"Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development provides a registry of evidence-based positive youth development programs designed to promote the health and well-being of children and teens. Blueprints programs are family, school, and community-based and target all levels of need — from broad prevention programs that promote positive behaviors while decreasing negative behaviors, to highly-targeted programs for at-risk children and troubled teens that get them back on track.
The evidence-based Blueprints model and promising programs will help you get a head start on preparing children for success with programs that have the highest standards in the field. Blueprints programs are identified based upon an initial review by CSPV of a program's evaluation evidence and a final review and recommendation from a distinguished Advisory Board, consisting of seven experts in the field of positive youth development.
More than 1,300 programs have been reviewed, but less than 5% of them have been designated as model and promising programs. These programs will help young people reach their full potential by promoting positive youth development such as academic performance and success, emotional well-being, positive relationships, and physical health. Blueprints prevention and intervention programs also help young people to overcome challenges associated with violence, delinquency, and substance abuse. Blueprints continues to look for programs which meet the selection criteria.
Be sure to visit our FAQ page to learn more about Blueprints.
Blueprints is hosted by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV), at the Institute of Behavior Science, University of Colorado Boulder. Funding is from the Annie E. Casey Foundation."...
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"The mission of the Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory is to study the relationship between physical activity and cognitive health across the lifespan. From a neuroelectric perspective, our interests lie in examining the relationship between exercise behavior and cognition associated with improved health and effective functioning. We primarily employ neuroelectric measurement to study the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function. Interestingly, our research has found that prolonged participation in cardiovascular exercise may protect against cognitive decrements associated with aging, especially for tasks with larger executive control components."
This collection includes research-based resources for preventing school violence and creating safe schools and communities: http://bit.ly/safe_schools_resources
"HealthTeacher is the interactive leader in youth health, creating games, apps, and educational resources to make health awesome for kids. HealthTeacher's research-based products are designed to get kids moving and to develop healthy behaviors that last a lifetime. Reaching over 6 million kids through its fast-growing network of 11,000+ schools, HealthTeacher’s interactive products are used by teachers, parents, and kids to address important youth health issues, including physical activity, nutrition, and social and emotional well-being."...
"State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) Tom Torlakson has initiated the Team California for Healthy Kids (TCHK) to promote healthy eating and physical activity throughout the day, every day, in schools, before and after school agencies, early childhood programs, and communities. The campaign will focus on making healthy choices the easy choices.
Rigorous research confirms the clear connection between health, learning, and attendance:
Healthy children are: * more successful in school * miss fewer days of school * are more attentive and well-behaved, and * are more likely to graduate from high school and go to college.
Health disparities contribute to the achievement gap
Superintendent Torlakson has long been a champion for students’ health. He knows that healthy students not only excel academically, but also are more likely to be positively engaged in social, community and extra-curricular activities. The benefits of supporting student health are far reaching.
The goals for the first two years of the campaign are to: * Increase physical activity, especially moderate-to-vigorous physical activity throughout the day, every day, in schools and communities. * Increase access to water and fresh foods, particularly salad bars."
..."Jensen, who's a neuroscientist and was a single mother of two boys who are now in their 20s, wrote The Teenage Brain to explore the science of how the brain grows — and why teenagers can be especially impulsive, moody and not very good at responsible decision-making.
"We have a natural insulation ... called myelin," she says. "It's a fat, and it takes time. Cells have to build myelin, and they grow it around the outside of these tracks, and that takes years."
This insulation process starts in the back of the brain and heads toward the front. Brains aren't fully mature until people are in their early 20s, possibly late 20s and maybe even beyond, Jensen says.
"The last place to be connected — to be fully myelinated — is the front of your brain," Jensen says. "And what's in the front? Your prefrontal cortex and your frontal cortex. These are areas where we have insight, empathy, these executive functions such as impulse control, risk-taking behavior."
This research also explains why teenagers can be especially susceptible to addictions — including drugs, alcohol, smoking and digital devices."...
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"The California Healthy Kids Resource Center (CHKRC) maintains a comprehensive collection of reviewed health education materials for use by teachers, administrators, university faculty, LEA staff and other professionals who work with preschool through 12th grade students in school settings and after-school programs. These materials are available for loan from the CHKRC library, with free delivery in California.
The California Healthy Kids Resource Center is funded by the California Department of Education and the California Department of Public Health.
"Getting school children to eat more of the healthy foods on their plates doesn’t have to involve forcing them, tricking them, or slathering on the butter and cheese. The answer might be as simple as scheduling their lunch time for after recess, instead of before.
That’s the conclusion of a new study led by Joseph Price at Brigham Young University and David Just at Cornell University.
The researchers spent 14 days at each of seven elementary schools in Orem, Utah, where they stood by the trash receptacles at lunchtime and measured the number of servings of fruits and vegetables each student threw away (and noted whether the students had eaten at least one serving of either). For the study, three of the schools in the district had switched lunch to occur after recess, while the other four kept their lunch-then-recess schedule.
The study found a 54 percent increase in fruit and vegetable consumption by students at the schools where recess came before lunch time, and a 45 percent increase in the number of students eating at least one serving of fruit and vegetables a day. At the other schools, fruit and vegetable consumption actually declined over the same time period."...
Solowij, N., & Battisti, R. (2008). The chronic effects of cannibis on memory in humans: A review. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 1(1), 81-98.
