This spring, Healthy Respect was privileged to work with 50 of the 100 residents of the Little Flower Residential Treatment Center (RTC) on Long Island. All the residents attend the Little Flower Union Free School District which is located on the RTC campus grounds. Healthy Respect instructors, Wayne K. Williams and Debbie Harding from the Life Center of Long Island spent two days a week for nine weeks interacting with the 7th – 9th graders.
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Wayne K. Williams |
Of the Little Flower experience, Wayne said “the staff welcomed us with arms wide open and made our entire time working there enjoyable, safe, warm and fun. Mr. Carlo, the health teacher did a tremendous job in organizing and scheduling us from day one. Mr. Carlo was respected by each and every student in his class, who in turn gave us the same respect. Because of his organizational skills we were able to deliver the entire Healthy Respect program."
"Some of the other teachers had the opportunity to
observe the program and made it clear to us that they too learned information they didn’t know, particularly about sexually-transmitted diseases. One teacher mentioned to me that she wanted to
get more information on the damaging physical consequences
of STDs."
Students commented on the effect the Healthy Respect Savin It Program had on them:
- "I believe in the Do No Harm (to yourself or others) model so I will wait until marriage to have sex."
- "I want to achieve my long-term goals easier so I've decided to wait till marriage to have sex."
- "I learned a lot about STDs. I don't want to get one so I am going to wait."
The Healthy Respect Savin It program was taught through the PE/Health classes. Mr. Alfredo Carlo Jr. the Health teacher made the following comments about the program:
"Ms. Harding and Mr. Williams do an excellent job in relaying
their information to our students so they can understand it. They have
a keen ability to make modifications in the middle of a lesson allowing
every student to become a part of it."
"Most of our students are visual learners, so the visual aids used
in some of the lessons i.e.. (the jar of tar, slide show, drunk glasses)
have had a profound impact on the students because they still talk about
them. Others stay after class or after school to ask questions they
are not comfortable asking in class, and the instructors are always
accommodating."
"Ms. Harding and Mr. Williams have been a great asset to our Health
Curriculum at Little Flower. I plan on incorporating the Healthy Respect
Curriculum into our program next year, and hopefully continue some form
of networking with The Life Center of Long Island."