NEXT LEVEL CURRICULUM
Chapter Synopsis

The Wise Guys: Next Level Curriculum is a comprehensive guide for instructors of the Wise Guys training sessions. It provides all the educational material, handouts and activities required to replicate the Wise Guys program for a group of young men.

Simply select a chapter from below to get an overview:

• Chapter 1- Masculinity and Gender
• Chapter 2- Stress and Anger Management
• Chapter 3- Values Clarification and Diversity
• Chapter 4- Effective Communication and Listening Skills
• Chapter 5- Sexuality: What is it?
• Chapter 6- Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships
• Chapter 7- Casual or Committed? Cohabitation or Marriage?
• Chapter 8- Contraception and Disease Prevention
• Chapter 9- HIV/AIDS and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Chapter 10 - Fatherhood
• Chapter 11 - Sexual Assault
• Chapter 12 - Alcohol and Other Drugs

Chapter 1: Masculinity and Gender

Long standing social attitudes can be difficult to change.  If we want young men to overcome stereotypical attitudes about their roles as partners and fathers, we must help them realize that traditional gender roles are changing.  This chapter will help participants to:

• Examine their thinking about masculinity and femininity.
• Discuss males and females as different or similar to each other.
• Gain an understanding that masculinity is influenced by a number of factors including relationships, community, society, and culture.

Chapter 2: Stress and Anger Management

Young men, whether they are from rural areas, suburbs, or inner cities, are at risk for interpersonal violence at increasingly high rates.  Research suggests that the most effective prevention for violence starts with helping young adults cope with pressure.  In this chapter, participants will:

• Learn to cope better with stress in their lives.

• Learn to manage their anger by using the skills of communication and conflict resolution.

Chapter 3: Values Clarification and Diversity

To be a successful member of society, each of us must be able to understand the difference between our personal values and the values of those with whom we interact.  Our values give us meaning and direction in our lives.  Values clarification activities generally strengthen people's beliefs in their own values, including their values regarding diversity.  In our ever-changing world, it is important for young men to keep an open mind and learn to appreciate the diversity that exists in American society today.  In this chapter, participants will: 

• Examine their feelings and beliefs about a number of personal and societal issues including masculinity, sexual health, relationships, alcohol and other drugs, violence and anger, and life issues.

• Learn methods to promote self-awareness and multicultural understanding, and to appreciate differences.

Chapter 4: Effective Communication and Listening Skills

Good communication involves mainly three components: communicating our thoughts, feelings, and wants; learning to listen attentively; and knowing how and when to be assertive.  Effective communication can be difficult for males raised with a cultural understanding of masculinity that includes "strong but silent".  In this chapter participants will learn the skills to: 

• Use effective verbal and nonverbal communication tools.

• Understand and demonstrate the difference between aggressiveness and assertiveness.

Chapter 5: Sexuality: What is it?

We are all sexual beings and we express ourselves sexually from birth until death.  Human sexuality is a natural part of each of our lives.  Sexuality is a life-long process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs, and values about one's sexual identity, relationships and intimacy.  It includes sexual development, interpersonal relationships, and gender roles.  Sexuality is not just about what someone does, it is about who they are and how they live.  In this chapter participants will explore the concept of sexuality by:

• Increasing knowledge about the varying aspects of human sexuality and sexual health.

• Addressing the powerful impact of popular culture on shaping attitudes, beliefs and ideas about sexuality.

• Gaining a better understanding of the concept of human sexuality as a whole.

Chapter 6: Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships

Interpersonal relationships, especially dating relationships, can be sources of both great satisfaction and great stress for young men.  Very often young adults define themselves greatly in relation to the dating relationships in which they are involved.  Young men are bombarded with images from popular culture that support violence in general and violence against women in particular. In this chapter participants will

• Have the opportunity to identify what their needs are in a relationship.

• Learn to differentiate the myths from the facts regarding violence against women and domestic violence

• Learn effective communication and problem solving skills which will assist them in developing and maintaining healthy dating relationships

Chapter 7: Casual or Committed? Cohabitation or Marriage?

There are a variety of love or romantic relationship styles in which people can become involved.  These include casual dating, steady dating, long term partnership, and marriage.  In this chapter we will:        

• Explore the differences between a variety of styles of relationships using methods including self-reflection and interviews with people involved in various types of relationships.

• Learn about and clarify beliefs regarding various types of relationships and love.

• Examine beliefs about marital expectations.

Chapter 8: Contraception and Disease Prevention

Correct information on contraceptive choices is an important tool for sexually active young men (and for those who may become so). It is also important for them to understand that abstinence is the only 100% effective method of birth control, and the most effective method for sexually transmitted disease prevention. In this chapter participants will: 

• Learn how to negotiate sexual pressures.

• Learn to identify and correctly use various methods of contraception.

Chapter 9: HIV/AIDS and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Every year in the United States there are approximately 15 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).  Approximately one third of those cases involve young adult men and women.  Presently an estimated 66 million people in the United States have an STI that is incurable.  In this chapter participants will: 

• Increase their knowledge about the types of various STIs and their signs and symptoms.

• Identify and discuss various methods of transmission and treatment of STIs.

• Increase their knowledge of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, for which there is no cure.

Chapter 10: Fatherhood

American teenagers have the highest rate of pregnancy of any country in the developed world.  The large majority of these pregnancies are unwanted and unplanned.  It is estimated that 1 in 9 women aged 15-19 in the US become pregnant every year, with 1 million pregnancies to teen women in the United States annually.  A significant number of the fathers of babies born to teen mothers are adult men. In this chapter, participants will: 

• Observe and discuss the responsibilities of being a father.

• Discuss and explore the cost of raising a child.

• Explore their own beliefs regarding fatherhood and parenting.

Chapter 11: Sexual Assault

We live in a culture that has been referred to by more than one writer as a "rape" culture.  There are messages young men receive regularly from their peers, the media, and popular culture that promote and glorify violence against women and sexual conquests.  The old adage "boys will be boys" is an example of just one of the many ways our culture repeatedly normalizes and excuses anti-social male behavior.  In order to prevent sexual assault from occurring, we as a society must redefine what it means to "be a man".  In this chapter participants will: 

• Understand what consent to sexual activity is.

• Explore the difference between "flirting" and sexual harassment.

• Understand how to develop a sense of empathy for those who have been assaulted.

• Learn in what way "date rape drugs" are used to commit crimes, usually against women.

Chapter 12: Alcohol and Other Drugs

Young adults develop all sorts of beliefs about alcohol and other drugs, much of which is incorrect or distorted.  Not enough young men are equipped with the information and skills necessary to make informed decisions about the consequences of using alcohol and drugs.  In this chapter participants will:  

• Learn about the signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse and dependence.

• Dispel myths about marijuana, alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

• Critically examine advertisements for alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

• Learn of the effect of these substances on relationships and sexual decision-making, especially in the areas of rape and violence.

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