Endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a proven, evidence-based curriculum, Social Health Association of Indiana’s Making A Difference!® program provides middle-school students with the knowledge, confidence and skills to remain abstinent, thus eliminating the risk of STDs and pregnancy.
Taught by professional Health Educators, the abstinence-based curriculum is medically accurate, age-appropriate and free of social bias.
Here is an overview of what students do in the eight sessions:
- Reflect on their goals and dreams for the future and what they can do to make those dreams come true and think about the impact teenage pregnancy and STDs would have on those goals.
- Review major puberty changes for both genders.
- Talk about the reasons some teens choose to become sexually active and identify the benefits of abstinence.
- Debunk myths about pregnancy and pregnancy prevention with medically accurate information.
- Learn about HIV/AIDS and STDs, how they are transmitted and methods of prevention.
- Discuss risky behaviors and healthy relationship behavior.
- Reflect on attitudes and beliefs about sex, abstinence and messages they receive from the media, friends, parents and other places.
- Learn skills for responding to peer and partner pressure regarding sex.
- Discuss self-esteem, setting boundaries and negotiation skills.
- Role play to reinforce communication, negotiation and refusal skills.