Helping Your Child Become a Healthy Adult

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this workshop, the participant will... ...be able to identify the benefits of having his or her child visit a doctor regularly and partake in regular selfexaminations. ...feel comfortable discussing matters of reproductive health with his or her child. ...be able to locate reliable internet resources regarding the reproductive health of his or her child.

8:00 - 8:30 Registration & Breakfast

Participants will check in at the registration table outside the front of the cafeteria and proceed into the cafeteria for breakfast. A breakfast buffet will be served and will include hot coffee, baked goods, fresh fruit, and various other selections.

8:30 - 8:50 Lets Break the Ice and Ask Some Questions
Participants will congregate in the schools auditorium for an icebreaker activity. To start, participants will be asked, one-by-one, to share their name and something about themselves with the group. Once everyone is acquainted, each participant will be given a piece of paper. They will then be asked to write down two questions (one on each side of the paper) related to reproductive health. On one side, participants will write a question they think their child would have about the subject, and on the other, they will write a question of their own. Participants will then crumple their paper into a ball and toss it across the room. Each participant will then pick up a new paper ball and toss it again. Again, participants will retrieve a new paper ball. They will then unfold the paper and read the questions to themselves. The lecturer will then ask for three separate volunteers to each read one of their questions. The lecturer will answer those three questions and ask participants to hold on to their papers until the conclusion of the lecture.

8:50 - 10:00 Everything You Want to Know About Reproductive Health

Drawing from the questions read aloud by the group, the lecturer will begin a lecture covering the basics and facts about adolescent reproductive health. The lecture will consist of a verbal lecture accompanied by a power point presentation. Information from various academic journal articles (such as Cermak, M., Cottrell, R., Murnan, J. (2010). Womens knowledge of HPV and their perceptions of physician educational efforts regarding HPV and cervical cancer. Journal of Community Health, 35, 229 (6 pages) and Braun, R. A., Provost, J. M. (2010). Bridging the gap: Using school-based health services to improve Chlamydia screening among young women. American Journal of Public Health, 100, 1624 (6 pages)) will be utilized as references throughout the lecture. Topics such as the importance of regular doctor visits and selfexaminations, as well as the possible repercussions of neglecting ones reproductive health will be covered.

10:00 - 10:20 Small Group Work

Remaining in the auditorium, participants will be divided into groups of 4 - 5 people each. Groups will be asked to pull out the papers with participant questions from the icebreaker activity earlier. Group members will read through the questions and discuss what they think the answers are to those questions. Furthermore, groups will be asked to discuss realistic ways to talk about such questions and issues with their children. After a bit of discussion time, the lecturer will ask if any questions remain unanswered or unclear, and will then answer those questions to the whole group.

10:20 - 10:30 Break (halls outside auditorium and cafeteria) 10:30 - 11:30 Interactive Web Search
Participants will meet in the schools computer lab, each sitting at an individual computer. All participants will be given worksheets instructing them to visit various sites (such as Planned Parenthood http://www. plannedparenthood.org/ - Womens Health: Pelvic Exams - http://www.plannedparenthood.org/healthtopics/womens-health/pelvic-exam-4306.htm/ and Kids Health http://kidshealth.org/ - Teens Health: Breast and Pelvic Exams - http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/girls/obg yn.html#cat20015), looking for information and answers to a few specific questions. In addition to searching for answers on the web search worksheet, participants will be strongly encouraged to browse web sites such as Planned Parenthood and Kids Health freely.

11:30 - 11:40 Break (halls outside computer lab and cafeteria, small snacks will be available in the cafeteria) 11:40 - 12:40 Talking to Your Child: Practice Makes Perfect
Participants will regroup back in the school cafeteria where they will be randomly split into pairs. Each pair will be given two index cards. Each pairs index cards will detail a specific situation, but one card will be from the perspective of the child and the other from the perspective of the parent. Pairs will then act out the situation (one acting as the child, one acting as the parent). After playing out the situation, partners will briefly discuss: Was the situation awkward? What could have made the conversation go more smoothly? Could the strategies used to discuss the issues in the role play be used in a realistic conversation with your child? After each pair has completed their role play, groups will swap cards and repeat the process. During the second role play, whoever played the parent previously will play the child and vice-versa. Again, partners will discuss the role play upon completion.

12:40 - 12:50 Wrap-Up and Resource Distribution

Remaining in the cafeteria, the workshop leader will address the group of participants. The leader will give a brief summary of the learning objectives and goals of the workshop, and encourage parents to use the information and strategies learned during the workshop to be active participants in the health of their children. Participants will be given a folder of materials for later reading and reference (including a list of useful web sites and pamphlets/brochures such as Male Self-Exam pamphlet from ETR Associates).

12:50 - 1:00 Workshop Evaluation

Evaluation forms will be distributed amongst participants in the cafeteria. Participants will be asked to fill out the forms anonymously, and as honestly as possible. Comments will be strongly encouraged. Completed forms will be dropped into drop boxes located near the exit doors as participants leave the workshop.