SH Toolbox-Sexual Health - Recently Updated Pages

Recent news, upcoming events

rosellep — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:40:49 CST

November 17 novembre 2009 - Sexual Health News Update/Actualités sur la santé sexuelle

Non-use of condoms at last intercourse among Canadian youth: Influence of sexual partners and social expectations The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2009; 18: 27-34). Owen Gallupe et al. This study examined associations between condom non-use at last intercourse, partner influences, and social expectations in a large sample of Grade 9 and 11 students using data drawn from the Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Study. Partner influences included having been pressured to have sex when they did not want to and willingness to have sex with a partner who did not want to use a condom. Social expectations included opinions regarding having sex without love, opinions about having casual sex, and communication with partners about condom use. Results indicated that some partner influences and social expectations were significantly associated with the condom non-use. Specifically, willingness to have sex with a partner who did not want to use a condom and lower levels of condom communication were both associated with condom non-use at last intercourse by both sexes. A key finding was that having experienced pressure to have sex was associated with condom non-use only among girls. The findings suggest that youth are likely to benefit from programs that stress sexual equality and respect and that promote condom use negotiation skills

Condom use at last sexual intercourse among unmarried, not living common-law 20- to 34-year-old Canadian young adults The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2009: 18; 75-88). Michelle Rotermann et al. This study utilized data from the Canadian Community Health Surveys (CCHS) to examine condom use among unmarried, not living common-law (UMNCL) Canadians aged 20-34 years. Males (59.9%) were more likely than females (49.9%) to report using a condom at last sexual intercourse. Condom use at last intercourse was more likely among younger respondents aged 20-24 (63.7% males; 53.8% females) than those aged 25-29 (56.0% males; 47.1 females) or 30-34 (54.7% males; 42.2% females). Over a third (35.8%) of those who reported having more than one intercourse partner in the previous 12 months and among those who reported three or four or more partners about 30% of males and nearly 40% of females reported not using a condom at last intercourse. Among all males, the percentage that used a condom at last intercourse was significantly greater than the national average in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and the territories, and significantly lower in Quebec. Among females, condom use was significantly higher in Ontario and significantly lower in New Brunswick and Quebec. Multivariate analysis indicated that UMNCL females aged 20-34 who lived in rural areas were less likely than their urban counterparts to have used a condom at last intercourse. Those who reported having first intercourse at age 13 or younger were significantly less likely to report using a condom at last intercourse than those whose first intercourse occurred at age 14 or older. Overall, the findings indicate that large numbers of single young adult Canadians are at elevated risk for sexually transmitted infection (STI) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

School-based condom education and its relations with diagnoses of and testing for STI among men in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2009 Dec;99(12):2180-2. Epub 2009 Oct 15. Dodge B et al. An intense social and political debate continues in the United States regarding sexuality education. Included in the debate are those who favor comprehensive approaches, those who favor abstinence-only approaches, and those who favor no sexuality education. In this study, we showed that men who received school-based condom education were less likely to have been diagnosed with STIs and were more likely to ever have been tested for SI than were men without such education. School-based condom education is associated with less, rather than more, STI risk.

Schools and Sexual Health symposium April 21; prior to School Health Conference Apr.21-23 in Ottawa-Gatineau. http://www.cash-aces.ca/conference_2008/

Sexual Health Symposium Monday, April 21st Learning. Sharing. Networking.

Sexual Health in Canada Baseline 2007:

Highlights and implications for delivering targeted sexual health education.

So Much to Cover, So Little Time:

How do we decide what programming we will design and offer in sexual health education? This workshop will present the leading guidelines as a framework for increasing effectiveness when we are working within severe time constraints.

The After Party: sex, drugs and alcohol
This program was developed to raise student awareness of the potential impact of substance use on sexual health outcomes. Presentation will include an overview of the program, DVD screening and discussion regarding systemic and implementation issues.

Party in the Right Spirit An initiative to promote safe and safer partying among senior high school students. This presentation will address the process of establishing relationships, and coorinating and implementing this initiative in schools; as well as describing the educational component and sharing examples of resources used.

Resources for Educators in Sexual Health:

An overview of the variety of on-line and hard copy resources available from SOGC and others.

Sexual Health Education Highlights: participant sharing of favorite good and best practices and resources.

The Wiki: what, how, and why...

A look at an on-line tool that can support participant learning and sharing within a Sexual Health Community of Practice.

Webinars on Schools and Sexual Health Promotion (Posted Oct 21-07 by DMcCall)
The Canadian School Health Knowledge Network is organizing several webinars that relate to sexual health and schools (See below). There will be several other webinars on this topic throughout the school year. The updated schedule can be found at: http://www.safehealthyschools.org/webinars/schedule.htm

Peer-led Sexual Health Education

Willow Dunlop, YouthCO AIDS Society, Vancouver BC

Date: January 15/08 at 11:00 a.m. PT to noon PT

Sexuality Transmitted Infections: What the Research Tells Us

Dr. Alex McKay, Sex Information and Education Council of Canada

Date: February 5/08 at 11:00 a.m. PT to noon PT

What Works in Sexual Health Education: Handling Controversy & Dispelling Myths

Roselle Paulsen, Sexuality Education Resource Centre, Winnipeg Manitoba

Date: TBC ( http://www.safehealthyschools.org/webinars/introduction.htm

for updates)

Dating Violence Research and Implications for Promoting Healthy

Dating Relationships

Canadian Red Cross Society Representatives from their "What's Love Got

to Do with It?" program

Date: TBC ( http://www.safehealthyschools.org/webinars/introduction.htm

for updates)

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer refutes Maclean's article on HPV vaccine (Posted Oct 24-07 by D McCall)
The kinds of questions raised in the article have been debated at the introduction of virtually every public health measure in our history, from the treatment of water supplies to the introduction of life-saving vaccines. Having a healthy debate is essential; however, Dr. Butler-Jones believes that the way Maclean's has approached the issue of the HPV vaccine is inappropriate and one-sided.

School sexual health policies

rosellep — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:37:49 CST

This page lists resources related to the development and implementation of school and agency policies on sexual health and related issues.

Overview

The Public Health Agency of Canada has released the new edition of the Canadian
Guidelines for Sexual Health Education. This much-anticipated document is an important
resource for educators, health professionals, curriculum and program planners, policy
makers, and others engaged in sexual health education and promotion in and out of school settings. The Guidelines also offer direction for local, regional and national organizations and government bodies seeking to develop and improve sexual health education policies and practices.
To order your English or French copy of the Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education please contact the CATIE Ordering Centre at their website, http://orders.catie.ca, or by calling 1-800-263-1638.
PDF versions of the Guidelines will be available on the Public Health Agency of
Canada website at: www.publichealth.gc.ca/sti

School-Based and School-Linked Sexual Health Education and Promotion in Canada (Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, 2004) in this the SOGC articulates its support for the use of a comprehensive approach to school-based and school-linked sexual health education and promotion.

Sexual health education in the schools: Questions & Answers: A resource with answers to your questions about sexual health education in our schools from the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (2005) is designed to support the provision of high quality sexual health education in Canadian schools. It provides answers to some of the most common questions that parents, communities, educators, program planners, school and health administrators and governments may have about sexual health education in schools.

The Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and AIDS Study (Council of Ministers of Education, 2003) was undertaken to increase understanding of the factors that contribute to the sexual health of Canadian youth and in so doing provides a snapshot of current adolescent sexual health.

Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in Canada: A Report Card in 2004 (A. McKay as published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality) summaries data and trends and identifying priorities for adolescent sexual health care provision and sexual health education. National and large sample data are useful for drawing general conclusions about the status of adolescent sexual health in Canada. Such findings can and should be used to inform policy development and clinical/educational practice.

From the United State’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Sexual Behaviors: School Health Guidelines (2003) developed to help school personnel and others plan, implement, and evaluate educational efforts to prevent HIV infection.
Registries of Programs Effective in Reducing Youth Risk Behaviors. Various federal agencies have identified youth-related programs that they consider worthy of recommendation based on expert opinion or a review of design and research evidence. These programs focus on different health topics, risk behaviors, and settings, including HIV/AIDS prevention.
CDC Adolescents & School Health: Publications on sexual behaviour offers a comprehensive array of data, policy and planning related documents.

Putting What Works to Work (PWWTW) is a (US) project of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy funded, in part, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Through PWWTW, the Campaign will translate research on teen pregnancy prevention and related issues into user-friendly materials for practitioners, policymakers, and advocates. Read more about PWWTW.

