Healthy
Respect Media Release
Healthy Respect Exceeds Expectations
Selected to Participate in National
Study to Help Determine Best Practices for Abstinence Programs Nationwide
Yonkers, New York (June 19, 2008) -- At
the same time students were receiving year-end report cards, Healthy
Respect reported high marks for its character-based abstinence education
program. In its fifth year of operation, Healthy Respect exceeded goals
in both the number of students enrolled and the percentage of students
who reported increased knowledge and positive attitude shifts regarding
sexual behavior.
The spring semester was highlighted by the implementation of a federal
grant from the federal Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention
(OAPP), which recognized Healthy Respect's outstanding ability in
getting its message across and in professionally evaluating the success
of the character-based program in changing student attitudes.
In addition, Healthy Respect was chosen to undergo a national cross-site
outcome evaluation which will be used to determine best practices
for programs nationwide.
"We are very pleased with our year-end numbers and evaluations," said
John P. Margand, Esq, Chief Executive Officer of Healthy Respect.
"We have expanded the program to more schools, served more students
and had a successful first year with the national study that promises
to move our character-based abstinence education program to the next
level."
Mr. Margand added, "Participating in this important national evaluation
has challenged us to raise more funds from private sources, and we are
working on that as well."
The effectiveness of Healthy Respect stems from its proven curriculum
that addresses the needs and questions of young people and presents
abstinence within the context of character development, self-esteem
and academic and career goals. Healthy Respect trains its own instructors
and sends them into the classroom in ethnically diverse male-female
teams who serve as models of respectful male-female behavior.
By the Numbers
While bringing its character-based abstinence message to classrooms
in Yonkers, Brooklyn and the Bronx, Healthy Respect reached 2,189 students
in 12 schools, in grades 5 through 11. This number exceeded the program
goals by nearly 500 students.
Based on the findings of a professional, independent evaluation team,
Healthy Respect also exceeded its goal under a separate program for
students reporting changes in attitudes in three important areas:
1) the percentage of students reporting getting a high school diploma
as a goal;
2) the percentage of students who reported that abstinence is the only
100 percent effective way to avoid getting a sexually transmitted infection;
3) the percentage of students who report that abstinence is the only
totally effective way to avoid getting pregnant.
"These results show us that we are reaching the students in terms of
their knowledge and attitudes," Mr. Margand commented. "The bottom line
for Healthy Respect will always be to foster healthy choices and better
lives for all our students."
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About Healthy Respect:
The Healthy Respect
curriculum for students in grades 7 through 12 is
designed to guide young people in making good
choices and set them on a safe course toward
success. With age-appropriate lessons, it engenders
healthy perspectives regarding the use of alcohol,
tobacco and other drugs, and promotes abstinence in
preparation for marriage by illustrating the power
and delicacy of the human reproductive system, while
fostering attitudes of self-respect and
self-control.
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