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Our
Friends First Mentoring Program equips you
th, families, and communities to make healthy life choices by imparting relationship education and promoting the benefits of abstinence until marriage. We believe that it takes a community effort to decrease high-risk behavior among teens and to develop foundations beneficial to long-term, stable adult marriage relationships. We focus on a character curriculum because we believe that it is unfair to tell teens to "be abstinent" if they do not understand and have not applied basic character traits, such as self-control, in their lives.
We utilize a cascading model made up of trained high school students (called STARS--Self-control, Trust, Abstinence, Responsibility, and Self-respect) and mentor program participants (middle school students). The STARS are mentored by Friends First adult leaders. The peer mentoring program promotes good character development and abstinence within the context of club meetings that are held either early morning, lunchtime, or after school. By mentoring younger children, Friends First provides the pre-abstinence foundations that make sexual abstinence a realistic and viable option. When they reach the Right Choices curriculum component in their classrooms, the necessary foundation will have been established.
HOW IT WORKS
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6th Grade--the themes focus on friendship, developing good character, and abstinence from drugs, alcohol, and violence. These fundamental character traits are necessary to make abstinence from all risk behaviors a realistic option. Sexual abstinence is introduced once students have received a "puberty" unit in school. 7th and 8th Grades--The themes shift from a focus on drugs and alcohol to a focus on sexual abstinence. Once the foundations of character have been provided, teens learn the characteristics of healthy relationships and the benefits of saving sex for marriage. Lessons include: love vs. infatuation, assertiveness/refusal skills, boundaries, and many more. Junior STARS--During the second semester of eighth grade, students are recruited to assist the high school STARS with club set-up, clean-up, snacks, and games. |
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High school students who are committed to abstinence from premarital sex, tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs may apply at their schools to become STARS. These teen leaders are the mentors for the Friends First Mentoring Program at area middle schools. The STARS help plan and lead activities at the clubs for the middle school students. During retreats, the STARS teach workshops and lead games. They serve as role models to encourage the middle school club members to make healthy, right choices. It is not absolutely necessary for STARS to do public presentations or to mentor. Our program offers a variety of levels for teens to gain support for making healthy choices. They may simply choose to come to weekly or monthly meetings for fellowship and group support.
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Adults who are committed to abstinence from premarital sex, tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs may be voluntarily or paid (staff) to mentor STARS. All adults are subject to a background check and must follow all the rules and guidelines set forth by Right Choices of West Tennessee. |
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