Linking Youth Development and Teen Pregnancy Prevention from the National Campaign offers a series of relevant research sources including: Kirby, D. (1999). Reflections on two decades of research on teen sexual behavior and pregnancy. Journal of School Health, 69, 89-94. Their National Campaign Reports offer relevance to the Canadian context.

From Advocates For Youth (US): Science and Success: Supplement I: Additional Sex Education and Other Programs That Work to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, HIV & Sexually Transmitted Infections. In addition, Advocates for Youth's publications include information on involving communities to improve programs and policies for youth, uncovering the facts about adolescent sexual health, involving youth in peer education, and educating young people. Despite recent declines in teen pregnancy, US teen birth and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates remain among the highest in the western world. Given the need to focus limited prevention resources on effective programs, Advocates for Youth undertook exhaustive reviews of existing research to compile a list of the programs proven effective by rigorous evaluation.

Nineteen evaluated programs were previously described in Science and Success: Sex Education and Other Programs that Work to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections, (Advocates for Youth, 2003). This document serves as a supplement to Science and Success and identifies an additional five programs, bringing the total to 24 programs that have been proven effective by rigorous evaluation.

YouthLensis a series of research briefs that summarize the latest information on key issues regarding reproductive health and HIV prevention among youth ages 10 to 24.

The Nova Scotia Framework for Action: Youth Sexual Health in Nova Scotia was developed based on seven years of work by the Nova Scotia Roundtable on Youth Sexual Health. Among other things, this work consisted of reviewing Nova Scotian, Atlantic, and Canadian-based research and initiatives and gathering input from youth and youth sexual health stakeholders across the province.

The purpose of the Framework for Action is to provide rationale and strategic direction for a comprehensive approach to sexual health education, services, and supports for all youth throughout Nova Scotia. The Framework for Action is intended for policy makers and decision makers from a variety of sectors and for people working in the area of youth sexual health.

Harassment

Gender Equity

Role of Guidance Counsellors

Referrals to Health Clinics

Prevalence, nature of this health problem

rosellep — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:44:39 CST

This page lists resources, research and reports on the prevalence and nature of sexual health issues related to youth.

General overview

Report from Public Health Agency of Canada: Healthy Settings for Young People in Canada
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/dca-dea/yjc/ch4_84_86-eng.php




Saskatchewan Rural Youth Risk Behaviours Project (scroll down to Sexuality)

http://www.pwhce.ca/program_rural_youth.htm

Specific aspects of this issue

Pregnancy
Excerpts from Canadian Paediatric Society Statement (Posted Oct 24 by D McCall)
Pregnancy among Canadian adolescents has been decreasing in recent decades. In 2003, there were 33,553 pregnancies to women younger than 20 years (includes live births and fetal losses [from database of hospital-reported stillbirths, miscarriages and abortions]). This represents an overall rate of 27.1 per 1000 population, which has been falling since 1994 when it was 48.8 per 1000. The pregnancy rate is highest among 18- to 19-year-olds (Table 1), many of whom have planned pregnancies. The rate among 15- to 17-year-olds, while considerably lower, likely includes a higher proportion of unplanned adolescent pregnancies (1). Pregnancies among girls younger than 15 years represent a small proportion of overall pregnancies in the adolescent population.

Sexual Behaviour

Sexuality Research and Social Policy: Journal of NSRC

September 2008, Vol. 5, No. 3, Pages 18–27

The Impact of Abstinence and Comprehensive Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs on Adolescent Sexual Behavior, by Douglas B. Kirby ‌
In an effort to reduce unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) in adolescents, both abstinence and comprehensive sex and STD/HIV education programs have been proffered. Based on specified criteria, the author searched for and reviewed 56 studies that assessed the impact of such curricula (8 that evaluated 9 abstinence programs and 48 that evaluated comprehensive programs) on adolescents' sexual behavior. Study results indicated that most abstinence programs did not delay initiation of sex and only 3 of 9 had any significant positive effects on any sexual behavior. In contrast, about two thirds of comprehensive programs showed strong evidence that they positively affected young people's sexual behavior, including both delaying initiation of sex and increasing condom and contraceptive use among important groups of youth. Based on this review, abstinence programs have little evidence to warrant their widespread replication; conversely, strong evidence suggests that some comprehensive programs should be disseminated widely.

Teenagers Do Not Engage in Oral Sex to Preserve Their Technical Virginity
According to a commonly held belief, adolescents engage in oral sex rather than vaginal sex to maintain their technical virginity. But a study by the Guttmacher Institute--the first of its kind--finds that is not so. The survey of more than 2,200 males and females between the ages of 15 and 19, found that those who identified themselves as virgins were far less likely to have engaged in oral sex than those who had had intercourse. According to the study, which was posted on the Guttmacher website and will appear in the July issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, teenagers become sexually active in many ways simultaneously. While previous studies had indicated that oral sex was increasing among adolescents as an alternative to intercourse, the sampling size of those studies was small and not nationally representative, the Institute researchers said. The Guttmacher study found that 55 percent of teens admitted to have engaged in oral sex while 50 percent said they had vaginal sex. Oral sex was far more common among those engaging in intercourse than those who were not. The data came from the National Survey of Family Growth. The complete Guttmacher study may be found at http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/JAH_Lindberg.pdf?sid=ST2008051901235.

New:
Healthy Settings for Young People in Canada, PHAC, 2008. (health risk behavours, sexual activity)
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/dca-dea/yjc/ch4_84_86-eng.php

Contraception

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Trends in HIV- and STD-Related Risk Behaviors Among High School Students -- United States, 1991-2007

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/578860_print

Excerpts from Health Canada Report May 2007 (Posted October 24-07 by D McCall)
This report confirms that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are an escalating public health concern and challenge in Canada. Since 1997, reported rates of genital chlamydia and gonorrhea have been steadily increasing. Rates of infectious syphilis began to increase slowly in 1997 and then rose rapidly from 2000 onwards. As of 2004, all three reportable bacterial STIs are continuing their upward climb, affecting more and more Canadians.

The burden of STIs in Canada is not uniformly distributed throughout the population. Young women continue to be disproportionately affected by genital chlamydia, and gonorrhea infection is concentrated in males aged 20 to 29 years. Males over the age of 30 account for the majority of infectious syphilis cases. Marked geographic differences are also seen with rates of genital chlamydia and gonorrhea being highest in the north, followed by Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Infectious syphilis rates are highest in British Columbia. Ontario, not surprisingly given its large population, reports the greatest number of cases for all three notifiable STIs. These three infections account for over half of all notifiable diseases reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada (Figure 1). This comparison paints a clear picture of the burden of disease directly attributable to STIs, which is further augmented by the significant morbidity and sequelae of some other sexually transmissible infections.

Relationships

Sexual harassment/dating violence

Gender Issues

Discrimination & Stigma based on sexual orientation and/or gender orientation

Home

cindyandrew — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:07:47 CDT

Welcome to this wiki-toolbox that serves as a shared work space for researchers, non-governmental organizations and local agencies interested in promoting sexual health through school-based and school-linked programs.

The purpose of this wiki is to list educational, planning, assessment tools related to sexual health promotion through schools. We also have a page on related news and events.

This wiki is kept up-to-date by its members and is part of an ongoing community of practice (mini-network of individuals and organizations) that includes:

the joint planning of a symposium and sessions at the annual School Health conference
webinars on selected sexual health topics sponsored by the Society of Obstetricians and Gaynecologists of Canada as part of its contraception awareness program
other activities organized by the community of practice

How to use this wiki

To participate in this on-line wiki-based dialogue, you can use the "Thread" button found on the bottom of each page to make comments on the content on that page. You can also make a comment directly into the Discussion Forum (found on the top navigation bar). You can also edit and add text within the page by clicking on the "Easy Edit" button. Use the commands within that Easy Edit tool to add links to other web sites or documents. You can also add other pages to the wiki by using the "Add Page" button found just below the navigation bar on the left hand side of the page.

You can make the comments and edits and additions anonymously because we have left this wiki wide open to the public. If you want to let people know who made the change or suggestion, use the Join this Wiki found in the right hand side of the top navigation bar to create a little profile for your self. By joining the wiki (no charge, no spam) you can use the tools within the wiki to control the email you receive from this wiki (including none), post messages for other members and choose to "watch" or "unwatch" selected pages within the wiki.

If you want to make a comment or suggestion through email, or would like more information, contact Cindy Andrew at candrew@cash-aces.ca.

If you want to learn more about how to use the tools within this wiki, go to the "how to" wetpaint FAQ page or you can even go to the wetpaint "sandbox", where you can test out the various tools without editing an existing wiki.