ABSTRACT
Memory problems are frequently associated with cannabis use, in both the short- and long-term. To date, reviews on the long-term cognitive sequelae of cannabis use have examined a broad range of cognitive functions, with none specifically focused on memory. Consequently, this review sought to examine the literature specific to memory function in cannabis users in the nontoxicated state with the aim of identifying the existence and nature of memory impairment in cannabis users and appraising potentially related mediators or moderators. Literature searches were conducted to extract well-controlled studies that investigated memory function in cannabis users outside of the acute intoxication period, with a focus on reviewing studies published within the past 10 years. Most recent studies have examined working memory and verbal episodic memory and cumulatively, the evidence suggests impaired encoding, storage, manipulation and retrieval mechanisms in long-term or heavy cannabis users. These impairments are not dissimilar to those associated with acute intoxication and have been related to the duration, frequency, dose and age of onset of cannabis use. We consider the impact of not only specific parameters of cannabis use in the manifestation of memory dysfunction, but also such factors as age, neurodevelopmental stage, IQ, gender, various vulnerabilities and other substance-use interactions, in the context of neural efficiency and compensatory mechanisms. The precise nature of memory deficits in cannabis users, their neural substrates and manifestation requires much further exploration through a variety of behavioural, functional brain imaging, prospective and genetic studies."
"Every relationship has problems and upsets. But if you see patterns of uncontrolled anger, jealousy or possessiveness, or if there is shoving, slapping, forced sex, or other physical violence, it’s time to find help."...
"So I suppose you heard about the latest e-cigarette study, the one that said that the vapors e-cigarette users inhale contain multiple forms of formaldehyde. It was much in the news last week, after its authors, five scientists from Portland State University, published a peer-reviewed letteroutlining their findings in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.
“Before You Vape: High Levels of Formaldehyde Hidden in E-Cigs,” said the headline at NBC.com. “Can You Guess What Cancer-Causing Agent Researchers Just Found in Electronic Cigarettes?” asked The Motley Fool. “E-Cigarettes Not Safer Than Ordinary Cigarettes,” claimed the online publication Tech Times. The New England Journal of Medicine chimed in with a tweet of its own: “Chemical analysis of e-cigs’ vapor show high levels of formaldehyde,” it read. “Authors project higher cancer risk than smoking.”
The study focused on a device known as a premium vaporizer that heats a flavored liquid containing nicotine. The heat causes the liquid to turn into vapor, which the user inhales. Most of these devices also allow the user to control the voltage. These devices have become increasingly popular as a way to ingest nicotine without smoking.
In the study, the Portland State scientists ran the device at both a low voltage and a high voltage. At the low voltage, they did not detect formaldehyde. But at the high voltage, they found some. Formaldehyde is, indeed, a known carcinogen, which also exists, among hundreds of other toxic chemicals and dozens of cancer-causing agents, in combustible cigarettes. The authors concluded that someone who was a heavy user of a vaporizer at the high voltage was five to 15 times more likely to get cancer than a longtime smoker."...
"Welcome to SexEdLibrary, the most comprehensive online sex ed resource in the nation. Human sexuality is like no other subject in our educational system today. Not only should the content be up to date and relevant, but the tools with which you teach it can be as important as the information itself. SexEdLibrary is designed to give you all of that–and more.
SexEdLibrary is brought to you by SIECUS (the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States), a highly acclaimed resource for educators, counselors, administrators, and health professionals seeking the latest in human sexuality research, lesson plans, and professional development opportunities. We’ve analyzed hundreds of lesson plans from multiple sources to offer easy access to the very best on such topics as sexual and reproductive health, puberty, abstinence, relationships, sexual orientation, body image, self-esteem, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, unintended pregnancy, and more.
Human sexuality is among life’s most critical lessons. Arm them well with the right information and make a lifetime of difference starting today."...
"Seeking to prevent the early onset of mental illness in the youth population of Santa Clara County through early education and awareness, consistent treatment and community involvement, the Raising Early Awareness and Creating Hope (REACH) Program launched its services in an effort to help address this growing mental health issue.
The program, based on the early detection models from the Portland Identification and Early Referral (PIER) Training Institute in Portland, Maine, is a collaboration of efforts between Momentum for Mental Health and Starlight Community Services. The core mission of REACH is to help detect early warning signs of psychosis that may pose a threat to young adults, and to provide effective support and treatment. Though often subtle, early symptoms of psychosis can be disabling and affect young people’s ability to complete schoolwork, interact socially, and accomplish daily tasks."...
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"We will be holding identical screening events at two different showtimes on January 29, 2015. The morning screening will be held from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. and the afternoon screening will be held from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
ABOUT THE EVENT The event will feature a screening of Sweet Revenge: Turning the Tables on Processed Food– an American Public Television program sponsored by FIRST 5 and The Health Trust.
In the program, Dr. Robert Lustig, a New York Times best-selling author and a pediatric neuroendocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, explains the science behind how our bodies work and where sugar is hiding in the food and drinks we consume every day.
After the screening, you will have the chance to speak with Dr. Lustig and ask questions regarding the dangers of processed foods. We will also announce our mini-grant opportunity.
ABOUT THE MINI-GRANTS
The Sweet Revenge Mini-Grants are a one-time funding opportunity for community-based organizations, public agencies, and faith-based groups in Santa Clara County.
Selected applicants will use grant funding to host a viewing of Sweet Revenge for their target community, raising awareness of the health risks associated with high levels of sugar consumption and encouraging healthier eating behavior changes at the consumer, organizational, and policy levels.
Specific information regarding funding and the application process will be announced live at the event. We hope to see you there!"
"An Apple a Day Is Not Enough" is a powerful poem written and performed by Taylor Mali (a well-known spoken word artist and teacher) about the importance of health education."...
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