 The Plain Talk program is a community initiative to help parents engage in open communication with youth concerning reproductive issues and has several defined goals:
• |
|
To create consensus among parents and adults about the need to protect sexually active youth by encouraging early and consistent use of contraceptives |
• |
|
To give parents and other community adults the information and skills they need to communicate more effectively with teens about responsible sexual behavior |
• |
|
To improve adolescent access to high-quality, age-appropriate and readily available reproductive health care, including contraception |
Plain Talk activities are divided into three major program components:
COMMUNITY MAPPING:
Composed of a clear-cut set of activities that supply information about the community at large, community mapping determines which neighborhoods best fit the program and which agencies are best suited to implement it successfully. The NorthRiver neighborhood near the Maumee River has been chosen as the most suitable Plain Talk site for ONE Village, and United North is the agency working to implement Plain Talk in ONE Village.
WALKERS & TALKERS:
This Plain Talk component employs resident volunteers who go door-to-door with the Plain Talk message – into schools, community centers, businesses, and just about anywhere they can find an audience to listen. Their primary function is to inform and engage community residents, recruit hosts for Home Health Parties and facilitate Home Health Parties in the community.
HOME HEALTH PARTIES:
The purpose of a Home Health Party is to educate adults and parents on sexual issues and to teach them the importance of communicating this knowledge to their children and other adolescents in the community. The goal of Home Health Parties is to help recruit more “Askable Adults” in the community, which will, in turn, increase the accuracy and frequency of adult/teen communication about sexual issues. Home Health Parties give adults correct information on reproductive health issues, pregnancy and pregnancy prevention, and the contraction and prevention of STDs and HIV/AIDS. It also gives parents and community adults the communication skills needed to educate and protect sexually active teens in their community.
Statistics prove that PlainTalk works because it is encouraging teens to make responsible decisions and decreasing the incidence of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
For more information, contact United North via e-mail at: rjones@unitednorth.org or by telephone at (419) 243-3204, Ext. 10. |