You might be interested in our other SH wikis, including our professional networking web site (http://canadianschoolhealthprofiles.wetpaint.com/), our listing of research and reports (http://schoolhealthbibliography.wetpaint.com/) and our listing of status reports (http://schoolhealthincanada.wetpaint.com/)

Also, we have created several tool-box wikis as part of several other Communities of Practice.

School-based/linked sexual health services

rosellep — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:25:06 CDT

This page lists resources on the school-based and school-linked delivery of sexual health and related services.

Overview

Referral and coordination with service providers

Support for pregnant students/new parents

Support for students living with HIV

Clinic/physicians working with schools

School-based clinics

Role of Sexual Health Educators

Role of public health nurse

According to the policy statement “School-based and School-linked Sexual Health Education and Promotion in Canada” (Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 2003) “research on school-based or school-linked health clinics clearly shows that by making adolescent health services convenient and friendly to youth, access and use of those services increases, health improves, and socio-economic costs decline.”

The following provides examples of services that are school-linked and in rare circumstances school-based and/or are often promoted through schools (e.g. help lines, counselling services).

In Manitoba there are currently three school-based health centres with approximately 5 more currently in development. Most of these clinics serve youth (loosely defined at 12-21) although 2 clinics only serve the school population. The clinics are administered through a partnership between the primary care provider (usually a community health clinic or regional health authority), the school and the funders. In the case of Manitoba the provincial government (Healthy Child Manitoba) currently funds two clinics and is developing another two that will be open for service in 2007/08. The regional health authorities fund some and some community health centres allocate a portion of their general operating budget for teen clinics. Healthy Child Manitoba is currently undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of our funded teen clinics. As the evaluation is not complete I don’t have anything to share at this time. Healthy Child Manitoba through its Healthy Adolescent Development Strategy is currently in the process of completing a Teen Clinic Services Model Manual that includes a literature and best practices review of teen clinic services. Further information on these, as available, will be incorporated in to this inventory.

Windsor-Essex County area of Ontario has a number of school-based health clinics. In one case a community health centre operates out of a school. For more information visit: http://www.wechealthunit.org.

The Halifax Regional District School board has Youth Health Centres in all 18 high schools. There is a YHC Coordinator assigned full time for each YHC and they have responsibility for their high school and junior high feeder schools. Public Health Services (Capital Health) entered into a partnership in 2003 with the Halifax Regional School Board to have a YHC in each high school (and have since worked with the other two school boards in the health district to establish YHCs in their schools too). Find out more at: http://www.hrsb.ns.ca/content/id/223.html.

Saskatchewan Teen Wellness Centres have been developed in various locations, several in schools, throughout the province to improve the health and wellness of youth and provide education, information and services around a variety of topics and issues. The establishment of Teen Wellness Centres began in 1995 following an extensive literature review and a community grant initiative that indicated a need for such centres. To date, nine wellness centres that received their initial funding from the Advisory Committee on Family Planning (ACFP) are functioning in Saskatchewan.

The Canadian Federation for Sexual Health is a national network that takes leadership in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in Canada and abroad through:

Public education and awareness
Support for the delivery of programs and services in Canada
Advocacy
International projects and liaison with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

For 40 years, CFSH has worked nationally and internationally to ensure that people have access to universal, reliable information and services in order to make informed decisions related to their sexual and reproductive health. CFSH is a pro-choice organization. Twenty-two independent member associations in more than 60 communities across Canada provide clinical services, education, and counseling. The following are a sampling of the types of services and supports available:

Options for Sexual Health (a CFSH affiliate) offers a series of services and programs, including:

http://wontgetweird.com – a website that links people to a network of BC (and AB) organizations to those who provide related services and supports.

For Professionals: a section will be for health professionals, educators, and all others interested in current and emerging issues in sexual and reproductive health. It includes Curriculum and protocols...provides files of lesson plans, resources, and ideas available for downloading and ii) Things to read and study provides access to Options for Sexual Health and other print resources as well as links to the best reproductive health websites.

For Youth: common Q and A’s online; the Facts of Life Line is a confidential phone line staffed by registered nurses and trained volunteers. They are available to answer your questions about birth control, STDs & HIV, pregnancy options, sexual and/or gender identity or anything to do with sexuality or reproductive health.

For Parents: a dedicated section that provides resources and answers to many of the questions parents might have including:

Ask Joy! for answers to common questions about how to talk to your kids about sexual health. Check out our comprehensive Just the Facts! section for information on birth control, STDs, and sexuality. We have also provided an extensive list of external resource links that expand on the information we provide.
The Safe OnLine Outreach Society (SOLOS) and the McCreary Centre Society have teamed up to produce a CD called “You, The Web and Sex: A Teen’s Guide to Managing Sexuality Online”. The CD is also a valuable primer for parents. For more information go to www.safeonlineoutreach.org.wionsforsexualhealth.org

Sexuality Education Resource Centre Manitoba: provides a variety of resources including: Workshops for Teens, Parents and Educatorsincluding:

Teen Talk is an established Youth Health Education Service based out of Klinic Community Health Centre. It provides services from a youth-friendly perspective to youth in school, youth at risk and service providers. Help Your Friends. The S Team is a group of youth formed through the "Empowering Rural Youth Towards healthy Sexuality" Project headquartered in the SERC Brandon office.

The S-Team offers peer educatoin workshops to rural youth on sexual health, drug an alcohol use, and HIV/DTI prevention. For a listing of the workshops offered, go to S Team Workshops. Workshops for parents, teachers, counsellors, community educators, and other service providers on the following topics:

Sexuality Policy and Guidelines
Sexual Development
Adolescent Sexuality
Birth Control Options and Issues
Reproductive Health
Adolescent Pregnancy
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Date Rape Awareness
Intercultural Awareness and Communication
Culturally Sensitive Programming
Working with a Health Interpreter
Relationships and Decision Making
Family Sexuality Education
Sexuality and Developmental Disabilities
Teaching / Facilitation Skills

The Little Black Book (LBB) is a resource developed by youth for youth. It increases young people's ability to access information and community resources. The LBB addresses a range of topics including job safety, tobacco use, drinking and using drugs, budgeting, suicide prevention and sexual health. The book is intended for students in Grade 9 to 12. In addition, SERC offers a wide variety of resources (many available in several languages) including newsletters, teacher training, pamphlets and fact sheets are also available, including: Abstinence: Postponing Sexual Intercourse; Male Childhood Sexual Abuse; Tips for Toys; What You Should Know About HIV/AIDS

Think Again Campaign (MB):This project began in 1998 to help to address the issue of teen pregnancies in Manitoba. The Manitoba Association of School Trustees (MAST) invited community agency and parent representatives to discuss a campaign concept. Other key partners in the development of the Think Again initiative included Klinic, Sexuality Education Resource Centre, and the Government of Manitoba. In 2005, the Think Again Committee began the process of updating the existing facilitator resource, pamphlet and website. Maintaining a harm reduction approach, and based upon feedback from youth and educators, the Committee moved toward updating the resources with a more positive, current look. The focus of information continues to be sexual decision making, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. While the pamphlet and website do not address all information available on these issues, they do provide an introduction to key issues and information, plus referrals to other service providers for more personal support and to other sites for more detailed information.

Planned Parenthood Edmonton offers a variety of services to teachers, youth and schools, including:

Are We There Yet? interactive theatre presentations and workshops on setting boundaries and sexual decision making for Junior High students.
Workshops on sexual decision making for Senior High students.
Training peer educators from 30 schools through the Expecting Respect Peer Education Program
One on one support and referrals to students regarding a range of sexual health issues.
Outlines for classroom presentations, resources, and referral
Program planning and problem solving consultations
Teacher and post-secondary student training in sexual health

Newfoundland Labrador Sexual Health Centre offers a series of materials, a phone line, workshops on LBGT and Sexual Health; Sexual Health and Persons with Disabilities; Menopause; How to Speak to Youth About Sex; and we've provided training for outreach professionals, and extensive Sexual Transmitted Infection training for the new Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners. Local health authorities have a number of resources to teach healthy sexuality to all age groups. These include both videos and kits. Topics covered are puberty, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, decision-making and relationship skills. In addition, some Public Health offer youth clinics outside of schools and school hours – some of these like an initiative from Vancouver Coastal Health include school-based services.

City of Toronto Public Health also offers a variety of services for young people, including:

Community Health Centres for Teens
Toronto Sexual Health Clinics
Phone Lines
Free Counselling Services

YouthCO AIDS Society (BC) is a non-profit organization building capacity with youth between the ages of 15-29 throughout BC to reduce vulnerability to HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis C through peer support, peer education and shared leadership.

