New discoveries about adolescent brain development have opened up fresh ways of thinking about teen behavior, and offer new insight into how parents can help their teens understand the risks of drugs and alcohol. For instance:

• Scientific evidence reveals that the brain is fully mature at about age 25 — much later than previously believed.
• One of the last areas of the brain to develop is the Prefrontal Cortex, which is responsible for processing information, making judgments, controlling impulses, and foreseeing consequences.

This new information throws into stark relief the major risks of teenage substance use, including the possibility of causing permanent neurological damage to the developing brain. Concerned parents want to know how to apply these findings to real life. That's what A Parent's Guide to the Teen Brain is all about.

Through an entertaining and compelling mix of media — video, interactive segments, scenario-based role-playing experiences, expert advice, and practical tips — A Parent's Guide to the Teen Brain illustrates the links between teen behavior and the big changes happening in teen brains. In doing so, the site offers parents the keys to keeping their own perspective while guiding their teens more effectively through this tumultuous time of life.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America partnered with Treatment Research Institute and WGBH Educational Foundation to develop A Parent's Guide to the Teen Brain.

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The Oregon Department of Education's Sexuality Education Resource Center offers links to programs, documents, laws, standards, curriculum, services and other resources in the following topic areas.

• Sexuality Education and Risk Behavior Prevention
• Sexuality Law
• Sexuality Education Resources List
• Sexuality Education Websites
• HIV-AIDS Questions and Answers
• HIV/AIDS Services by County

This website is intended to assist health care personnel with questions about recognition and management of suspected child abuse.

The website was designed specifically for Stanford University staff and some of the information is specific to California (specific laws, for example), however the majority of information is applicable across states.

Within this website you will find information about screening, assessing, documenting, referring, and reporting suspected child abuse and neglect. The site also includes:

• short video tutorials
• useful hotlines
• educational resources and references.

This information can help healthcare personnel play a vitally important role in monitoring not only the health but the well being of children, since the healthcare system provides a unique opportunity for private and safe communication.

Everyday in the United States, 53 million people go to school to work or learn. That's about one in five Americans who will spend around 30 hours of their week in a school! The Healthy Schools Program supports schools across the country in creating healthier environments for this critical group.

The program takes a comprehensive approach by helping schools improve access to healthier foods, increase opportunities for physical activity, and establish staff wellness programs. The Healthy Schools Program also provides opportunities for recognition through the implementation of its Healthy Schools Program Framework.

Schools enrolled in the program have access to:

• A searchable resource database
• Telephone and online technical assistance
• The Healthy Schools Builder - an online tool that helps schools identify their status as a healthy school and to develop customized action plans
• Implementer’s kits filled with process materials
• Free online presentations on a wealth of school health topics
• Success stories and award information
• and much more…

For more information on the Healthy Schools Program, download the document below or visit the Alliance's website.

Since 1978, GroundSpark (formerly Women's Educational Media) has produced and distributed films, educational resources and campaigns on issues ranging from environmental concerns to affordable housing to preventing prejudice.

Their work now centers around The Respect For All Project, a series of films and their accompanying curriculum guides aimed at K-12 educators and students to promote diversity and anti-bias education.

Films are available for purchase or rental and you may view clips on the GroundSpark website. 

Films in the Respect for All Project include:

Lets Get Real: Examines issues that lead to taunting and bullying, including racial
differences, perceived sexual orientation, learning disabilities,
religious differences, sexual harassment and others.

It's Elementary: The groundbreaking film that addresses anti-gay prejudice by providing
adults with practical lessons on how to talk with children about gay
people.

Straighlaced: Teenagers open up about how they are limited by gender role
expectations and their process of finding ways to really be themselves.
Slated for release in 2008.

Think Cultural Health, sponsored by the Office of Minority Health (OMH), offers the latest resources and tools to promote cultural competency in health care. You may access free online courses accredited for continuing education credit as well as supplementary tools to help you and your organization promote respectful, understandable, and effective care to your increasingly diverse patients.

A Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care, is a free online educational program accredited for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists.

Culturally Competent Nursing Care: A Cornerstone of Caring, is a free online educational program designed specifically for nurses and is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the National Association of Social Workers.

