Fall Issue 2006

Over 2,400 health, education and social service professionals nationwide have been trained to implement the Wise Guys program in their home communities. This program has been successfully replicated in many diverse communities serving a variety of ethnicities and populations.

Wise Guys Male Responsibility Curriculum © and the Latino version, Jóvenes Sabios, have been used by public, private, non-profit, health, community, school-based and faith-based organizations in over 40 states and the list continues to grow!

Wise Guys is:

Wise Guys Program
Family Life Council
301 E. Washington St. Suite 204
Greensboro , NC 27401
(336) 333-6890 Ext. 232
(336) 333-6891 Fax
wiseguys@flcgso.com
www.wiseguysnc.org

Winter Issue 2007
FEATURE ARTICLES:

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Wise Guys in the Black Hills  Wise Guys educators and participants enjoying their time together in Rapid City Wise Guys classes are abundant in Rapid City (SD) and the surrounding area, thanks to the wide-ranging efforts of Youth and Family Services. The agency has been using Wise Guys as a resource for local teens for seven years, and now conducts classes everywhere from local middle and high schools to a large array of community sites, including the Children’s Home, juvenile detention center, and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Maximizing their scheduling to full potential and using a strong network of community partnerships, the agency served nearly 1,000 teen males with the program this past year! In addition to their work in the community, the agency Wise Guys educators and participants serves 100 male youth at their facility in their Title X funded Male Health Project. The program has a strong City relationship-building emphasis. In addition to Wise Guys, these boys receive full-time case management, mentoring, and recreational activities. Commenting on their ongoing use of Wise Guys, Program Director Burke Eilers said, “The greatest aspect of the Wise Guys curriculum is its adaptability and flexibility. There are several activities associated with each chapter, and when you present the program to a variety of ages in different venues, this is vital.” For more information on this program, contact Burke Eilers , Program Director.

Program Highlights Wise Guys Educator & Trainer Ted Sikes. School Assemblies: Wise Guys has added a new component to addressing sexual health and decision making among teenagers: school assemblies. This interactive presentation is effective in reaching a large audience and can be tailored for males or coed audiences. Assemblies are structured to include audience participation. Activities are designed to be entertaining and to address a variety of topics. Presentations can address issues such as abstinence, STI’s, healthy and unhealthy relationships, dating violence, and peer pressure. Each assembly is individually tailored to meet the needs of the school or organization. For more information please contact us.

Research Roundup:  

CDC publishes Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines, 2006 

As stated in the CDC announcement of the above publication, “Over 18 million cases of STIs occur in the U.S. each year, with a disproportionate share among young people and racial and ethnic minority populations. The estimated annual direct medical costs of treating STIs and their sequelae are $13 billion. These 2006 Guidelines, which update the 2002 Guidelines, are an important tool to address this major public health challenge.” To view the full report check out this link.

As reported in the Washington Post on June 22, 2006, according to a study conducted by Rachel L. Riner of the University of Washington “condoms dramatically reduce the risk of transmitting the virus that causes genital warts and in most cases cervical cancer.” The study, which tracked 82 women, found that women who reported that their male partners always used condoms were 70% less likely to be infected with HPV than women whose partners used condoms less than 5% of the time. According to the report, “even women whose partners used condoms more than half the time had a 50% risk reduction.”

Jóvenes Sabias Launched for Latino Teen Girls

While Wise Guys is traditionally known for its work with male audiences, this past Spring a new program component was launched in Guilford County (NC) for Latino female teens. Funded by the Moses Cone~Wesley Long Community Health Foundation, Jóvenes Sabias is based both on Jóvenes Sabios, the Wise Guys program for Latino teen males, and on Smart Girls, the Guilford County Health Department’s teen pregnancy curriculum for females. 100 girls from six area middle schools were served during the spring of 2006, and upon the final evaluation, all of the participants showed improvement in knowledge, attitude, and behavior.

Educator Teri Wellendorf noted that the ability to reach adolescent Latino girls on a culturally familiar level gave the program an enthusiastic reception from its first participants. As the Latino population continues to grow, Jóvenes Sabias will be available to help young women in this community and beyond navigate their way to a responsible and healthy adulthood.