Island Sexual Health Society offers sexual health clinics and sex education programs in Greater Victoria, BC. They also have a lot of online sexual health information and offer teacher training related services.

www.planetahead.ca is an interactive web site related to sexual health designed for youth by youth.

www.ayn.ca is the Aboriginal Youth Network site designed for Aboriginal youth. It includes a variety of content areas related to health including sexual health.

www.spiderbytes.ca is a service of the Teen Sex Information Program, a program of Planned Parenthood of Toronto and is funded by the United Way of Greater Toronto. It is designed to respond to questions about sexual health issues and to provide current information, links and referrals on a range of topics pertaining to healthy sexuality.

Calgary Outlink offers a variety of services to the general public and members including: peer support; front-line help service for GLBT individuals and their family and friends, or anyone questioning their sexuality; a crisis support line that offers 24/7 support; 24 hr. info line; library, drop in centre and a peer-facilitated youth group for GLBTQ under 25. The group aims to let youth know they are not alone, and to connect them with their peers.

http://www.mindbodysoul.gov.uk is a UK based web site developed/funded by the Department of Health. It is youth friendly and includes sections on a variety of health issues including sexual health. It also includes a section for teachers that is linked to the health related education curriculum.

http://www.sexetc.org/ is a US based, university linked web site designed for youth by youth. Its content includes a variety of health and social issues, including sexual health. Kids Help Phone: http://www.kidshelpphone.ca – a national help line that operates 24/7 365 days a year, have introduced brand new in-school materials designed to let students know they have a place to turn for free, professional counselling, 24hrs a day, 365 days a year. Click on Order Free Materials to find out how you can order Kids Help Phone posters, brochures, or wallet cards for your school.

http://www.teenwire.com is the Planned Parenthood of America's teen web site which contains a wide range of information on sexual and reproductive health, much of it written by youth. The 'Ask the Expert' section contains answers to frequently asked questions by teens. The answer to 'Am I Ready?' (search using that title) provides information for people deciding whether or not to become sexually active.

Egale Canada advances equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified people, and their families, across Canada. Recognizing the need to protect and include ALL students, Egale has launched its Safe Schools Campaign.

Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) is a (US) national non-profit organization with over 200,000 members and supporters and over 500 affiliates in the United States From Our House to the Schoolhouse: Tools for creating safe schools and responding to harassment and bullying are at the center of these programs.

Canadian Health Network’s sexual and reproductive health section offers information for youth and parents about how to prevent sexually transmitted infections, birth control information and protecting your fertility. Canadian HIV/AIDS information gateway site CONNECT is a union catalogue. You can use it to search the library collections of the five largest HIV/AIDS libraries in Canada. That's a combined collection of over 67 000 books, videos, DVDs, journal articles, and other resources on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and legal/ethical issues, among many other topics. http://www.iwannaknow.org from the American Social Health Association provides a safe, educational and fun place for teenagers to learn about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and their sexual health. It also includes a section for parents.

Additional items of interest related to services:

Sexual and Reproductive Health Counselling Guidelines (2004) from the CFSH is Canada's first Sexual and Reproductive Health Counselling guidelines. Based on the experience of key informants working in the field, the guidelines can be used as a tool to improve support skills, train staff or provide additional information for clients in a clinical, community or educational setting. The guidelines cover the following 5 areas: sexuality, pregnancy options, safer sex, abuse and violence, and STI/HIV testing.

The “Clinic Assessment of Youth Friendly Services: A Tool for Rapid Assessment and Improving Reproductive Health for Youth” was developed to facilitate the rapid assessment of youth friendly characteristics, providing the basis for developing and implementing a comprehensive action plan. Among the key issues assessed are provider attitudes, privacy and confidentiality, access to service, supportive policies and administrative procedures.

Standards for Youth Health Centres in Nova Scotia from the Nova Scotia Department of Health

Alignment with School Mandate, Constraints

rosellep — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:23:58 CDT

This page lists resources and examples of how sexual health promotion can be aligned with the educational mandate (educational achievement-school effectiveness) of the school.

Provincial/Territorial links to Sexual Health Curricula:

Manitoba Education Citizenship and Youth Human Sexuality
K-8 http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/physhlth/hs_k-8/index_w.html
9-10 http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/physhlth/hs_s1-2/index_w.html

Ed Programs for High Risk Students

dmccall — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:01:31 CDT

This page lists programs and resources to support instruction and other education programs for higher risk students.

BART to HIVEd: Adapting an HIV Education Prevention Program
One of the fastest growing segments of the population infected with HIV is the nation's youths. Thus, prevention in this high-risk population is
vital. The authors detail the process of adapting an evidence-based HIV/AIDS educational program (HIVEd) to the unique needs of high-risk
youths in adjudicated and detained facilities and alternative high schools. The HIVEd program derives from St. Lawrence's Becoming A Responsible Teen (BART) curriculum. This article describes the modification of BART into HIVEd, identifies the challenges encountered and lessons learned, and suggests future directions for HIVEd as a useful tool for prevention of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infection in high-risk youths.

Comprehensive Approaches to School Sexual Health Promotion

rosellep — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:05:31 CDT

This page lists resources that explain how comprehenive approaches to promoting sexual health and preventing STI, AIDS and other sexual health problems through schools can be done. This includes linking sexual health to other issues such as mental health, relationships, youth development, gender equity, personal and social development, by expliciting using multi-level (ministry, schoolboard/agency, school/neighbourhood) strategies within education, health and other systems. It also includes a comprehensive approach to sexual health that includes sexual health, STI and HIV/AIDS prevention, contraception, pregnancy and reproduction, relationships, sexual harassment and other issues.

See the links below, to research and guidelines.

Instructional programs

rosellep — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:42:56 CDT

This page lists a variety of resources related to curriculum, instruction and teaching/learning about sexual health and related issues.

Overview

Curricula (descriptions of what should be taught)
This is the basic way students and staffs receive health, wellness, health risks and health issues. The following provides links to the relevant curriculum documents from provincial and territorial health related curricula:

Health and Career Education K-7: Integrated Resource Package overviews the prescribed learning objectives, including those related to sexual and reproductive health.

Health and Career Education 8 and 9: Integrated Resource Packageand Learning Resources

Planning 10 Integrated Resource Package: curriculum outcomes include health decisions and their effects such as sexual decision making and HIV/AIDS.

The Government of Yukon is a full partner in the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol (WNCP). This protocol supports the development of common curriculum frameworks for Western and Northern Canada. Within these frameworks, the British Columbia program of studies forms the basis of the Yukon curriculum. This curriculum is frequently adapted to reflect local needs and conditions.

Alberta Education’s K-9 Health and Life Skills (2002), K – 12 Physical Education (2000) and Career and Life Management (CALM) programs of studies outline the student learning outcomes for health.

The K-9 Health and Life Skills and CALM Guides to Implementation are resources to support student learning the programs. The guides contain information on comprehensive school health, establishing a positive learning environment, planning, instructional strategies, and assessment. The guide also contains illustrative examples that offer sample learning and assessment activities for each specific learner outcome. Selected outcomes also have supporting Student Information and Student Activity Masters. A number of Teacher Planning Tools are also provided.

Health/CALM/Career Education Contacts
Programs of Study
Learning and Teaching Resources

The human sexuality concepts in CALM are designed to result in a quality instructional program, which: instills sensitivity to and awareness of the impact of one’s behaviour on others, stressing that sexual health is an interactive process that requires respect for self and others; emphasizes the self-worth and dignity of the individual. In Alberta, the human sexuality component of the health curriculum begins in Grade 4 and is taught every year until Grade 9. It is then taught at the senior high school level in CALM.

Northwest Territories: NWT Skills for Healthy Relationships (1996) has been adapted to the NWT cultural context and K-9 NWT School Health Program (1991) For more information on SHR see:

The philosophy of Health Education is a Comprehensive School Health Approach designed to influence positively the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of students. It includes a wide range of school and community personnel collaborating to enhance the well-being of students. Health Education is one of the seven Required Areas of Study. Health Education content is taught, learned and evaluated using a decision-making process. A wellness perspective specific to each grade level provides a developmental focus.

