Good morning!
I work in a juvenile correctional facility. I have had the pleasure of working with MARS! These guys are awesome. The young men are very open with them and are willing to ask them question. The youth get excited when they come and they pay attention and learn!! We have also had some young girls participate in some of the discussions. I admit I was a little apprehensive on this one but it turned out great.
I wanted to share how fabulous this program is for these young men. In a world where we need positive role models, MARS steps up to the challenge!!
Kudos!
Have a fab day!
Heather
Thanks for your encouraging comment! We're excited to expand our work to address sexual/reproductive health issues with young incarcerated males. And we know that addressing the concept of masculity is an important part of this.
It's exciting to learn of other programs doing similar work. We would love to learn more about your efforts in Washington, DC and exchange ideas.
Hi, Jackie! Congratulations on what truly appears to be a stellar program! I am DEFINITELY interested in learning more about your curriculum. We ,Life Pieces To Masterpieces, Inc. (LPTM) in partnership with D.C. Campaign to prevent Teen Pregnancy address many of the same issues you have brought to light in this entry, however, we do have room to grow in this area.
For 11 years or so, most of our apprentices had never been incarcerated. Now through a partnership with a local public charter school and Youth Rehabilitation Services, we have begun to share elements of our "developing" curriculum with young men in the juvenile justice system.
I would LOVE to learn more about your work and possibly discuss some type of exchange in the future as we move towards capturing our system.
We agree that it is critical to address the sexual and reproductive health needs of males, as they experience unique social pressures and have health concerns ranging from sexually transmitted infections and contraception to testicular health and performance concerns. Additionally, our societal pressures which dictate what it means to "be a man", make it difficult for males to communicate openly about these topics with a health care provider and/or partner(s). Our program unveils these social pressures and provides males with communication skills necessary to be "sexually healthy".
There are other efforts around the nation that are addressing the reproductive health needs of males. Some of these are strictly clinical services and others are curriculum-based. MARS is unique in that it addresses male sexual/reproductive health through clinical education (individual appointments with a peer male health educator), as well as classroom education (facilitated by peer outreach workers).
Based on our success replicating the MARS Program in Oregon, we do aspire to take our program to the national scale and are addressing infrastructure requirements in order to do so.
Hi Jackie, It's great the way you are providing sexual and reproductive health services to young men. Do you know of any other organizations around the country that are working on similar efforts? Do you have any interest in expanding nationwide in the future? Thanks!
Dana Frasz
Changemakers
Good morning!
I work in a juvenile correctional facility. I have had the pleasure of working with MARS! These guys are awesome. The young men are very open with them and are willing to ask them question. The youth get excited when they come and they pay attention and learn!! We have also had some young girls participate in some of the discussions. I admit I was a little apprehensive on this one but it turned out great.
I wanted to share how fabulous this program is for these young men. In a world where we need positive role models, MARS steps up to the challenge!!
Kudos!
Have a fab day!
Heather
Hi Mary,
Thanks for your encouraging comment! We're excited to expand our work to address sexual/reproductive health issues with young incarcerated males. And we know that addressing the concept of masculity is an important part of this.
It's exciting to learn of other programs doing similar work. We would love to learn more about your efforts in Washington, DC and exchange ideas.
Keep up your great work!
-Jackie
Hi, Jackie! Congratulations on what truly appears to be a stellar program! I am DEFINITELY interested in learning more about your curriculum. We ,Life Pieces To Masterpieces, Inc. (LPTM) in partnership with D.C. Campaign to prevent Teen Pregnancy address many of the same issues you have brought to light in this entry, however, we do have room to grow in this area.
For 11 years or so, most of our apprentices had never been incarcerated. Now through a partnership with a local public charter school and Youth Rehabilitation Services, we have begun to share elements of our "developing" curriculum with young men in the juvenile justice system.
I would LOVE to learn more about your work and possibly discuss some type of exchange in the future as we move towards capturing our system.
Again, GREAT concept!
In Peace
Mary Brown
Life Pieces To Masterpieces, Inc.
Hi Dana,
Thank you for your comment.
We agree that it is critical to address the sexual and reproductive health needs of males, as they experience unique social pressures and have health concerns ranging from sexually transmitted infections and contraception to testicular health and performance concerns. Additionally, our societal pressures which dictate what it means to "be a man", make it difficult for males to communicate openly about these topics with a health care provider and/or partner(s). Our program unveils these social pressures and provides males with communication skills necessary to be "sexually healthy".
There are other efforts around the nation that are addressing the reproductive health needs of males. Some of these are strictly clinical services and others are curriculum-based. MARS is unique in that it addresses male sexual/reproductive health through clinical education (individual appointments with a peer male health educator), as well as classroom education (facilitated by peer outreach workers).
Based on our success replicating the MARS Program in Oregon, we do aspire to take our program to the national scale and are addressing infrastructure requirements in order to do so.
Thanks,
Jackie
Hi Jackie, It's great the way you are providing sexual and reproductive health services to young men. Do you know of any other organizations around the country that are working on similar efforts? Do you have any interest in expanding nationwide in the future? Thanks!
Dana Frasz
Changemakers