The University of Michigan's Center for Health Communications Research (CHCR) offers a series of seminars that reflects important trends in public health communication. The seminars are held monthly by a variety of speakers who cover the field's emerging topics. The Center invites local experts as well as international scholars in public health, communications, statistics, and technology.

The seminars are available as videos online. Quicktime is required to view them. You can download Quicktime free here: www.apple.com/quicktime

Seminar topics include:

• Identity-based motivation and health promotion
• Why gender matters in physician-patient communication
• Motivational interviewing in medical and public health settings
• Cultural sensitivity in public health
• Individual tailoring of health communications

The National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) is a service of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

NREPP is a searchable database of interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders. SAMHSA has developed this resource to help people, agencies, and organizations implement programs and practices in their communities.

The Contraceptive Fact Sheets were developed by the Center for Health Training (CHT) as a training tool for professionals to increase their knowledge about birth control options when working with their clients.

These Facts Sheets were also designed as handouts for patients and clients. However, these materials are not intended to offer full informed consent information for patients who are being given prescription birth control methods. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CHT. Updated 2007.

Download the entire set of fact sheets on the CHT website or download individual brochures below.

The Seattle STD/HIV Prevention Training Center (PTC) provides training to health care providers in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington on the prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

Education and training programs are specifically designed for physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, laboratorians, health educators and other health care professionals. Clinical and laboratory training programs include in-person lectures and didactic courses, hands-on clinical and laboratory experience, clinical consultation on all aspects of managing patient care and Internet-based training and educational resources.

The Seattle PTC is one of ten regional training sites funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In operation at the University of Washington since 1979, the Seattle PTC leads the way in providing world class STD/HIV training to health care providers in the Pacific Northwest.

The Promising Practices Network (PPN) is dedicated to providing quality evidence-based information about what works to improve the lives of children, youth, and families.

The PPN site features summaries of programs and practices that are proven to improve outcomes for children. All of the information on the site has been screened for scientific rigor, relevance, and clarity.

Programs can be found under the four major topic areas below and may be related to more than one outcome area.

• Behavior Problems
• Child Abuse and Neglect
• Cognitive Development / School Performance
• Juvenile Justice
• Mental Health
• Physical Health
• Poverty / Welfare
• Substance Abuse
• Teen Sex / Pregnancy
• Violent Behavior

The
Center for Health Training (CHT) provides training, technical
assistance, and support to organizations and programs that deliver
health care and related services to underserved populations, especially
women and children. In so doing, CHT serves its clients by
improving the quality and effectiveness of these programs.

Recognized for its expertise nationwide, CHT provides customized assistance to administrators, managers, directors, clinicians, and patient and community educators who work in a variety of health and human service settings.

Center for Health Training has developed numerous materials and training resources of interest to our various audiences. Some are available as free downloads, others are for sale via an online order form. Resources include:

• Blueprint for Male Involvement
• Client-centered Care Organizational Assessment: How well does your agency provide client-centered services?
• Client Satisfaction Made Easy
• Contraceptive Choices: What Your Clients Need to Know
• Contraceptive Fact Sheets
• Contraceptive Methods Overview Poster
• English to Spanish Glossary and Compact Disc of Family Planning Related Terms
• Family Planning Basics: Effective Education and Counseling (video)
• Helping Parents Engage
• Working with Teens: Building Case Management Skills

Healthy Teen Network is devoted to making a difference in the lives of teens and young families. HTN is a national organization focused on adolescent health and well-being with an emphasis on teen pregnancy prevention, teen pregnancy, and teen parenting.

Their website includes resources and publications on a variety of topics including:

• Organizational Capacity Building
• Comprehensive Sex Education
• Youth Development
• Family Involvement
• Foster Care
• GLBTQ Youth
• Healthy & Unhealthy Relationships
• Young Men
• Pregnancy Prevention

This report was produced in partnership between the Center for Assessment and Policy Development (CAPD) and Healthy Teen Network.

Interpersonal violence is intricately intertwined with adolescent pregnancy. Though there are substantial data gaps and limitations, the best available evidence indicates that interpersonal violence is prevalent among pregnant and parenting adolescents and may be one of the key challenges to reducing rates of adolescent pregnancy. Evidence also suggests that while practitioners may be aware that interpersonal violence is a factor in young people’s lives, they may not be aware fully of its prevalence, consequences, and effects. An awareness of these issues also has considerable implications for practice, interventions, and policy.