See: Health Education: A Curriculum Guide for the Elementary Level (1998) at http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/health/health1-5/index.html and Health Education: A Curriculum Guide for the Middle Level (1998) http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/health/health6-9/index.html Elective - Life Transitions 20, 30: A Curriculum Guide for the Secondary Level (1996) http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/life/index.html

Saskatchewan Education continues to recommend a local liaison committee to support health education teachers and to faciliate coordinated planning. The role of the committee may vary from one community to another but the basics are to: provide support to the classroom and total school health education program; provide liaison with health-related programming in the community and/or health district and to provide a forum for discussion of parent/student/school ideas and concerns related to health education.

In addition, Saskatchewan Learning catalyst teacher initiative supports health education in schools by:

internalizing the philosophy and practices advocated in the renewed curriculum in order to be an in-school resource as well as a school division and provincial resource deliver a range of inservice sessions designed to meet the needs of schools and school divisions in renewing health education
promote the curriculum in their respective schools, school divisions, and in-service sessions in a variety of ways
become a mentor for health education teachers
support comprehensive school health in Saskatchewan.

Lists of recommended resources for Saskatchewan schools is available at: http://www.sasklearning.gov.sk.ca/curr_inst/iru/bibs/update06/ 2006 and The General Reference Centre (GRC) has an extensive collection of general Internet based reference sources to support all curriculum areas. The site also provides access to educational resources for professional development. The goal of the GRC is to bring the services of a library reference room to Internet users.The GRC is found at http://www.sasklearning.gov.sk.ca/pls/urldb/udb_gen_ref_pkg.gen_ref_by_subj_menu_form.

For general web resources related to sexual health, select the link “Sexuality” under the Subject Area” of Health Education. The Curriculum Specific Websites (URL Database) is a searchable collection of curriculum specific websites. These websites are directly linked to the Evergreen Curriculum and may be accessed in different ways. One way, is by selecting a particular WWW button within the online curriculum guide you are focusing on. Websites may also be accessed directly through the URL Database http://www.sasklearning.gov.sk.ca/pls/urldb/udb_pkg.main.

Teachers may suggest and evaluate websites for review in this database by registering as a resource evaluator using the online form found at http://www.sasklearning.gov.sk.ca/docs/EvaluatorRegistrationform.pdf

Nunavut schools follow the Alberta curriculum. Aulajaaqtut,currently being offered in high school Grades 10 and 11, and is being developed for Grade 12, was developed to respond to the need for more culturally relevant curriculum for physical education and health. The modules were developed in consultation with communities and Inuit Elders and focus on physical, emotional and cultural well-being. This new Inuktitut High School curriculum is designed to support a positive sense of cultural identity amongst Inuit youth. This curriculum looks at traditional Inuit games and their design to purposefully build the mental, physical and spiritual strength of the individual. It poses questions for youth to consider about lifestyle decisions and healthy living. Materials and curriculum are developed in collaboration with an advisory group of Inuit Elders on staff in the Department of Education. For more information contact: Cathy McGregor, Director Curriculum Development, at CmcGregor@gov.nu.ca.

Manitoba Human Sexuality resources, K-gr.8 and gr. 9-10 (gr. 12 in development 2008)
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/physhlth/curriculum.html (scroll down page to locate)

From Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth: Physical Education/Health Education Learning Resources: Kindergarten to Senior 2: Compilation of Annotated Bibliographies (2002-2004) were reviewed for the purpose of identifying materials that support Manitoba’s physical education/health education curriculum.

The Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum Outcomes are as follows: Grade 1 to 8 - Health and Physical Education include expectations related to growth and development throughout the years. See: The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Health and Physical Education, 1998; The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: Health and Physical Education, 1999; Grades 11 and 12: Health and Physical Education, 2000

Au Québecle cirriculum offert dans les écoles francophone du Québec peut-être investigué au cite web de lacommision des programmes d’étude.http://www.cpe.gouv.qc.ca/plan.htm

From the New Brunswick Department of Education their Grades K-8 Health Curriculum:

Health Education Curriculum: Kindergarten – Grade 5, 2001 Health Education Curriculum: Grade 6, 2005 Health Education Curriculum: Grade 7, 2004 Health Education Curriculum: Grade 8, 2005

Francophone Health Curriculum – entitled “Formation personnelle et sociale” is also a required subject for all K-10 students. It consists of 4 domaines: Personal relationships, citizenship, health and consumerism. Curriculum documents are found at the following Web pages:

http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/servped/FPS-Ma2.pdf http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/servped/FPS3e-5eannee.pdf http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/servped/FPS68version2005.pdf http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/servped/FPS741119e.pdf http://www.gnb.ca/0000/publications/servped/FPS10e.pdf

Nova Scotia’s Health Education for Primary-Gr. 9 is part of the core program:

Foundation for Active, Healthy Living: Physical and Health Education Curriculum (1998)
Health Education, Grades 4–6 (2003)
Health/Personal Development and Relationships, Grades 7-9 (2000)
Lets Talk about...Health Education, Grades Primary–3

Prince Edward Island is currently creating a new Health curriculum. The grades 1-3 health curricula are being piloted. Work is set to begin on the grades 7-9 curriculum. Francophone curriculum of relevance includes:

Le programme d'études pour la formation personnelle et sociale 7e année
Le programme d'études pour la formation personnelle et sociale 8e année Le programme d'études pour la formation personnelle et sociale 9e année

In Newfoundland and Labrador new secondary school curriculum has recently been released. See links for complete curricula for NFLD:

Early Beginnings: A Kindergarten Curriculum Guide Towards a Comprehensive School Health Program: A Primary Health Curriculum Guide Towards a Comprehensive School Health Program: An Elementary Health Curriculum Guide Adolescence: Healthy Lifestyles (Health and Personal Development Curriculum) (Gr7-9)

CURRICULUM RESOURCES:

From the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health: Beyond the Basics: A Sourcebook on Sexual and Reproductive Heath Education Second Edition ($85.00): This extensive manual contains lesson plans for different age groups on a wide range of sexual health education topics including values, puberty and reproductive health, self esteem, sexual identity, relationships, communication and decision-making, contraception and safer sex and STIs and HIV. Beyond the Basics is the ideal resource for any educator teaching sexual and reproductive health education.

Positive Thinking: This publication was part of a national project that sought to measure Planned Parenthood's skills and needs in delivering services related to HIV/AIDS. The project was sponsored by CFSH and was funded by Health Canada. The publication highlights six best practices case studies across the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health member organizations. This publication can be ordered from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Information Centre

Youth Talk Back ($8.00) Pilot tested by youth from across Canada, Youth Talk Back is designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn how to become more active media consumers and to raise their awareness about the relationship between media and sexuality. Funded by Health Canada, Youth Talk Back can be used in classrooms and community-based sexuality education settings. Print Mail Order Form

Youth Talk Back: Teacher's Guide ($8.00) provides educators with an overview of Youth Talk Back as well as some teaching tips and suggestions. Funded by Health Canada, Youth Talk Back can be used in classrooms and community-based sexuality education settings. Print Mail Order Form

Finding Our Way: A Sexual and Reproductive Health Sourcebook for Aboriginal Communities ($55.00): the first comprehensive Canadian resource on sexual and reproductive health within an Aboriginal cultural context. This 335-page Sourcebook includes up-to-date information, teaching resources, program models, and personal stories on sexual and reproductive health issues as defined by Aboriginal peoples. It was co-produced by the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada and the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health. Topics include: parenting, grandparents, residential schools, sex education, youth sexuality, teen pregnancy, women's and men's sexual health, two-spirit people, birth control, healthy pregnancies and birth, family violence, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, reproductive cancers, and more. Drawing on a wealth of existing materials and suggests many more sources of information the Sourcebook reflects the diverse needs and realities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and will be of interest to nurses, community health representatives, teachers, counsellors, youth workers, and community leaders.

For Parents: a section of the CFSH web site is devoted to answering common questions that parents may have, including: How do I talk to my teen about sex?How do I handle questions about sex from my child?Sexuality and Youth with Intellectual Disabilities. I Think She's Pregnant.

For Youth: a section of the CFSH web site answers common questions that youth might have such as: Am I ready to have sex? How do I know? How far do I want to go? Why do I want to have sex? What about my values? Do I trust my partner?

InfoSexNet Email Bulletin contains news and resources of interest to organizations working in the field of sexual and reproductive health. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your subscription options, visit http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/info-sexnet and follow the relevant instructions. InfoSexNet is a program of the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health supported by the Canadian Health Network.

