Special to The Mississippi Link,
The Community Students Learning Center (CSLC), in partnership with the Holmes County Consolidated School District and other key partners, is implementing HOPE (Health Optimization and Prevention Education).
The CSLC HOPE program offers a healthy relationship evidenced-based curriculum to the students of Holmes County titled Love Notes, Life and Work by Dibble’s Institute. A program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs (OPA), TPP19, HOPE targets youth in 6th-12th grades.
It helps students to better understand themselves – their past experiences and how they shape current life, their personality style, and their qualities and strengths as well as growth challenges. The curriculum encourages youth to explore and clarify their values, relationship expectations and to set life goals.
With informed parental consent, sixth-graders at S.V. Marshall and Williams-Sullivan middle schools were the first to complete the 13-lesson sessions last semester just prior to the holidays.
“My son really benefitted from HOPE,” said parent, Christie Davis. “He said it was ‘good’ and he really enjoyed Ms. Saffold.” Aisha Saffold is one of several CSLC HOPE facilitators trained in the Dibble’s Love Notes EBP 3.0 curriculum.
“I think HOPE is very much needed in our community,” Davis stated. She sees the program as an effort to prevent “dating violence and ongoing domestic violence.” She said a lot of children are not taught the importance of healthy relationships. “I would like to see HOPE continue. My son would like to take it again,” she said.
HOPE will continue this semester and throughout the coming school year. Parents are encouraged to return their consent forms as soon as possible.
Love Notes has proven to be effective in empowering youth to make healthy relationship decisions for their futures, recognize red flags to avoid dating violence and risky sexual behavior as they prepare to enter relationships in their teenage years. It also helps them understand the full definition of intimacy prior to becoming involved in relationships. Participants are being equipped to enter healthy future relationships and are prepared with the tools to develop healthy present friendships.
A sixth-grader at S.V. Marshall felt empowered knowing that she could effectively respond to a friendship or a relationship that did not work out by saying that “he or she did not meet my expectations” as opposed to speaking badly about the other person.
“Through HOPE, these students are creating their own foundations for healthy relationships,” said Kendra West, another facilitator who served the sixth-graders. “I enjoyed seeing the amazement on many of the students’ faces as they discovered new and beneficial relationship information.”
HOPE’s administrative officer, Beulah Greer who serves as CSLC executive director, stated that CSLC, its board of directors, staff and volunteers are “grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate with such engaging partners to positively impact the lives of youth by educating them in the knowledge and practice of healthy adolescent relationships.” “Our organization and partners are very fortunate to have been chosen to implement such a proven program model,” said Greer.
CSLC HOPE is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Population Affairs.
CSLC HOPE is currently serving 7th, 8th and 12th graders. The program will continue next school year. Parents may begin now signing their consent forms for their youth to participate.
Parents should check with their child’s school or call CSLC HOPE at 662 834-0905 for the form and for more information.
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