Identify a person’s risk of HIV infection.
• Identify how HIV infection can be prevented.

STD’s.

• Identify the signs and symptoms of the most common STD’s.
• Identify how STD’s, including HIV, are transmitted.
• Acknowledge their risk for contracting an STD.
• State how using problem solving steps can help avoid risky situations. 

Pregnancy.

• Distinguish myths from facts about pregnancy.
• Express positive feelings towards pregnancy prevention.
• Identify negative consequences of teen pregnancy.

Attitudes, beliefs, and giving advice about HIV/STD’s and abstinence.

• Identify and state at least five positive characterizes about themselves.
• Explain how self-esteem affects decision-making.

Responding to peer pressure and partner pressure.

• Identify the specific sexual behaviors that fit within their own personal comfort zone.
• Recognize pressure for peers to engage in sexual activity.
• Advocate for abstinence with other young teens.

Refusal and negotiation skills.

• Identify strategies for negotiating abstinence in romantic relationships.
• Identify and explain the characteristics of saying “no” effectively.
• Express confidence in their ability to say “no” to risky situations involving sexual behaviors.
• Express pride in sticking to their decision to abstain from risky sexual behaviors.

Parent Education

Parents are encouraged to attend an education session about the curriculum and learn ways to communicate with their teen.  Parental involvement can reinforce the decision-making skills students learn.

"I attended a presentation on social media and the risks associated with it at my daughter’s school.....(the instructor) was so professional and tactful with the subject while fun and engaging at the same time." - Booker Middle School parent

"The instructor was excellent and very knowledgeable about topics presented." - anonymous parent

Upcoming parent programs (maybe a link to events rather than post)

• Tuesday, February, 13, 2018  at the Selby Library  from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
• Monday, March 19, 2018 at Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences from 5 to 6 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at the Fruitville Library  from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Contact

For information about the program, a list of schools where it is taught or to register for parent education, please call 941-927-9000 x32101.

Suggested Resources

https://amaze.org/

https://aidsvu.org/

https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/

https://weascend.org/