Peer Mentors

The Family Life Council explores a new approach with the Wise Guys Peer Mentor program. This program allows young men an opportunity to be trained as Wise Guys facilitators. In phase one the focus was on recruiting, building relationships and training mentors. This year in phase two we have established consistent sites where we are able to recruit mentors and have integrated these mentors into our summer sessions as facilitators and support staff. Listen to what some mentors had to say:

Antron Mahoney, a graduate peer mentor from UNCG, said: “I enjoy being a Wise Guys Peer Mentor . It gives me a chance to share my knowledge with younger males. There is no greater feeling than knowing I have made a positive impact in someone’s life.”

Kenneth D. Wilson, II, a graduate from A&T State University : “The program has been a blessing; it has given me an opportunity to fulfill my purpose to help youth. Our trainings and classes have offered me the chance to evaluate the past, explore the present and press towards the future.”

Wise Guys for Athletes

After attending a Wise Guys training along with several coaches from local high schools, former high school principal and health educator Jimmy Hines began to implement

Jimmy Hines teaching Wise Guys with Shelby High School Athletes

a new approach to Wise Guys at Shelby High School , Shelby , NC . He took high school athletes through an extensive 16 week Wise Guys program with the intent of developing several of them into Wise Guys advocates in the community and at the middle school level.

As everyone knows, middle school young men often look up to those successful high school athletes in their school systems. Mr. Hines has successfully capitalized on this relationship in Shelby . After the first year, several of the participants went through a second, more focused version of Wise Guys. This program prepared them to share what they learned in Wise Guys at a middle school assembly. In its second year an additional grant allowed the program to expand to Kings Mountain High School as well.

Wise Guys Participants at Kings Mt. High School learn about Parenthood

This model has been successfully replicated through our National Office at Thomasville High School , Thomasville , NC . It is being implemented this fall at Trinity High School and Lexington High School , each in North Carolina as well.

Read more about middle school and high school assemblies in the Program Highlight section where Ted Sikes will tell you about our availability to serve as speakers for your assemblies!

Wise Guys National Training

www.wiseguysnc.org 

Participants discuss which material to use in their 30 minute presentation.

The Wise Guys Male Responsibility Program® ventured into a new era this year by taking the national training to the beach. We welcomed 56 participants from around the country to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina . Participants from diverse backgrounds came together eager to learn another approach to educating adolescent males. The two day training afforded the opportunity for participants to network, learn, and develop a method for implementing Wise Guys in their communities. Participants gave unique perspectives on the topics discussed.

Topics included: adolescent male development; gender issues; self-esteem; values; and healthy relationships, to name a few. The training concluded with small groups of participants developing a 30 minute activity to be presented to the rest of the group. The participants did a great job putting what they had learned into practice.

Where will the 2007 Wise Guys National Training be? Your opinion matters! Please take a minute to complete the brief survey online and let your voice be heard. Keep an eye out in future ENEWS for more details on the results of the survey and this year’s National Training(s).

Wise Guys Training

Look for the Wise Guys trainers to be in these cities in the coming months.

January: WY

Three Day Wise Guys Training for Wyoming Health Council

Date and Location to be determined

January25-26: Austin , TX

Two Day Wise Guys Training for City of Austin HHSD

Please contact Rick Brown at (336) 333-6890, Ext. 225, or email wiseguys@flcgso.com if you are interested in hosting a Wise Guys trainer or speaker. Wise Guys educators welcome the opportunity to work with your agency and community to implement male responsibility education!

Level I

Available in English and Spanish
Designed for Males 11-17

• Self-Esteem
• Values
• Communication and Masculinity
• Sexuality
• Dating Violence
• Abstinence and Contraception
• Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Goal-setting
• Decision-Making
• Parenthood

Designed for Adult Males 18 & up

• Masculinity & Gender
• Stress & Anger Management
• Values Clarification & Diversity
• Communication & Listening skills
• Sexuality: What is it?
• Healthy & Unhealthy Relationships
• Relationship Choices
• Abstinence and Contraception
• HIV/AIDS & Other STIs
• Fatherhood
• Sexual Assault
• Alcohol & Other Drugs

Each Separate Chapter Contains:

• Key Concepts
• Resource Information
• Teaching Tips
• Suggested Lesson Plans
• Discussion Topics
• Activities and Exercises

• Prices: First Copy is $150 for
  Level I and $175 for the Next Level
• 20% off for each additional curricula purchased.
• See order form for shipping and handling