Formed Families Forward is pleased to offer classes for youth that build social, emotional, and physical well being.

A WINTER 2024 offering of the Healthy Relationships Plus Program will be offered at the Reston Teen Center on Thursday afternoons, January 25 to March 7, 2024.

Healthy Relationships Plus Program

Healthy Relationships Plus Program is an evidence-informed small groups program based on core principles of skill-building and awareness. The Healthy Relationships Plus Program uses open dialogue and role playing to engage students in enthusiastic discussions about peer pressure, help-seeking, media literacy, healthy and unhealthy peer and dating relationships, and healthy communication. The Healthy Relationships Plus Program is a universal, competency enhancement program rather than a treatment. This means that the program is appropriate for all youth (aged 12-18 years), including those who have never been involved in violent or unhealthy relationships. In fact, involving all adolescents in education about safety and risk, rather than just those who show problems, builds resilience for future difficulties.

The Healthy Relationships Plus Program consists of 7 two-hour sessions.

More information about the evidence behind Healthy Relationships Plus can be found HERE.

CATCH my Breath

CATCH My Breath is an evidence-based¹ youth nicotine vaping prevention program that will provide students with the skills to resist peer pressure and media influences to try e-cigarettes. The sessions can be taught during a normal class period, during homeroom, student enrichment time, after-school, or at other non-school activities and clubs. CATCH My Breath is offered as an additional unit to the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) Middle School Program, and is part of the CATCH pre-K–8th grade collection of healthy nutrition and physical activity programs. To learn more about CATCH programs, materials, and training, visit the CATCH Global Foundation website (http://catchinfo.org/).

Curriculum Goals and Rationale

The overall goal of CATCH My Breath is to prevent the initiation of e-cigarette use among preteen and teen adolescents. The program is designed to help students:

• Discover that non-use of e-cigarettes is the norm for adolescents
• Identify reasons why young people might start using e-cigarettes
• Recognize the subtle, and not so subtle, messages in e-cigarette advertising
• Practice skills for resisting peer pressure and advertising pressure to use e-cigarettes
• Decide on their personal reasons not to use e-cigarettes and set goals for future non-use

The intended outcomes are to ensure that students will:

• • Resist their own curiosity, peer and advertising pressure to experiment with e-cigarettes
  • Understand that e-cigarettes are addictive, unhealthy, and not as popular as they think
  • Influence friends and peers not to use e-cigarettes

1. Kelder, S. H., Mantey, D. S., Van Dusen, D., Case, K., Haas, A., & Springer, A. E. (2020). A Middle School Program to Prevent E-Cigarette Use: A Pilot Study of “CATCH My Breath.” Public Health Reports. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354919900887

Regularly participating youth can earn gift cards!

These classes are delivered by Formed Families Forward and are offered with the generous support of Fairfax County’s Neighborhood and Community Services Prevention Unit through the Partners in Prevention Fund program.

Contact Formed Families Forward to schedule a conversation about supporting middle and high school-age youth in your school, organization, club or other group.