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Families Talking Together

Families Talking Together (FTT) is an evidence-based program designed to help caregivers talk to adolescents aged 11-14 about the prevention of sexual risk behaviors, healthy relationships, refusal skills, and preventing unplanned pregnancy. FTT promotes caregivers as the primary sexual educator focusing on building healthy communication within the family. 

Program Goals

  • Help caregivers reduce/prevent youth risk behaviors
  • Help caregivers develop positive parenting techniques
  • Help promote effective parent-adolescent communication skills
  • Help caregivers teach adolescent assertiveness to avoid risky behaviors
  • Help caregivers promote delayed sexual debut

Promoting parents and caregivers as primary sexual educators

Program Features

  • One-on-one parent/caregiver sessions with a trained facilitator
  • Free materials (parent modules and materials for youth)
  • Parent communication activities  
  • Support and feedback 

A family-based program designed to support communication

Why YOU as the caregiver should talk to your teen about sex

Health risks from having sex too early

  • Unplanned pregnancy
  • Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s) including HIV/AIDS 
  • Early dropout rates

Data

  • Teen pregnancy: Every 2 minutes in the U.S. 3 teens get pregnant.
  • STI statistics: Youth make up only 25% of the population; however, 50% of new STI cases are among young adults ages 15-24. 
  • Dropout statistics: More than half of teen moms never graduate high school while less than 2% graduate college by age 30.
  • Oklahoma teen pregnancy: 8% of all births in Oklahoma are to teen mothers. Oklahoma ranks 4th-highest in the United States for teen birth rates.
  • Costs statistics: Oklahoma taxpayers spend an upwards of $149 million dollars on teenage pregnancy. 

How YOU can make a difference

Parents and caregivers really can make a difference in helping youth stay healthy and make positive choices. Studies show that youth who have at least one trusted adult in their lives are less likely to participate in risky behaviors and are more likely to delay sexual initiation. Many parents and caregivers underestimate the pivotal role they play in decision making when it comes to the adolescents in their lives. Having open and honest conversations about difficult topics such as sex can help keep your young person on a path to success.

Resources

Contact Information

Jennifer Wiens, Parent Education Specialist
Email: Jennifer.Wiens@health.ok.gov
Phone: (405) 982-4627

Mailing Address:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Family Support and Prevention Service
Families Talking Together
Attn: Jennifer Wiens
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave., Ste. 1702
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6404

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