The adult role Session 7: 120 minutes Youth Alive Training

Goal Assist adult facilitators in becoming comfortable and confident Needs Power point slides Private place for adults to meet while youth staff exposed to FG activities Goal Assist adult facilitators in becoming comfortable and confident Needs Transparencies/power point slides Private place for adults to meet while youth staff exposed to FG activities Youth Alive Training

Overview of adult role Without them the Youth Alive conference and local club will not survive Presence of the adult is the Key to a successful program Overview of Adult Role Without them the Youth Alive conference and local club will not survive Presence of the adult is the Key to a successful program Youth Alive Training

Adults must be… Christ committed Willing to coach, not impose authority Flexible-Think like youth think Young at heart Able to draw lessons from experiences Appreciative of youth activity A listener rather than a talker Adults must be… Christ committed Willing to coach, not impose authority Flexible-Think like youth think Young at heart Able to draw lessons from experiences Appreciative of youth activity A listener rather than a talker Youth Alive Training

Adult readiness Provide Warm Fuzzy papers to adult facilitators Give them opportunity to write 10-11 general Warm Fuzzies for his/her own Friendship Group (without names) Insert FG members’ names after 1st session Conference participant should get minimum of 2 Warm Fuzzies throughout Youth Alive conference from the adult and youth co-facilitator of their FG The more Warm Fuzzies-the more connected they are to their FG Adult Readiness Provide Warm Fuzzy papers to adult facilitators Give them opportunity to write 10-11 general Warm Fuzzies for his/her own Friendship Group (without names) Then after the first FG session, insert FG members’ names on the Warm Fuzzy notes so that by the end of the day Each conference participant should get a minimum of 2 Warm Fuzzies throughout Youth Alive conference (from the adult and youth co-facilitator of their FG) The more Warm Fuzzies-the more connected they are to their Friendship Group Youth Alive Training

Overview of the need for the adult role What has changed in our youth today? Why are sexual urges different? What appears to be promising in the area of preventing harm and danger amongst our youth? Overview of the need for the adult role What has changed in our youth today? More youth are having sex than ever before. Why the are sexual urges different than in years past? What appears to be promising in the area of preventing harm and danger amongst our youth? Youth Alive Training

Contributing factors to changes in today’s youth Women Contributing factors to changes in today’s youth Women Youth Alive Training

Declining Age of Menarche Sweden Declining Age of Menarche,or change of first menstrual period age. This graph shows the declining age of menarche for girls in Norway, Germany, Finland, Sweden, and the United States of America. Youth Alive Training

Change of first menstrual period Young women start to feel sexual urges after first menstrual period During the 18th century we see girls had their first period around 16 or 17 years of age During this stage of development called “late adolescence” where cognitive maturity takes place, with the ability to make critical sexual decisions Marriage age was around 18 or 19 years old Only two or three years before marriage Change of first menstrual period age Young women start to feel sexual urges after first menstrual period, menarche. During the 18th century we see girls had their first period around 16 or 17 years of age. It is during this stage of development called “late adolescence”, where cognitive maturity takes place, with the ability to make critical sexual decisions. Marriage age was around 18 or 19 years old. So the period of dealing with sexuality was only two to three years before they got married. Youth Alive Training

Age of first period has decreased Today, first period is around 12.8 years Early adolescence, there is no cognitive maturity Girls enter middle adolescence - risk taking behaviors Have little concept of cause and effect Age of the first period has now steadily decreased. Today, the typical age at which a young girl has her first period is around 12.8 years. It is during this stage of development called early adolescence, that there is no cognitive maturity. Girls are not yet able to make wise decisions and usually base their decisions on the influence of others. Quickly after their first period they enter the phase of middle adolescence characterized by risk taking behaviors. In this phase of development they have little concept of cause and effect. Youth Alive Training

