Session IV - Prairie Rose Room 104
Healthy Relationships, Healthy Futures for Native Communities, and the Next Generations (Tract 2) Presenter: Opal Jones
2:00 PM - 3:00 PMThu
Speakers
Opal Jones
Healthy Relationships, Healthy Futures for Native Communities, and the Next Generations.
GPTCHB
The Sexually Transmitted Infection and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (STITPPI), funded by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), promotes Adult Preparation Skills for youth aged 10- 16 years old with a focus on healthy relationship competencies such as communication, decision making, and boundary setting. To assess program impact, entry and exit survey data were analyzed to measure changes in participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behaviors related to healthy relationships and sexual health. Participants demonstrated gains in understanding relationship boundaries, selfefficacy, and awareness of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention strategies. Cultural components were incorporated when available, allowing participants to engage with their traditions/way of life in meaningful ways. Tribal partners implemented the curriculum in ways aligned with their community contexts, most often in school or after-school settings. Qualitative data from fidelity logs and listening circles provided insight into facilitators’ experiences, highlighting both positive engagement and challenges related to technology access, stakeholder buy-in, and parental consent processes for evaluation data. The program highlights the value of integrating relationship education within adolescent health prevention programming and reinforces the importance of evidence-based approaches in Tribal settings. Implications for practice include strengthening implementation fidelity, expanding access to skill-building curricula, and using data-driven evaluation to support continuous improvement across program sites.