Subject: strictly fyi: sex ed, day of "truth," humanitarian law curriculum, sexting
From: "Reis, Beth"
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:54:28 -0800
To: "SAFE SCHOOLS: post to main list"

Dear Safe Schools Coalition Members and Friends:

(1) New Abstinence Program Shows Some Results, Shortcomings
(2) Exodus International works to get students to express disapproval of same sex relationships on the day before the Day of Silence

(3) Exploring Humanitarian Law: A Guide for Teachers from the Red Cross
(4) powerful segment of ABC's The View on "sexting" available online … includes interviews with 2 students

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(1) New Abstinence Program Shows Some Results, Shortcomings

This review by SIECUS (the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States) of a professional journal article [Jemmott et al, “Efficacy of a Theory-Based Abstinence-Only Intervention Over 24 Months: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Young Adolescents,” Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.] is one that curriculum planners should read if their districts are considering using an abstinence-only curriculum. Go to: http://www.siecus.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showFeature&featureID=1856

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(2) Exodus International works to get students to express disapproval of same sex relationships on the day before the Day of Silence

They call it "Day of Truth":

"Day of Truth Offers Students a Chance to Talk to Peers About Faith & Sexuality Orlando, FL- Christian high school and college students wanting to demonstrate the love of Christ to their peers have a unique opportunity to do so by participating in the Day of Truth. This annual student-led event is dedicated to facilitating dialogue about relationships, sexuality and faith and will be held on April 15. The Alliance Defense Fund originally launched the Day of Truth in 2005 to give Christian students an opportunity to express their views about such issues in public schools. Since then, more than 13,000 students have participated in the event. In 2009, the organization announced that it would transition the Day of Truth to Exodus International, the largest ministry addressing faith and same-sex attraction in the world today. The Day of Truth's theme this year, Get the Conversation Started, is aimed at helping students to knowledgably and compassionately talk to their peers about tough questions about relationships, sexuality and faith. The event now has a new web site, www.dayoftruth.org, and an online survey is available so that students can share their views there as well."

The "Day of Silence" is all about ending homophobic and transphobic bullying and violence, NOT about "encouraging [a] sinful and deadly lifestyle" as one parent is quoted by Exodus International. Read the truth about "Day of Silence" from GLSEN's own mouth here: http://www.dayofsilence.org/content/truth.html

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(3) Exploring Humanitarian Law: A Guide for Teachers from the Red Cross

Module 1 "The Humanitarian Perspective" includes: 1A: What can Bystanders do? 1B: Looking at Humanitarian Acts 1C: A Bystander's Dilemma

The curriculum (thirty-six 45-minute lessons) is free online and even the videos can be downloaded!

Go to: http://ehl.redcross.org/curriculum/module1/

Why bring Humanitarian Law into the classroom?

Aligned with social studies requirements around the country, Exploring Humanitarian Law offers educators activities that can be used as a whole or mixed and matched into current lessons. High-quality materials, including news accounts, photos, letters, videos, case studies and interactive projects bring real events and people to life, helping teachers connect lessons of the past with events of today. Since 2002, the materials have been introduced to schools in more than 40 countries.

Humanitarian law is a body of international law that aims to protect human dignity during armed conflict and to prevent or reduce the suffering and destruction that results from war. All nations are party to the Geneva Conventions, and therefore have a legal obligation to encourage the study of humanitarian law as widely as possible. These laws, together with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, should be viewed as an integral part of today's basic education.

Through EHL, students build analytical skills as they explore different perspectives on the rules of conflict, the effects war has on human life and their personal connections to it. They grapple with complex questions that do not have easy answers.

A solid understanding of humanitarian law empowers students to explore, question and understand the complicated issues related to war and the rights and protections of people affected by it.

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(4) powerful segment of ABC's The View on "sexting" available online … includes interviews with 2 students

Show your class the segment from the ABC show The View, 2/16/2010 about sexting, featuring a young woman who was a victim and a young man who sexted pictures of his ex-girlfriend. Both saw their lives changed in horrific ways. I don't see where you can watch just that segment, but you can find it among other topics on the web version of the episode here:

http://abc.go.com/watch/the-view/167365/251316?cid=abccomsearch_results 

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