Contents

• Introduction
• Links between Interpersonal Violence and Teenage Pregnancy
• Interventions: Implications for Practice and Programs
• Implications for Policy: Opportunities and Challenges
• Possible Next Steps for the Field
• Endnotes
• Bibliography
• Interview List
• Publications Available from CAPD on Teen Parents

This guide was developed by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) and outlines some simple strategies for promoting good patient communication within the constraints of today’s clinical environment. ARHP offers other clinical guides and resources on their website www.arhp.org.

Contents

• Why Good Patient Communication Is Important
• Practical Strategies for Today’s Clinical Environment
• Get the Patient Encounter Off to a Good Start
• Monitor Your Body Language
• Practice Effective Listening Skills
• Ask Questions That Yield Information and Offer Support
• Give Answers That Will Be Understood
• Partner with Your Patient
• Develop Cultural Competency
• Provide Motivational Counseling
• Demonstrate Empathy and Compassion

While all gay and lesbian students face tremendous challenges, rural students go noticeably underserved.

The purpose of this resource manual is to assist concerned adults
in creating safe environments for rural gay youth.

This article from the Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention shows you how you can help children grow up sexually healthy
by responding positively to their questions and behavior regarding their
bodies. It illustrates how you can utilize daily opportunities to promote children's appreciation
of their own bodies and respect for the bodies of others. It includes the following:

• An Introduction, including:
  • The Goals of Using Teachable Moments
  • The Facts About Childhood Sexuality —
    a quick quiz
• Guidelines for Using Teachable Moments
  • Answering Children's Questions, including
    a practice session with sample
    questions
  • Reinforcing Body Rights and Responsibilities,
    including a practice session
    with sample questions

This article was originally developed for educators, however the information would be useful for SBHC staff working with elementary school children.

People with developmental disabilities deserve accurate, age-appropriate sexual health information. Providing this information can be difficult when learning channels are blocked, or traditional teaching methods are inadequate. This article was developed for classroom educators, however the information would be applicable for SBHC staff working with students who have disabilities.

This article is divided into the following sections:

• An Introduction
• Sexuality Education and Developmentally Disabled Youth:
  Benefits and Positive Outcomes
• What Do I Say? Ten Content Keys
• How Do I Say It? A Dozen Methods and Materials, and
• A Summary

This web page will provide you with an online opportunity to review guidelines for answering preteens' sexuality questions and practice your own responses. It was originally developed for classroom use, but has valuable information on communicating with preteens and answering their questions.

After an introduction, it includes information about the following issues and strategies:

• The Anonymous Question Box
• Getting Prepared for Preadolescent Questions
• Guidelines for Answering Anonymous Questions
• Sample Questions and Answers, and
• Questions to Practice Answering

This web page outlines the purpose and provides a structure for managing small groups in a way that maximizes learning. This resource was designed for educators, however it would be useful for anyone working with youth.

The article is divided into the following sections:

* an introduction to small groups
* 6 steps to organizing and working in small groups
* tips for using the strategy effectively.

What Kids Can Do Inc. has traveled the country co-hosting with MetLife Foundation and local organizations, public forums that promote honest conversations between teenagers and adults. Along the way, we have been struck by the absence of public occasions where adults and young people can find common ground across the divide that separates them.

For those who would like to join us in creating public conversations between teens and adults on issues that matter to both, we have created a free 40-page guide filled with sample panel discussions, interactive exercises, handouts, tips, resources, and readings. (October 2005)

CDC's School Health Education Resources (SHER) provides user-friendly access to the myriad school health education offerings available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Included with the SHER materials are the related National Health Education Standards and CDC's Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricula.

Valuing Youth Matters: Oregon’s Action Research Project

Sarah K. Ramowski and Robert J. Nystrom

The authors describe a new project in Oregon that involves teens in peer research and builds positive youth development. This article appeared in the Spring/Summer 2007 issue of Northwest Public Health. The issue includes many other articles on youth-related issues in public health and highlights programs from across the Northwest.

Sarah K. Ramowski, MSW, is an adolescent health policy and assessment specialist; Robert J. Nystrom, MA, is manager of Adolescent Health and Genetics. Both are in the Office of Family Health, Public Health, Oregon Department of Human Services.

