The Bladen County Board of Education heard from Dr. Moore with Fish Out Of Water Career Development Center regarding the Title V Grant Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program now available to Bladen County Students.
According to Ms. Esters with Bladen County Schools, the $885,627 grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services is for a two-year program.
Dr. Moore explained the project is called Anchors Up! (AU) and is a youth development program for teens in Bladen County, North Carolina. The program is open to middle and high school students in grades 7-12.
Dr. Moore explained AU is partnering with Fayetteville State University and would work with Dr. Jason Atkinson, Interim Superintendent with Bladen County Schools, to develop the best possible strategy for the students to take advantage of the program.
Through the AU program, students will be presented with the following information:
- Strategies for success
- How to prevent poverty
- How to have healthy relationships
- How to avoid teenage pregnancy
- How to resist risky behaviors such as drinking, drug abuse, and bullying
- How to set goals for your life
The public schools in our service area are:
- Bladenboro Middle
- Elizabethtown Middle
- Tar Heel Middle
- Clarkton School of Discovery
- Bladen County Early College
- East Bladen High
- West Bladen High
AU strives to teach students about relationship skills for love, life, school, and work. The Anchors Up! program utilizes the evidenced-based Love Notes 3.0 curriculum to teach youth about the following subjects:
- How to be successful in friendships and dating
- How to deal with emotions
- How to recognize dangerous relationships
- Effective Communication
- Conflict Management
- Low-risk dating strategies
- The social and emotional sides of sex
The program is based on the Success Sequence, encouraging the completion of educational goals, marriage, and then children. Parents and trusted adult activities are included in each of the 13 lessons.
Students may sign up for the program by vising the Fish Out of Water website, click here.
The Anchors Up program is supported by the Family & Youth Services Bureau (FYSB).
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