History of "Can We Talk?" PDF Print E-mail

cwtbullymanual_cover.jpgSome schools in the USA are doing an excellent job with health and safety education. However, in many schools in the United States, the subjects of safety and health have gone the way of arts and music—discarded or de-prioritized in favor of topics that are tested—math, science, literacy, and social studies.

 

In many schools, health and safety were never even part of the curriculum, the assumption being the students would learn about health, safety, and the law from their parents or by trial and error. But the incidence of problems such as Internet stalking, online fraud, alcohol-related accidents, drug use, gang violence, relationship violence, and other safety issues indicates that youth safety needs to be addressed in a systematic, coordinated, and on-going manner.

One promising and innovative model for addressing health and safety issues came from the well-researched area of teen pregnancy prevention. In 1994, The Annie E. Casey Foundation funded the Plain Talk Initiative as a way to empower communities in Seattle, San Diego, New Orleans, Hartford, and Atlanta to address teen pregnancy prevention. A key component of the Seattle project was outreach to youth and parents through a four-part parent workshop series called “Plain Talk for Parents” designed and written by Dominic Cappello. This public education project provided parents with the skills and resources to educate their children about health and safety risks, puberty, and delaying sexual activity.

The “Plain Talk for Parents” training was later further developed into the Can We Talk?/¿Conversamos? (CWT) Parent-Programs, cwtactivkid.jpgby the National Education Association with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The "Can We Talk?" workshop series, co-authored by Dominic Cappello and Susan Duron, PhD, promoted the philosophy that parents are the first and best educators of their children-–and that they deserve support to keep their families healthy, safe, and successful.

 

The CWT program was initially funded to help the nation’s parents discuss HIV prevention with their children. The program expanded to address the prevention of teen pregnancy, bullying and harassment, and alcohol and drug abuse prevention.  The CWT model includes a Training-of-Trainers design, which helps facilitators from schools and community groups to deliver the program to parents in the workplace, schools, and community.

In 2002, the Rhode Island Department of Health in cooperation with the RI State Department of Education, developed a Can We Talk? program with ongoing evaluation. Lessons learned from the Can We Talk? Rhode Island program and other family education programs, as well as on-going research on parent involvement and parent-child communication, will inform this new initiative—Can We Talk? New Mexico.

In 2007, the NM Attorney Generals office conducted a survey of professionals working in the fields of juvenile justice. The "Youth Safety and the Law" survey was created by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office to assess the need for a public education program about youth health, safety, and New Mexico law. Youth safety and legal issues surveyed included:

  • Internet safety
  • Sexual assault
  • Dating violence
  • Bullying and Harassment
  • Gang activity and Violence
  • Underage drinking
  • Driving while intoxicated
  • Drug abuse
  • Consumer education/ avoiding fraud
  • Gun safety

From the survey, those working the most closely with youth throughout the state feel that the majority of the topics listed above are critical in the health and safety education of New Mexico’s young people. They survey results served as the foundation for the development of the Can We Talk? New Mexico, as well as modification to the National Education Association’s “Can We Talk?” program, in order to best serve New Mexico’s families.

In 2008 New Mexico Voices for Children, the New Mexico based 501(c)3, launched Can We Talk? New Mexico. The website is provided as a community service and maintained by a team of volunteers committed to community safety and health.

REFERENCES

Schuster M, Eastman K, Corona R., “Talking Parents, Healthy Teens: A Worksite-based Program for Parents to Promote Adolescent Sexual Health,’ Preventing Chronic Disease 2006; Vol 3, No 4:1-10.

Hutchinson MK, Jemmott JB, III, Jemmott LS, Braverman P, Fong GT., The Role of Mother-Daughter Sexual Risk-taking Communication in Reducing Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Uurban Adolescent Females: a Prospective Study, J Adolesc. Health, 2000; 28(1): 41-45.

Romo LF, Nadeen E, Au TK, Sigman M., Mexican-American Adolescents’ Responsiveness to Their Mothers’ Questions About Dating and Sexuality, J Appl. Dev Psychol., 2004; 25(5): 501-522.

Tiffany JS, Tobias D, Raqib A, Zieglaer J., Talking with Kids About AIDS Resource Manual and Teaching Guide. 2nd ed., Ithaca (NY): Cornell University; 1993.

Dittus P, Miller KS, Kotchick BA, Forehand R., Why Parents Matter: The Conceptual Basis for a Community-based HIV Prevention Program for Parents of African- American Youth, J Child Fam. Stud., 2004; 13(1): 5-20.

Kirby D, Miller BC., Interventions Designed to Promote Parent-Teen Communication About Sexuality, New Dir. Child Adolescent Dev., 2002; (97): 93-110.

Jaccard J, Dittus PH, Gordon VV., Parent-Teen Communication About Premarital Sex: Factors Associated with the Extent of Communication, J Adolescent Res., 2001: 15(2): 187-208.

Huebner AJ, Howell LW., Examining the Relationship Between Adolescent Risk-taking and Perceptions of Monitoring, Communication, and Parenting Styles, J Adolescent Health, 2003: 33(2): 71-78.

Kirby D., Emerging Answers: Research Finding on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy, Washington (DC): National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2001.

Strasburger VC., Getting Teenagers to Say No to Sex, Drugs, and Violence in the New Millennium, Adolescent Medicine, 1999: 84(4): 797- 810.
 

 

 

Can We Talk? New Mexico is a program of New Mexico Voices for Children.

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