In today’s world, teens and pre-teens need to be “smart” consumers of media messages and this calls for the support of their teachers, parents, and other trusted adults to help them make sense of what they are hearing and seeing. Media influence on young people may be direct and deliberate such as advertisements that want …
Many assume that marijuana today is the same as it was many years ago. This is a dangerous misconception. Marijuana has become exponentially stronger over the years as THC levels (the psychoactive ingredient) in marijuana have increased 212% between 1995 and 2015 (NIH). Marijuana comes in many forms like flowers, buds, edibles, dabs, vape/dab pens …
Continue reading High-Potency THC and its Impact on the Developing Brain
Since 2019, the month of May has been recognized as Sex Ed for All Month, an effort put forward by numerous sexual education organizations that are dedicated towards advocating for sexual health, rights, and increased education. Young people having access to quality sex education has been found to improve social-emotional learning skills and help them …
Continue reading May – The Month that Sex Education is Highlighted and Celebrated!
Have you heard the news? Puberty, that period-of-time when children begin the wild ride into adulthood, is beginning earlier and lasts longer than the puberty you likely experienced. Over the last several decades, studies have challenged the long-standing pubertal benchmark created back in the 1940s by pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Joseph Tanner, who identified the average age …
Continue reading Puberty is Beginning Earlier; Will Your Students be Prepared?
Whether at home, in healthcare, the classroom, or the workplace the importance of self-advocacy is undeniable. However, even for an adult, self-advocating isn’t always easy. The ability to “speak-up for [ourselves] and the things that are important to [us]” is a necessary life skill. As young people’s trusted adults we can both teach and model …
For nearly fifty years, schools have turned to Candor Health Education (formerly The Robert Crown Center for Health Education) to educate their students on puberty and sex education. For decades, the vast majority of schools have selected 5th grade as the year for puberty education, with many schools waiting until the very end of 5th grade to …
Continue reading Puberty is Starting Earlier – Kids Need the Facts Earlier Too
Though the opioid epidemic has been well publicized, the landscape of this epidemic is ever evolving and changing; and ultimately the prevalence of these harmful drugs persists. So how do we support our young people in developing an awareness and understanding of the dangers of opioids? Increased education. It appears that young people are more …
For adolescents going through puberty, it’s never going to be an easy time. But for those experiencing their period for the first time, it can be even more difficult due to things like lack of education and knowledge on the menstrual cycle, the social stigma that surrounds periods, and the issue of being able to …
For many students, their first experience with school-based sex education happens in fourth or fifth grade with a lesson(s) about puberty. While not widespread, some schools include age – appropriate sex education beginning in kindergarten. My first career was in early childhood education and I found it was common to have daily interactions with the …
As both a Health Educator and a parent of school aged children myself, I often find myself getting questions or in conversation with friends, family and fellow parents about what we teach, how we answer certain questions, why we talk about certain topics in our programs and if they are age appropriate. One of these …
Stress is the body’s response to the challenges around us. While some stress can be beneficial, long-term stress can cause many problems and have significant short- and long-term consequences on physical and emotional health. For adolescents, the physical response to stress kicks in a lot more quickly as the part of their brain that can …
Teen dating violence (TDV) is defined as “a pattern of abuse or threat of abuse against teenage partners.” Teen dating violence occurs with sobering prevalence, effecting 1.5 million high school students each year. Female and LGBTQ+ students are more likely to experience dating abuse and/or violence than their male, cis-gendered peers. TDV is considered an …
Continue reading Healthy Does Not Hurt: Teen Dating Violence and Prevention
This week’s blog post comes from Barb Thayer, Executive Director at Candor Health Education, an Illinois-based nonprofit organization that educates students, their trusted adults and communities on the topics of drug and sex education. As Executive Director of Candor Health Education, I am all too familiar with the issues related to young people and alcohol use. …
Continue reading Prevention Starts Now: Talking to Teens About Alcohol and Breast Cancer
This guest blog post comes from Rose Tenuta, a health educator who works at Candor Health Education, and is aimed at students. It is almost Valentine’s Day! Thoughts of romance and love are on many young people’s minds and in ads on TV. Feeling in love is a wonderful connection between people. Many times in …
Continue reading Love Safe, Get Tested: A Valentine’s Day Reminder
I do not watch much television. By the time I reach the end of the day and the dishes are done, the dog walked, and laundry folded, my bed is a more favorable option than trying to stay awake for a program. My television habits took an unexpected turn several years ago, when looking for …
I was a weird kid. Not like, put spaghetti on my head during dinner just to get a laugh weird; more like asking my mom random questions that she didn’t see coming weird. Take for example, the time I asked her what semen was. My poor parents. Cornered by a child who wouldn’t stop asking questions. I asked my mom questions about pubic …
Understanding of adolescent decision making has moved beyond simple “age differences in risk perception and reasoning” to include relevant social and emotional factors that directly inform when and how adolescents make decisions about everything from substance use to condom use.[i] Adolescence is defined as the period between which “physiologically normal puberty” initiates and adulthood begins.[ii] Though …
Continue reading Just Because They Can, Doesn’t Mean They Do
It was fifth grade and we were in the middle of one of those infamous Chicago winters. I was wearing an ugly turtleneck sweater that I was super self-conscious about. I felt even more self-conscious about it while I was getting sick in the hallway of my elementary school. To this day, my heart goes …
Continue reading The Things I Wish My 10-Year-Old Self Knew About Her Body
Recently, an increased awareness among consumers surrounding the potential health and environmental impacts of “traditional” menstrual products has driven new public discourse in favor of more feasible, affordable, and sustainable alternatives. Examples of these products include reusable menstrual cups/disks, absorbent underwear/swimwear, reusable fabric pads, and disposable pads/tampons that are made with organic and ethically sourced …
Continue reading Disposable Menstrual Products: Impact and Alternatives
With only three states explicitly including youth with disabilities within their sex education requirements, one can't help but be concerned that we have made little progress since Waxman (1994) stated that "No group in this country faces the sort of sexual and reproductive restrictions disabled people do; we are frequently [prevented from] learning about sexuality, …
Continue reading Teaching Sex Education to Young People With Disabilities
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