· Multi-week co-ed (normally 10 weeks)
· Helps students navigate through unhealthy situations including dating abuse, bullying, risky sexual behaviour and substance abuse
· Promotes personal safety through development of healthy relationships
POWER description for:
POWER feedback:
For Elementary Schools:
· Meets the Ontario Elementary Curriculum for Health and Physical Education, The Arts, Language, Social Studies, and Oral and Visual Communication in the Growth and Development, Personal Safety and Injury Prevention and Substance Use and Abuse Strands.
· Matches the Developmental Asset Domains for Boundaries and Expectations, Positive Values, Social Competencies, Healthy Living, Creating and Reflecting, Media Literacy, Positive Identity and Canada: A Changing Society.
· Topics covered:
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Week
1
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Developing Healthy Relationships
Goal: Be able to identify whether a relationship is healthy or unhealthy
Goal: Examine the impact that the media has on the way people view relationships
Task: Develop effective strategies on how to deal with an unhealthy relationship
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Week
2
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Relationships & Technology
Goal: Define what cyber bullying is
Goal: Understand the positive and negative impact that technology has on relationships
Task: Discuss and learn actions to protect oneself and to take if being harassed via technology
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Week 3
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Assert Yourself
Goal: Understand the importance of communicating assertively
Goal: Explore the different styles of communication
Task: Learn how to communicate effectively
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Week
4
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Anger
Goal: Understand that anger is a healthy emotion
Goal: Recognize anger triggers
Task: Create personal anger management strategies and learn to express anger in a healthy way
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Week
5
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Personal Image
Goal: Explore how the media can affect the thoughts of others and ourselves
Goal: Dispel stereotypes about how males and females are supposed to look and act
Task: Increase self-esteem by acknowledging their skills, attitudes, and strengths
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Week
6
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Values & Choices
Goal: Learn how to effectively manage peer pressure and make healthy choices
Task: Identify personal values and strategies to protect them
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Week
7
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Gender Stereotypes
Goal: Understand how the media perpetuates gender stereotypes
Goal: Identify how gender stereotypes can lead to violence
Task: Explore the effects of trying to live up to gender stereotypes
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Week
8
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Prejudice & Discrimination
Goal: Define prejudice and discrimination
Goal: Explore the impact of prejudice and discrimination
Task: Identify ways to reduce prejudice and discrimination
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Week
9
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Developing Empathy
Goal: Define empathy
Goal: Increase students’ ability to identify with other’s feelings and take others’ perspectives
Task: Practice using empathy
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Week
10
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Planning For the Future
Goal: Recognize the importance of setting goals
Task: Effectively set personal goals
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For Secondary Schools:
· Meets the Ontario Elementary Curriculum for Health and Physical Education in the Personal Safety and Injury Prevention, Social Skills, Decision Making, Healthy Growth and Sexuality, and Substance Use and Abuse Strands.
· Matches the Developmental Asset Domains for Boundaries and Expectations, Positive Values, Social Competencies, and Positive Identity.
· Topics covered:
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Week
1
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Relationship Violence and Healthy Relationships
Goal: Define violence/abuse and explore different forms of violence/abuse
Task: Determine healthy characteristics in a partner
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Week
2
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Relationships and Technology: The New Reality
Goal: Understand the impact of technology on relationships
Goal: Define and understand what cyber bullying is
Task: Understand how to use technology as a tool
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Week
3
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Assertiveness Instead of Aggressiveness
Goal: Develop assertiveness skills
Task: Learn to express one’s feelings in an assertive manner
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Week
4
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Problem Solving and Decision Making
Goal: Develop skills to effectively solve problems
Task: Introduce concepts such as assessing options, weighing alternatives, & reflection of decision making
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Week
5
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Identifying Anger Triggers
Goal: Understand what anger and anger triggers are
Task: Examine ways to handle anger in a productive manner
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Week
6
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Prejudice and Discrimination
Goal: Recognize power and non power groups
Task: Understand oppression and the different forms it can take
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Week
7
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Gender Stereotypes
Goal: Discuss characteristics of gender stereotypes in our society and what influences this
Goal: Link the aspects of these stereotypes that are related to violence
Task: Identify ways in which their own lives have been affected by these stereotypes
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Week
8
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Healthy Sexuality
Goal: Recognize different forms of pressure to have sex
Task: Learn skills to make personal decisions regarding becoming sexually active
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Week
9
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Sexual Assault and Substance Use-Make the Connection
Goal: Understand what a sexual assault is and expose the myths
Goal: Understand the connection between substance use and sexual assault
Task: Learn skills to deal with decision making regarding substance use
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Week
10
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Empathy
Goal: Increase students’ ability to identify other’s feelings, and take others’ perspectives.
Task: Practice using empathy.
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Elementary Student Experience
In Session #5 the students are asked to write 5 things they like about themselves on a card. A girl in the class was struggling with this assignment and found it difficult to come up with even one or two things that she liked about herself. As the class progressed students were then asked to draw two different pictures: what they liked about themselves (Me) and what other people expected of them (Who I’m Supposed to Be). The students then mingled around the room and viewed each others pictures. One student said to the girl when viewing her “Who I’m Supposed to Be” picture, “You are already all of these things!” Near the end of class the facilitator then asked the students if they could be someone that they admired who would it be? Another student stood up said she admired the student who struggled to name five positive attributes about herself. The student went on to explain all the reasons that people admired that girl. The expression on the girl’s face just beamed self-esteem! As the class came to end students talked to each other in an open and honest way that they had never done before.
Elementary Teacher Testimonial
A teacher commented that the POWER group was contributing to a rising level of respect in her class. At the end of the session she asked, “Do you have your program copy righted? If not you should because you can sell it. This is exactly what our student’s need – Thank-you.”
Secondary Student Experience
Two female students who had been in a year long conflict within the class both attended session three of POWER which deals with relationships and technology. The majority of the session deals with the use of technology as a weapon in relationships and the devastating impact it can have. The students also took a self assessment to evaluate whether they did things that would constitute them being a cyber bully. After the session one of the female student’s in the conflict approached the other and apologized for “cyber bullying” her this year.
Secondary Teacher Testimonial
“It’s an invaluable resource for teens in Orangeville.”
With your help, we can make respect the norm,
not the exception in our homes, schools and community!