The Forum for Youth Investment (the Forum) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping communities and the nation make sure all young people are Ready by 21™ — ready for college, work and life. The Forum provides youth and adult leaders with the information, technical assistance, training, network support and partnership opportunities needed to increase the quality and quantity of youth investment and youth involvement.

The Forum bookstore offers resources in

• youth development
• school-community connections
• community change
• other education-related topics

Most resources are available free to download.

Since 1987 the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) has partnered with the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide guidance and assistance to state and local education policymakers and practitioners. Our goal is to encourage safe, healthy, and nurturing school environments for all of the nation's children and youth.

NASBE and its Center for Healthy Schools have produced several policy guides and policy briefs on school health-related topics. Some are available for download in their entirety in PDF format. All guides are available for purchase online.

Of particular interest to SBHC staff:

• How Schools Work and How to Work with Schools: A Primer for Non-Education Professionals Who Serve Children and Youth
• Building Business Support for School Health Programs: An Action Guide
• The HPV Vaccination

Oregon Mentors is a business-led, community-driven nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the dramatic expansion of quality mentoring. The idea behind Oregon Mentors is simple: when we invest today in expanding our community's capacity to mentor our youth, we will see an incredible return in the lives of our children and the health of our communities.

The organization was created to recruit and train mentors and provide technical assistance and resources to expand the capacities of statewide mentoring programs.

What We Do:

• Statewide Program Database
• Recruitment & Referral of mentors
• Training & Technical Assistance
• Reduce Barriers, Advocate for Funding for Programs
• Increase Public Awareness

Family Health Productions develops research-based DVDs, videos, booklets, and workshops, and trainings about the challenges kids face growing up. These resources are produced with technical assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Harvard Medical School.

You can order these products and schedule workshops, speaking engagements, and trainings. These resources are used internationally by schools, health and community organizations, government agencies, and corporate work/life programs.

Use Family Health Productions products to begin discussions

• among young people in the classroom
• with parents and professionals in the workplace and the community
• between young people and parents

The New 3Rs is a groundbreaking, long-term initiative that uses proven public health strategies to support youth in developing healthy sexual attitudes and behaviors. It aims to create a youth-positive climate that takes practical, tangible form through an open-ended set of activities.

The New 3Rs is not a specific program or project. Instead, it is an organizing principle supported by a host of programs, projects, curricula and policies.

Core Values:

RIGHTS
We believe youth have the right to accurate information and access to health services.

RESPECT
We respect youth as valued members of the community, with much to offer.

RESPONSIBILITY
We trust youth to make responsible decisions when they are provided information, taught skills and given support to do so.

The New 3R's website has an area specifically for health professionals that includes ways to implement New 3Rs, resources, and information on presentations and workshops available in Oregon. http://www.new3rs.info/index.php?p=diff_health

Adolescent Reproductive Health Education Project (ARHEP) trains a select group of physicians to give free educational sessions to other providers about the best practices for adolescent reproductive healthcare. With this information, doctors nationwide can focus their attention on what’s most important—helping their young patients make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

ARHEP has created a comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum (available on CD-ROM) for residency programs, providers and other professionals who serve adolescents on critical reproductive health topics. 

On their website you can

• Request a free CD-ROM
• Request a free presentation
• View Powerpoint presentations on a variety of topics related to adolescent sexual health 

Youth HIV Prevention
Cascade AIDS Project's Youth HIV Prevention program is a dynamic youth education program that empowers youth ages 14 to 24 at high behavioral risk for HIV and other STD's with the information, resources and skills to protect themselves and engage others in a number of issues related to HIV. This is done in a number of different ways, including:

Teen to Teen (T2T): CAP trains 10-12 youth ages 15-19 to lead numerous projects throughout the year, such as presentations, outreach and fundraising. T2T'ers also provide the trainings for Agents. Recruitment for T2T begins in September, with 75 hours of training in October, lots of meetings throughout the year, which ends in July.

Sexuality Education: Cascade AIDS Project also provides comprehensive sexuality education in the Portland Metro area. Want us to come into your school, youth group or agency?

Oregon AIDS Hotline: Provides HIV prevention and services information by phone and internet to youth and adjults across Oregon and the Northwest.