Families
 Youth and Adolescent Development
Publications
Parenting Education
How do I communicate with my teenager? How can I teach my fourth grader to be responsible? Being the parent of elementary-age children and adolescents brings new and different challenges. FACS Extension agents in many counties provide parenting education programs to help parents deal with the specific issues and challenges of raising school-agers and adolescents. FACS Agents in some counties also provide parenting education specifically targeted for teen parents. Contact your local Extension agent for more information about parenting education programs in your county.
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Positive Youth Development
School-age and adolescent youth thrive in family and community environments that are rich in developmentally appropriate assets. Some of these assets include building relationships with caring adults, learning communication and conflict management skills, understanding expectations for behavior, providing opportunities for involvement and leadership, and having positive connections to school. In collaboration with Georgia
4-H, FACS Cooperative Extension works with communities to support the development of these assets and positive youth development. Learn more about Georgia 4-H at http://www.georgia4h.org/
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Building Healthy Teen Relationships
Relationship education is developmentally relevant and timely for youth because they are just beginning to have and understand romantic relationships. While some youth may have witnessed and learned about positive couple interactions from good models, many may have witnessed only poor models of couple relationships. Research has shown that educational programs on healthy relationships and marriages can help youth develop positive communication and conflict-management skills and reduce their risk for intimate partner violence and teen pregnancy. The decision-making and relationship-building skills youth can learn through this programming can also spill-over into other relationships (e.g., parent-child, teacher, peer, co-worker) as well.
Programs
Relationship Smarts for Adolescents
Relationship Smarts is a research-based curriculum that incorporates hands-on activities to focus on skills and knowledge necessary for healthy dating relationships. The curriculum, developed by The Dibble Institute, offers developmentally appropriate information that addresses identity development, personal goals and values, what healthy (vs. abusive) relationships look like, current relationship dynamics, important communication skills, and the promotion of future-orientated thinking about relationships. UGA Cooperative Extension Agents in various counties across Georgia are trained to provide Relationship Smarts workshops - find a trained agent near you. For more information, contact your county agent.
Resources
Related Links
Georgia Teens Ride with P. R. I. D. E.
Georgia Teens Ride with P.R.I.D.E. (Parents Reducing Incidents of Driver Error) is a free,national award-winning two-hour course designed to help parents and their new (or soon-to-be) teen drivers, ages 14-16, negotiate the process of teens learning to drive safely. This includes learning what they need to do during the 40 hours of supervised practice driving time required by Georgia law. This program addresses driver attitude, knowledge and behavior of both the parent and the new teen driver, but it does not include behind-the-wheel driver education. GTIPI trains volunteers to present the P.R.I.D.E. program locally in counties across the state. For more information, go to the P.R.I.D.E. website.
Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR)
The Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) initiative is a series of five-year projects that seek to ensure that children and youth develop the skills and relationships they need to lead positive, secure, productive, and happy lives. The Georgia CYFAR projects are funded by the USDA. Local demonstration sites have included Bulloch County, Candler County, Colquitt County, Cobb County, Gordon County, and Tift County. Statewide efforts under the CYFAR initiative have focused on preparing Extension educators to recognize the distinct needs of individuals in high–risk circumstances and to develop research–based educational programming for at–risk audiences. For more information on Georgia’s projects, go to the CYFAR website. To learn more about the CYFAR effort nationally, go to the CYFAR program website.
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