From the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada Contraception Awareness Programme: www.sexualityandu.ca

Rated one of the top 5 e-health projects in the world, sexualityandu.ca provides credible and up-to-date sexual health information to teens, adults, parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals. Their HPV campaign at www.hpvinfo.ca has as its centre piece of the public awareness campaign a comprehensive website that provides teens, adults, parents, teachers and health professionals with information about HPV, what it is and what they can do about it. From the Public Health Agency of Canada: a series of sexual health promotion and education resources, including:

Frequently Asked Questions on Emergency Contraception (2004)

"TALK TO ME" Sexuality Education for Parents (May 2004)

Self-Learning Module on Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)
• Martha's Case
• Terry's Case
• Clinical Slide Gallery

Raising the Roof

Developing a Youth Sexuality Education Program while Adopting a Mental Health Promotion Approach

What you need to know about STI - Sexually Transmitted Infections (2006)

What You Need to Know About Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

Frequently Asked Questions on Contraception (May 2002)

Oral Contraceptive and Condom Use (April 1998)

Lesson Plans for Sexual Health Educators - Grades 8-13: Let's Talk About Sex...But How?

Lesson Plans for Sexual Health Educators - Grades 8-13

Canada’s Health Portal offers resources for youth on a range of topics on sexuality including pregnancy, sexual orientation, practicing safer sex and sexually transmitted infections.

www.teachingsexualhealth.ca was developed by Alberta Health and Wellness and the Calgary Health Region, in partnership with a development team of educators. The site offers teachers evidence-based sexual health education background and delivery methods, current lesson plans and activities, and comprehensive resources. Sections for parents and youth. A recent update includes: Updated parent packsand updated "Get and Answer" section for teachers.

Sexual Health for Life: Unit Two: Sex, Drugs and Alcohol Awareness from the Government of Alberta (2004) for grades 7,8 and 9. This print resource contains seven sections of information regarding drug and alcohol awareness, including types and warning signs. The intent of the manual is to provide information regarding depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, tranquilizers and sedatives, date rape drugs, inhalant and solvent abuse. The resource was produced in Australia and contains Australian statistics, but that does not detract from the basic content. The manual is intended as a student workbook but would be appropriate as a teacher resource.

From the Canadian Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (www.CAHPERD.ca) the Always Changing Program: a school-based resource designed to help ease the transition between childhood and adolescence for boys and girls in grades 5 and 6. Students will have many questions about the physical and emotional changes they go through during puberty. This free set of instructional materials will help students understand that these changes are a normal part of growing up. Sponsored by Always and Tampax, the Always Changing program includes: A Changing Videotape for girls and boys; Teacher’s Guide; Information booklets for student and free product samples for girls. It is sponsored by the makers of Always and Tampax feminine hygiene products.

From Family Health International: Teaching Youth about Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS from a Christian Perspective. This manual contains 12 short workshops designed for working with youth in a Christian faith community. The manual provides basic information on communication, development, sexuality, reproductive health, HIV, and related issues.

The City of Toronto Public Health has recently developed a DVD titled Teaching Puberty, You Can Do It!Check up on Chlamydia: To reduce the rates of Chlamydia, Toronto Public Health has undertaken a 5 year social marketing campaign. The focus of the first phase is to increase testing for Chlamydia among family physicians. In 2007, the focus will be on youth and getting tested for Chlamydia.

Sex? - A Healthy Sexuality Resource (English and French) was developed by the Nova Scotia Office of Health Promotion, Department of Education, Department of Health, Public Health Services and community partners, the book was completed in August 2004. It can be viewed online at www.gov.ns.ca/ohp. The resource, targeting youth aged 12 - 17, has been distributed through Public Health in the District Health Authorities in partnership with participating schools and community groups.

The New Me: About Boys (Sunburst Visual Media @ www.sunburstvm.com; 2004) is a 15 minute video portrays two boys interested in learning more about puberty. They get a book from the public library and meet one of the boy’s cousins who is a pre‐med student, who uses the book to review the facts about puberty and reproduction. The boys ask questions about physical and emotional changes. They get detailed facts about the male reproductive system and how fertilization takes place. There are on-screen discussion and questions throughout the program, and a teacher’s guide with additional discussion questions, activities, and reproducible student handouts. A version for girls also entitled “The New Me: About Girls” is also available.

Always Changing (2005) includes an instructor’s booklet, a video, and a student guidebook. The resource covers physical, emotional, and social changes during puberty; identifies male and female reproductive systems; and describes the stages of the menstrual cycle and spermatogenesis. Video includes 20 minute sections for boys, girls, and boys and girls, allowing for flexible viewing options. The instructor’s guidebook provides background information for teachers and a few suggested activities. The small student guidebook reviews the content of the video in more detail. Available from PTM; toll-free tel: 1-800-454-2827.

What Kids Want to Know About Sex and Growing Up (B.C. Learning Connection Inc., 1997): This 55 minute video deals with puberty, sex, and sexual reproduction in a candid and reassuring manner through a series of discussions and very direct questions between two sex educators and real kids. The accompanying teacher’s guide provides a script of the video. The suggested classroom activities in the guide are not recommended as they are too simplistic, and teachers will need to develop their own pre-and post-viewing activities. This video was previously recommended for Personal Planning. While the information is current and very comprehensive, the hairstyles and clothing appear somewhat dated.

Health for Life 1 and 2 (from Pearson Education, http://www.pearsoned.ca/school/health/, 2005) consists of a student book and accompanying teacher’s guide. The student text includes eight chapters dealing with life learning, wellness choices, relationship choices, and looking forward.

GALEBC (Gay and Lesbian Educators BC, www.galebc.org/main.htm) advocates for a positive environment for all gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans-gendered people within the education system. This web site includes resources for teachers such as Challenging Homophobia in Schools, sample lesson plans, videos, and fiction and non-fiction resources.

Choices and Changes was created for the Yukon community by the Health Promotion Unit of the Government of Yukon, Canada, and Elijah Smith Elementary School, Choices and Changesis a curriculum for students in grades four through seven. Based on the Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education, it consists of eight one-hour sessions per grade. Topics vary by grade level and include healthy relationships, friendship, boundaries, personal space, fetal development, puberty, parenting, body image, contraception, HIV/AIDS, STDs, gender roles, and sexuality and the media. It includes a component for parents/caregivers to involved in their children's sexuality education by introducing them to the curriculum before it begins. It also encourages subsequent parent sessions such as video screenings, question-and-answer sessions, or group discussions based on the needs of parents in the community. Facilitated parent discussions can include activities related to values clarification and communicating with children about sexuality. An evaluation of the Choices and Changes program is published in the Winter 2000, SIECCAN Newsletter.

Filling the Gaps: Hard to Teach Topics in Sexuality Education. Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, 1998. www.siecus.org Personal and Social Skills. Joyce V. Fetro, ETR Associates, 2000. www.etr.org Reducing the Risk: Building Skills to Prevent Pregnancy, STD & HIV. Richard P. Barth, ETR Associates, 1996. www.etr.org Safer Choices (levels 1 and 2; with student workbooks). Fetro, Coyle, Barth, ETR Associates, 1998. www.etr.org Changing Bodies, Changing Lives. Ruth Bell, Times Books, 1998. What’s Happening to My Body? (book for boys and book for girls). Lynda Maderas, Newmarket Press, 2000. Sex Sense Canadian Contraception Guide, 2nd edition. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, 2005. www.sogc.org Aids New Brunswick Pamphlets Aids New Brunswick: General Resources in New Brunswick; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Two-Spirited, Queer,

Questioning (GLBTQ) Targeted Resources Glencoe Health Health Issues 7 Gillda Leitenberg, Editor McGraw-Hill Ryerson (2002) Health Issues 7, Teacher’s Resource Guide Jaime Johansson McGraw-Hill Ryerson (2003) Health Issues 8 Gillda Leitenberg, Editor McGraw-Hill Ryerson (2002) Health Issues 8, Teacher’s Resource Guide Jaime Johansson McGraw-Hill Ryerson (2003) Health Issues 9 Gillda Leitenberg, Editor McGraw-Hill Ryerson (2002) Health Issues 7, Teacher’s Resource Guide Jaime Johansson McGraw-Hill Ryerson (2003) Education for Sexuality and HIV/AIDS Meeks, Linds; Heit, Philip; and Burt, John Meeks Heit (1993) Human Sexuality: Responsible Life Choices Ryder, Verdene and Smith, Peggy B. Goodheart-Wilcox Co. (2000) It’s Up To Me: A Kit on Dating Violence Coalition Against Abuse in Relationships, 770 Main Street, 9h Floor, Moncton, NB, E1C 1E7, (506) 392-5120 Seeing the Rainbow: Teachers Talk about Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender and Two-spirited Realities Canadian Teacher’s Federation Skills for Adolescence Lions Club International, Lions Quest (2001 Teen Health Course 1 Merki, Mary Bronson Glencoe McGraw-Hill (1995)

Teaching and learning methods/use of media and Internet

Parent involvement in instructional programs

Peer-led instructional programs

Media/Web-based Instruction

Prevention programs for specific needs/issues

Consideration of System, Organization Characteristics

dmccall — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:16:13 CST

This page lists resources and examples of how system, organizational and professional characteristics (such as loosely-coupled control, open to external influences and bureaucratic structures) can be considered strategically when implementing school sexual health promotion programs.

