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The ECHO (Educate Children for Healthy Outcomes) program is an educational/mentoring program that seeks to recognize young people at risk for early childbearing and risky behavior. One on one mentoring education for young girls/teens in grades 3 - 8 and their families is held weekly with a long term goals of increasing awareness of high risk behavior and/or environmental factors, improving self-esteem and self awareness, modeling healthy choices and positive communication and empowering parents/guardians to shore up their children as adolescence begins. ECHO Advisors:
The educational purpose of the Academy for Adolescent Health, Inc. is simple: to face head on the twin issues associated with adolescent sexuality -- teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS - in an open, nonjudgmental fashion while extending dignity and respect to each teen. The Teen Outreach is an abstinence based program that focuses upon the concept of postponing sexual involvement as the only 100% safe sex. Our work since 1980 with pregnant and parenting teens has demonstrated several high risk factors that increase the possibility for early childbearing in young people. Some of those environmental and emotional factors are evident in children as young as fourth and fifth grade level. Two significant high risk factors are early childbearing in an older sibling and physical/sexual abuse. Indeed, a recent study out of Washington state involving 532 pregnant teens showed that two-thirds of them had experienced sexual abuse prior to conceiving their babies. In short, there are no simple answers. It is our hope that early mentoring, along with education in refusal skills, communication skills, and decision making skills, will decrease the likelihood of teen pregnancy in this high risk group. Deck of Life Cards: Conceived by our ECHO Coordinator, Heather Crowe, and 'birthed' by our Director Mary Jo on a snowy Pennsylvania day, this learning tool has become an indispensable part of our ECHO curriculum. The colorful cards represent many of the challenges our young clients face - financial, in relationships/families, and as stumbling blocks on their journeys. Matched with the skills our ECHO staff models, the cards serve as a dynamic, interactive way to open the door to discussion about difficult subjects in a gentle, non-threatening manner. Diamonds deal with financial concerns, hearts focus upon relationship challenges, and clubs represent the 'bumps' in the road of life that can slow down goal acquisition. Spades are made up of life skills that are inherent (inner wisdom, unique personality) or learned (assertiveness skills, anger management). Jokers are surprises! The cards can be used four ways, and are available for purchase on our Learning Tools site.
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