1. Coming Together to Support Youth Health
Monday, October 1, 2012
Session I

2. Overview Housekeeping Review of the Materials Overview of the process
Ground Rules
Gathering and Grounding
Follow the agenda
Housekeeping
Timeline –
No breaks, address your needs as they arise
Break into groups to do our work
Done by 8 PM
Bathrooms
Water
Binder
Agenda
Behind PINK divider – Collective Leadership Model
ORANGE divider – Adolescent development, insights as to how adolescents think
BLUE divider – Chlamydia information
YELLOW divider – MCP Strategy
GREEN divider – other
Process
Week 1 – getting to know each other, the issue, and the process
Week 2 – considering the social determinants of health and their impact on youth choices; look at local data; begin work on goals
Week 3 – getting to know our youth via the MSS + other data sources as well as 2 Ridgewater students surveys that CHAS has done in the past. – Finalization of goals
Week 4 - Formation of tactics to meet our goals
Week 5 – review and refine our previous work.

3. Ground Rules Confidentiality Active Listeners Respect for Privacy
Respect for Values
Recognition of each person’s journey
Confidentiality –while I hope you will talk about the work you are doing here in general terms with others in the community, it is vital that what individuals say here remain confidential.
Active Listeners – we are here to listen and learn from each other. Listening, considering another’s view, and learning about the view of those in our community is important to our work. We are not here to ask you to compromise your values, change your views or agree to an agenda that is against your family, moral or religious beliefs. However, I would ask you to listen to all views and in turn, be heard by others when it is your opportunity to speak.
Respect for Privacy- Sexual health is a highly private area. Please consider each member’s privacy comfort level as we discuss this topic.
Respect for Values – Sexual health is heavily embedded with family, moral and religious values. While they may not match your values and beliefs, please respect others as they share theirs.
Recognition of each person’s journey – IT may be difficult to understand why another person has a particular viewpoint. Each of us has our own personal life’s journey; as things occur, we each make choices in how to respond. These choices may be well thought out or they may be unknowingly influenced by things beyond our control. So as you hear views that do not line with yours, rather than developing a critical response in your mind, consider that this person’s journey has taken them to where they are and learn from each other.

4. Gathering and Grounding
Your name-
THE QUESTION -
How you feel about being here.
Gathering and Grounding is a tool we use when using the Collective Leadership Process.
It’s purpose is to
Cover introductions
Gets everyone’s voice in the room
Provides a time for explanation; i.e. – “I will need to leave at 7:30 for another commitment.” or “I’m expecting an important phone call during the meeting, so my phone is left on.”
To be part of the circle, it is important to be IN the circle, so I am asking everyone here to join the circle at this time.

5. Gathering and Grounding
Your name-
WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU HAVE TO CONNECT WITH ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS?
How you feel about being here.

6. Impact and Implications of Chlamydia
Ms. Candy Hadsall, RN, MA; STD Clinical Specialist
Infertility Prevention Project Coordinator
Minnesota Department of Health STD and HIV Section

7. The Season of Adolescents
When we talk about adolescents – a variety of pre-conceptions may come to mind.
Raging hormones
Risk taking
Egotistical thinking and behavior
Striving for independence
My son told me when he was about 14 – “Mom, adults are afraid of us.”
Adolescents is definitely a period of change. Change is what adolescent and young adult development is all about. Change is the most constant trait of this time in life. As they go through this time of change, adolescent behaviors can easily be mis-understood.
I have included a section in the binder behind the ORANGE divider about adolescent development. I would encourage you to review this during the upcoming week.
A statement from that material that I found a helpful illustration was looking at Adolescent development as a BACKPACK.

8. “When a child is born, he/she is given a backpack
“When a child is born, he/she is given a backpack. Throughout their childhood, adults fill this backpack with the things that young people need for a good life. When the child reaches adolescence, they take their backpack off and empty everything out. Throughout adolescent and young adulthood, young people go through all their backpack items – deciding what to put back in the backpack, in what order, in what format, revising, adding to and leaving things out.”
As we talk about adolescent development and adolescent issues, it is very important to look at these framed in the structure of adolescent development and the tasks they face:
Who am I?
How do I fit in?
Where am I going?
Tasks focused on the physically changing body
Tasks focused on a changing sense of self
Tasks focused on changing relationships
Tasks focused on changing roles.
Because these changes are out of their control, youth often feel chaotic, unbalanced, out of sync – while they may feel this way – it is important that they do not get messages from us that re-enforce those feelings – but rather encouragement and understanding from the adults around them.
Much of these feelings have to do with the wave of growth of the brain that occurs during this time.

9. The CEO of the Brain As the prefrontal cortex matures, teenagers can:
Reason better
Develop more control over impulses
Make better judgments
The take home message here is that :
Young people need practice using their brains - - exercise their brains by learning to order their thoughts, make decisions, explore their values, and control their impulses.
Young people need guidance and opportunities to tryout their developing brain capacity. Think about how we help little children learn new skills - we have them practice in a safe environment, have a helping hand near by, encourage them in their successes. Youth need the same supportive environment and guidance.
Encourage and support teens to take health risks – by encouraging them to participate in contractive activities and form positive lifestyle habits.