Building System, Agency & School Capacity

dmccall — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:11:11 CST

This page lists planning, assessment and educational resources related to building system, agency and professional capacity to promote sexual health through schools. These different agency or organizational capacities can be built in eight areas:

1. Coordinated policy and leadership

2. Formal and informal mechanisms for cooperation/coordination

3. Staffing & infrastructure to support cooperation

4. Ongoing workforce development

5. Strategic management of issues and trends

6. Organized knowledge transfer & exchange

7. Regular monitoring and reporting

8. Explicit planning for sustainability

School physical environment

dmccall — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:08:54 CST

This page lists resources that relate to promote sexual health through changes to the physical environment of the school or surrounding area.

Overview

Access to condom dispensers

Procedures and Polices to Prevent Harassment

Healthy Physical Environment: a clean, safe, health-promoting environment helps prevent injuries and disease; it also enables healthier choices. Examples include: safety procedures and regulations; sanitation, clean water and hygiene standards; environmental health standards; food and nutrition policies that promote healthy eating including access to healthy foods as well as safe and supportive eating environments; smoke-free school policies; multiple opportunities for physical activity including sport and extra-curricular activities and accessible and sustainable environments that promote physical activity, safety and freedom from bullying or harassment. In the area of sexual health, the following are particularly relevant in creating an environment conducive to sexual health (as adapted from the Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2003)

providing opportunities to develop awareness of the ways in which the environment can help or hinder individual efforts to achieve and maintain sexual health;
establishing an atmosphere where participants feel safe to ask questions, discuss values and to share their views with others;
encouraging respect for diverse views, norms and values and provides support for decisions that support sexual health;
helping people to empower themselves with the knowledge and skills used to identify sexual health resources in their community and to act both individually and collectively to create an environment conducive to sexual health;
helping individuals to assess a group’s sexual health needs and to note the availability or lack of resources to meet those needs;
providing an opportunity to organize, support and promote sexual health education programs and related clinical services and counselling that are needed; and
increasing the impact of sexual health education through consistent health-promoting messages and services from governments, social service agencies, employers, media, religious organizations and other institutions and agencies.

From the Council of Ministers of Education Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and AIDS Study (2002), the following should be noted: “Youth are encouraged to use safer sexual practices when there is easy access to condoms either in the school or in an accessible place in the community that is convenient (Otis, 1996; Laboratory Centre for Disease Control, 1998; Otis & Gomez, 1994; St. Onge, nd; Guttmacher et al, 1997).

Responsible sexual behaviours are encouraged when there are policies and procedures in the school that are supported by the parents, the community and public health personnel to prevent young women from being harassed about sexuality issues in the school. The climate promoting respect among both genders for sexual issues can assist in the negotiation and use of safer sexual behaviours (Schultz et al, 1987; Rowe, 1987; Canadian Public Health Association, 1993). Safer sexual practices are supported when there are policies and procedures in place in the school that are supported by parents, the community and public health to ensure that gay, lesbian or bisexual youth are not subject to harassment or ridicule (Schwartz, 1994; Wright & Thompson, 1990; Martin, 1982; Sears, 1992; Feldman, 1989; Uribe & Halbeck, 1992; Health Canada, 1996; Treadway & Yoakim, 1992; O’Connor, 1995; Remafedi, 1990).”

Some specific examples and our sources of relevant information and initiatives related to creating supportive environments include: Addressing Homophobia in Manitoba Schools: www.helpingout.ca, as noted on its web site states: ”The school system still struggles with its role in shaping and developing healthy attitudes toward sexuality in heterosexual students; it has only begun to scratch the surface of the issues faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (glbt) students.” This site offers a variety of information, resources and key links for educators and students in helping to address this important area.

Canadian HIV/AIDS Information Centre: Established in 1989, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Information Centre is the largest information centre on HIV/AIDS in Canada. The Information Centre is a program of the Canadian Public Health Association.

This section in particular is definitely a work in progress. Through ongoing discussion and consultation, a more representative selection will be developed. This scan will be posted at www.safehealthyschools.org and we encourage readers to share the policies, programs, projects, resources and practices they would like to see shared with others.

School social environment

dmccall — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:06:57 CST

This page lists resources and programs that can influence the social environment in schools to promote sexual health and prevent sexual health problems. This can be done through a variety of peer, parent, whole school and community programs, campaigns and projects.

Overview

School policies and practices

Peer Programs

Parent Education, Involvement, Support Programs

Staff Wellness

Working with local Community Organizations/Campaigns

Brief interventions (Celebrity, school events etc)

Supportive Social Environment – refers to the mental health and social support available within the school and in relation to the home and community. It may be informal (i.e. friends, peers, teachers) or formally articulated through school policies (4). Examples include: role modeling by school staff and others; peer support and support group development; community participation and media cooperation; staff wellness programs; appropriate school discipline policies and effective management practices; and active student and parent participation.

As it relates to sexual health education, the following provide examples of ongoing efforts across Canada:

Youth engagement: Involving youth in reproductive health and HIV programs can assist the programs themselves, increasing credibility, visibility, and publicity, according to several studies.

The Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement offers a variety of research and resources of interest to youth engagement in general as well as items of relevance specifically to sexual health education, for example:

Youth-Adult Partnerships Show Promise
YouthNet: Partners in reproductive health and HIV prevention - March 2003
This brief summarizes the benefits of involving youth in local programming as well as at institutional levels. There are evidence-based benefits for involved youth (such as improved skills, more meaningful relationships with adults, enhanced social competence) and for adults (enhanced commitment, greater understanding of youth contributions), and for organizations (enhanced quality and relevance, credibility). These benefits can be transferred to the field of reproductive health and HIV prevention, and YouthNet has created some useful tools for adult-youth partnership (also available on the Family Health Internation website).
http://www.fhi.org/en/Youth/YouthNet/Publications/YouthLens+English.htm

Peer Support Manual (Saskatoon Action Circle on Youth Sexuality Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement – 2004) This practical guide is written by an experienced adult ally for other adult allies that are supporting students to start a peer support group in their school. Based on learnings from the Youth Launch: Youth Facilitation Leadership Program, the philosophy of empowerment, engagement and promoting youth sexual health and peer support principles are key to the success of this program. The guide describes ideas that adult allies can use to establish a peer support group, including youth facilitation training activities, a focus on gaining administrative and parental support, resources, and real-life examples of methods of implementation.

From the McCreary Centre Society whose mission is to “foster wider understanding of the importance of youth health, increase knowledge about youth health needs and issues, advocate for continuing commitment to youth health issues, and initiate and implement innovative projects which directly address unmet health needs of young people:

LGB Youth Health: Not Yet Equal: The Health of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth in BC takes a closer look at the health of LGB youth, their life experiences, and risk behaviours across all three AHS surveys. This report reveals both hopeful and worrying trends, fewer than expected differences between rural and urban LGB youth, and ongoing health disparities for LGB teens compared to their heterosexual peers.
Youth Participation: YAC Link is a great resource for anyone interested in organizing a Youth Advisory Council (YAC). It's a how-to manual for YACs, with tips and "best practices" from 3 established YACs, all with different models.

Are you getting enough? : youth advocacy toolkit to help you improve school sexual health education from Options for Sexual Health (BC): Anadvocacy toolkit is for youth in British Columbia who want to improve school sexual health education for themselves and other students. It can be combined with a complementary toolkit, "Your power as a parent," developed for the parents of youth who want to help their children advocate for comprehensive and accurate health information in schools.

The (US) Youth Activist Network (YAN) is composed of more than 10,000 youth from communities all across the country. These young people work together to fight for accurate sexual health information and services so that they can prevent unintended pregnancy and/or STIs (sexually transmitted infections), including HIV. Network members advocate for comprehensive sex education and science-based family planning and HIV prevention services at home and abroad. The YAN works to change policies that are harmful to young people into policies that support youth’s access to accurate sexual health information and confidential health care.