Changes in marriage age Today young women get married on or around 23rd or 24th birthday After struggling with sexual urges through periods of development when not thinking of consequences of their acts, or the impact on future life Changes in marriage age Today, young women get married on around their 23rd or 24th birthday, after struggling with their sexual urges through the periods of development when they weren’t yet necessarily thinking about the consequences of their acts, or the impact on their future life. Youth Alive Training

Physical activities & diet Young women who are physically active …have their first menstrual periods later than average Vegetarian girls have menarche later Physical Activities & Diet Young women who are physically active and are involved in strenuous physical activities have their first menstrual periods later than average. Also, vegetarian girls have their menarche later. Youth Alive Training

Contributing factors to changes in today’s youth Women & Men Contributing Factors to Changes in Today’s Youth Women & Men Youth Alive Training

Working parents Both parents work Children having fewer hours a day spent with a parent Children rely more on their peers in decision making Working Parents The richer and more industrialized countries have become places where both parents work, resulting in their children having fewer hours per day spent with a parent. They now rely more on their peers in decision making, often the critical decisions. Youth Alive Training

Home environment Some kids come from awful home situations Impossible for teachers to make up for poor parenting Home environment Some students come from homes where the environment is often less than ideal. Otherwise stated, some kids come from awful home situations. Teachers are then asked to correct the bad behavior resulting from the home where there has been poor parenting, a chore that teachers may find to be impossible to execute. Youth Alive Training

Single working parent Struggling to generate sufficient income Children are often unattended after school (high risk time) Single working parent Other students come from homes where a single parent works hard to generate sufficient income to support and educate their children, leaving the parent in a disadvantaged position to give their children sufficient time for meaningful relationships. The children may often be unattended after school, the time of day when youth are at most risk for participating in risky behaviors. Youth Alive Training

Typical American home Average TV watching is 7 hours and 13 minutes per day One-third of Americans talk to their children about sex TV talks about sex constantly (14,000 times per year) By 18 years, youth have watched 22,000 hours of TV (spent a total of 12,000 hours in high school) TV is the primary sex educator of the youth Typical American home Children watch the television more now than in years past. The typical American home has the TV going for an average of 7 hours and 13 minutes per day. Only about one third of Americans talk to their children about sex, but the TV does it constantly with sexual images and suggestions 14,000 times per year. By the age of 18 years, youth have watched the TV for more hours (22,000) than they have been in school (12,000). The television is therefore the primary sex educator of the youth. Youth Alive Training

Impact of school changes (less physical education) Less exertion Youth not kept busy Less exposure to adult authority and supervision In gymnastics after regular school hours Students have more time to be home alone before parents get off work Impact of school changes (less physical education) Schools across the world have a move to require less physical education and gymnastics. The decreasing age in a girl’s first menstrual period and lesser physical education, results in the following disadvantage: Less exertion Youth are not kept busy Youth have less exposure to adult authority and supervision. Activities such as gymnastics are often taught by adults after regular school hours. Without this, students would have more time at home alone before the parents get home from work Youth Alive Training

Latchkey kids This refers to students who go to an empty home after school Resulting in more adolescents getting pregnant between 3:00pm and 6:00 pm in their own home Latchkey kids Students who go home to an empty home after school are referred to as “latchkey kids”. This results in more adolescents getting pregnant between 3 pm and 6 pm in their own home. Youth Alive Training

Review of contributing factors to changes in today’s youth Working parents Home environment Single parent struggling to generate sufficient income TV influence School changes Review of contributing factors to changes in today’s youth Working Parents Home environment Single parent struggling to generate sufficient income TV influence School changes Youth Alive Training

Research findings on low level physical activity in high school students is associated with: Cigarette smoking Marijuana use Lower fruit & vegetable consumption Greater TV-watching Failure to wear seat belt Lower academic performance (compared to highly active students) Research on low level physical activity in high school students is associated with: Cigarette smoking Marijuana use Lower fruit & vegetable consumption Greater TV-watching Failure to wear seat belt Lower academic performance (when compared to highly active students) Youth Alive Training