10. Adolescent Sexual Health
Themes of our past approach
Challenges to an alternate approach

11. “Sexual health is not just about preventing disease or having babies – it is also about who we are, where we fit, how our families thrive, what kind of relationships we value.”
As we talk about Adolescent Sexual Health – I ask that – for the purposes of our work here – adopt the definition given on page 4 of the report.
“Sexual health is not just about preventing disease or having babies – it is also about who we are, where we fit, how arou families thrive, what kind of relationships we value. “

12. Our Past Approach
“DON’T DO IT”
FEAR

13. The Challenge!

14. A Focus on Sexual Health
Accurate Information on Disease
A Focus on Sexual Health

15. An emphasis on the positive reasons to make healthy decisions
Accurate information about risks and consequences.

16. Consideration for the social determinants of health
Recognizing personal responsibility

17. And while you are doing all of that . . .
Holding in your thoughts, the understanding that the normal developmental tasks of adolescent deserve guidance and permission to fall short without the heavy weight of fear.
Having respect for the very private nature of the subject of sexuality with acknowledgement of appropriate boundaries, yet without secrecy and a connotation of shame.

18. The Collective Leadership Model
Recognizing the value that is represented by each voice in the room.
The CHAS coalition has been in existence since and was known as the Kandiyohi County Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition. It formed out of response to the high teen pregnancy rates in Kandiyohi County – with KC being in the top ten counties for teen pregnancy in the state of MN. This continues. The Coalition focused it’s work on students – and reducing teen pregnancy rates. We followed the funding sources and did valuable work.
In the fall of the Coalition was without funding and could not find a common direction; we were having difficulty getting along with each other. It was during this time that we were introduced to the Collective Leadership Model and have used it ever since.
It has been a key tool as we work together – from all spectrums of values and beliefs regarding teen sexual health – and find common ground in which to focus our energy.

19. Collective leadership holds the belief that every individual in a group has skills, talents, ideas and attitudes to contribute to the whole.
This process takes time –
It takes time to develop relationships and trust
It takes time to listen and hear everyone’s view
Process – may seem like we are not accomplishing anything – but we are!

20. Progress happens in the Circle
Forming a Collective Statement
WE will be breaking into smaller groups – and working within those groups tonight. To be IN the group – one must be IN THE CIRCLE – I will be standing OUT of the circle – to answer questions, etc.
Tonight we are going to be working on Collective Statements – Collective Statements ARE NOT Consensus Statements – but non the less, can be very powerful statements.
They are based on the belief that each of us sees the world from a different viewpoint. Our individual views are like pieces of a puzzle – when we fit them all together we get the full picture. (Refer to “A VIEW FROM MY MOUSE HOLE.”
In the circle – each person has an equal voice
3x5 cards – you will find the 3x5 cards in your folder. You will be using these as we work together.
A question is posed – each member of the circle responds in a statement to the question and writes it on the 3x5 card. This does 2 things.
Causes you to articulate your thoughts in a concise manner. You may write as many ideas/responses as you like. It also-
Prepares you to listen. Once you have your idea written down, you are free to listen to the others and not have to concentrate on remembering what you were going to say.

21. Movement Within the Circle
The Role of the FACILTATOR
To make sure that each person has the same opportunity to speak.
The role of the RECORDER
Be an active Listener
Be patient with self and others
Respect confidentiality
To accurately record each person’s thought. It is important to listen – To listen brings validation.
EVERYONE HAS A ROLE –
Turn to the directions behind the pink divider AS WELL as the information in the invitation packet
The FACILITATOR’s role – is to keep the process moving and the task in focus. A facilitator makes sure every one has equal opportunity to speak. A facilitator notices and honors the needs of the group – if someone needs time the think, you allow time. This role is shifted from person to person during the process. Facilitators DO participate in the discussion, but go last.
The RECORDER is essential – a recorder documents what is said, NOT what the recorder believes was said. This requires skillful listening and maintaining a neutral position. This role is shifted from person to person during the process. Recorders also participate in the discussion and the facilitator records their response.
CIRCLE PARTNER – Listen with the intent to better understand and see possibilities, not with the intent to debate or lobby.

22. Progress happens in the Circle
Forming a Collective Statement
WE will be breaking into smaller groups – and working within those groups tonight
Those OVER 25 years of age – go with ME to SEMINAR 3
Tonight we are going to be working on 2 Collective Statements – responses to 2 different questions I will pose; working on one at a time.
In your circle –
Choose a facilitator and a recorder.
After the question is posed the RECORDER writes the question at the top of the flip chart; you will write your response (s) on the 3x5 card. These should be one – sentence statements. Write as many as you have ideas for.
Then the facilitator will choose a person to start – That person will share ONE response as written EVERYTHING YOU SAY IS TO BE WRITEN DOWN – by the recorder. The recorder may ask you to repeat your statement if they are not able to remember it exactly. When they are done writing. The recorder reads the statement back to you and you can make a correction at that time.
Then the facilitator moves on to the next person CLOCKWISE in the circle and the process repeats itself.
If your response was similar to someone else – GIVE YOUR RESPONSE. Multiple responses with the same theme, tell us something.
When EVERYONE has responded ONCE – the RECORDER responds while the facilitator writes; THEN the facilitator goes next.
Once the facilitator has had a chance to respond – then you go around the circle again, until everyone has had opportunity to share each idea.
If you have nothing to say – you may say PASS
When we are done here tonight, I will gather your responses and construct a collective statement from those responses. Your response will be embedded in the collective statement – No one will know – who said what when this is in the form we will share with the public.

23. “What is the worst possible outcome of addressing adolescent sexual health within our community?”
The first question posed for the group is;
Please move your chairs into groups of _____ - Try to find a group where you don’t know the majority of the people.
Those less than 25 years – please come with me.

24. “What is the best possible outcome of addressing adolescent sexual health within our community?”