The Adolescent Girls' Mentorship Study from the Centre for Youth and Society at the University of Victoria (BC) (http://web.uvic.ca/~mentor) is acommunity-based mentorship study aims to understand adolescent girls' sexual health concerns within their dating relationships and to reduce their sexual health risk behaviours (e.g., having unprotected sex). It involves using a mentorship model for delivering a sexual health curriculum. The program also provides training and mentoring to youth, researchers, health practitioners and graduate students. The study uses a respectful and participatory approach based on principles of feminist ways of knowing.

Examples on initiatives that involve parents and caregivers in their children's school-based sexuality education program include:

The Family Project, which includes the Families Are Talking Web site and newsletter, is a project of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). This project began in 2000 to empower parents and caregivers to communicate with their children about sexuality-related issues, to provide tools to help families communicate about these issues, and to encourage parents, caregivers, and young people to become advocates on the local, state, and national levels for sexuality-related issues including comprehensive sexuality education programs in the schools.

The Family Project includes:

http://www.familiesaretalking.org and http://www.lafamiliahabla.org
Resources for parents, caregivers, and families including Families Are Talking, a quarterly newsletter in English and Spanish (available Winter 2002) and Innovative Approaches to Increase Parent-Child Communication about Sexuality: Their Impact and Examples from the Field
The Family Communication Clearinghouse, part of the Mary S. Calderone Library, located at SIECUS' New York office
An online database of innovative approaches to parent-child communication, including the 45 programs highlighted in the publication Innovative Approaches to Increase Parent-Child Communication about Sexuality: Their Impact and Examples from the Field. The following are excerpts from this publication:

Part 1:

The Impact of Interventions Designed to Promote Parent-Child Communication about Sexuality
- Recommendations for Parent-Child Communication Program Developers
- Recommendations for Parent-Child Communication Program Evaluators

Part 2:

Summary of Innovative Approaches and Examples from the Field
- Suggestions for Recruiting and Retaining Parents/Caregivers
- Recommendations for Policymakers

Additional links provided by the Family Project/SIECUS include: Check out these links for more information, research, and answers to your sexuality-related questions:

Adolescence Directory OnLine http://education.indiana.edu/cas/adol/adol.html
Provides educators, counselors, parents, researchers, health practitioners, and teens with information on adolescent issues. The site is developed by the Center for Adolescent Studies at Indiana University.
Advocates for Youth http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/teens
Creates programs and promotes policies which help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. They provide information, training, and strategic assistance to youth-serving organizations, policy-makers, youth-activists, and the media in the United States and the developing world.
Ask Beth http://www.ppsp.org/askbeth/askbeth.html
Q & A Internet service that addresses sexuality and sexual-health issues. The site is developed by Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Campaign For Our Children http://www.cfoc.org
Develops research-based prevention messages and abstinence educational media campaigns which encourage healthy, responsible sexual decisions among early-adolescent youth, promote a more informed support system for youth, and raise public awareness about adolescent preventative health issues.
Coalition for Positive Sexuality http://www.positive.org
Provides teens with sexuality and sexual health information and facilitates dialogue in and out of the public schools on condom availability and sex education.
Go Ask Alice! http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu
Q & A Internet service that addresses sexuality and health related issues. The site is developed by Columbia University's Health Education Program.
Human Rights Campaign http://www.hrc.org
The largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization, envisions an America where GLBT people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest, and safe -- at home, at work, and in the community. HRC Foundations's FamilyNet is the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource on and for GLBT families.
It's Your (Sex) Life http://www.itsyoursexlife.com
Provides reliable, objective sexual health information to young adults. The site is developed by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
iwannaknow http://www.iwannaknow.org
Answers questions about teen sexual health and sexually transmitted diseases. The site is developed by The American Social Health Association.
Kids Health http://www.kidshealth.org
Provides parents, kids, and adolescents with age-appropriate health and sexuality information. The site is developed by The Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media.
My Voice Counts Youth Action Center http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/youth/index.htm
Part of the Advocates for Youth website, provides information and resources to encourage young people to become activists for comprehensive sexuality education and sexual health. It includes national and international news stories about sexuality and sexual health, online petitions, listservs, organizing tools and resources, government and media contact information, stories and profiles of youth activists, and information about peer education.
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy http://www.teenpregnancy.org
Aims to improve the well-being of children, youth, and families by reducing teen pregnancy.
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth
Provides information about Add Health, a school-based study of the health-related behaviors of adolescents in grades seven to 12.
New York Online Access to Health (NOAH) http://www.noah-health.org/
Provides information from a variety of organizations that addresses sexuality, sexual heath, and other health-related topics. The site is developed by four New York City Library organizations.
Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (ReCAPP) http://www.etr.org/recapp
Provides practical tools and information to effectively reduce teen sexual risk-taking behaviors. The site is developed by ETR Associates.
Scarleteen.com http://www.scarleteen.com
Provides sexuality and sexual health information to teens, supplementing the information that young people learn at home and in school-based programs.
SEX, etc. http://www.sxetc.org
Provides information by and for teens, on a variety of sexual health issues. The site is developed by the Network for Family Life Education.
Taking with Kids About Tough Issues http://www.talkingwithkids.org
Provides information to encourage parents and caregivers to talk with their children earlier and more often about tough issues like sex, HIV/AIDS, violence, alcohol, and drug abuse. The site is developed by Children Now and The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
TeenHealthFX http://www.teenhealthfx.com
Q & A Internet service for young people that addresses sexuality, sexual health, relationships, and other important issues. The site is a project funded by Atlantic Health System that includes Morristown Memorial Hospital, Overlook Hospital, and Mountainside Hospital.
Teenwire http://www.teenwire.com
Provides teens with sexuality and sexual health information. The site is developed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

From Yukon: Choices and Changesinvites parents and caregivers to become involved in their children's sexuality education by introducing them to the curriculum before it begins. It also encourages subsequent parent sessions such as video screenings, question-and-answer sessions, or group discussions based on the needs of parents in the community. Facilitated parent discussions can include activities related to values clarification and communicating with children about sexuality. An evaluation of the Choices and Changes program is published in the Winter 2000, SIECCAN Newsletter.1

Be Web Aware (Media Awareness Network): is a national, bilingual public education program on Internet safety from the Media Awareness Network. The objective of everyone involved in this project is to ensure young Canadians benefit from the Internet, while being safe and responsible in their online activities.” The primary target audience is parents, but the site contains information relevant to school contexts. Healthy sexuality is discussed as it relates to helping children and youth as they may discover online pornography.

Media Toolkit for Youth: Making Your Voice Heard: also from the Media Awareness Network is designed to help young people understand what drives the news industry, why youth stereotyping happens and how they can access the news media to make their voices and issues heard.

Coordinated school sexual health programs

dmccall — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:52:57 CST

This page lists resources that promote the coordination of policies, programs and services in school-based and school-linked promotion of sexual health and prevention of STI and HIV/AIDS that crosses five elments of a coordinated approach; policy, instruction, health services, social support and physical environment.

General overview

Community-school approaches and programs

Whole school programs

About this wiki

dmccall — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:28:16 CDT

This wiki is a collection of educational, planning and assessment tools that has been compiled for sharing among practitioners, researchers, administrators and government officials.

Contributions to this toolbox wiki will come from several sources, including an initial scan done by the Canadian Association for School Health in June 2007 for the Society of Obstetricians and Gaynecologists of Canada. Other sources will include the national non-governmental organizations concerned with sexual health, STIs and HIV-AIDS at the national level, researchers and local agencies such as public health authoritity staff and school boards. As well, this wiki will be coordinated with the planning of a pre-conference symposium on sexual health and schools being held in Ottawa April19-21, 2008 and with a series of webinars being held in 2007-08.

We are hopeful that with time and contribitions from many this wiki-toolbox can be a real support to effective, evidence-informed school-based and school-linked sexual health education policies, programs and practices in Canada. This wki includes the following which corresponds to a comprehensive school-based and school-linked approach to sexual health education and promotion:

Prevalence, Nature of Sexual Health problems and assets
Examples of Comprehensive and Coordinated SH programs
Policies, including vision, policy and planning related documents (examples on topics such as sexual harassment, orientation, counselling and referral policies, partnerships with agencies etc)
Sexual health instruction/education (curricula, programs, lesson plans, webquests, teacher training materials, web sites for youth, parents and teachers)
Social support programs (youth engagement programs, parent involvement programs, local media strategies, etc)
Sexual health services (school clinics, youth friendly clinics, peer programs, parent support programs, testing programs, HPV and other vaccinations programs etc.
Physical environment and resources (safe places programs, condom access, universal precautions