Upcoming Events - Race to Nowhere

Join us on December 13 in the Riverside Elementary School All Purpose Room School. Elizabeth Casparian, PhD, HiTOPS Executive Director, will facilitate the continuing discussion of this topic. All are welcome to attend. Join the Facebook group THE RACE TO NOWHERE-PRINCETON for related news, events and articles of interest.

Parents of Teenagers—HiTOPS is here for you, too!

Parenting teenagers is a challenging job and HiTOPS Parent Programs offer information, support and skills to help parents communicate more effectively with their adolescents. Our education staff is available to come to your business or organization, your child’s school, or your home to provide a program of your choice. Topics include but are not limited to:

• Sexuality and the Young Adolescent
• Talking with Your Child about Sex
• Risk Proof: Raising Self-Esteem in Kids
• Parenting Teens: Setting Limits, Communicating, Staying Sane
• Raising Sons
• Managing Media Influences: A Guide for Parents of Teens
• Everybody Hates You: What to do about Cyberbullying
• Bullying and Mean Behavior

To schedule a program contact:
Elizabeth Walters
Director of Educational Programs
609.683.5155 x218
elizabeth@hitops.org

HiTOPS Health Center Welcomes Kelli Hall

Kelli Stidham Hall, PhD, MSN, ANP-C joined HiTOPS in October 2010. Kelli, a Nurse Practitioner, came to the Princeton community this summer as a postdoctoral research fellow at Princeton University, where she is furthering her research in adolescent contraceptive behavior and outcomes.

She received her PhD from Columbia University and her Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Family Nursing from the University of Kentucky. Kelli has also served as a nurse educator, teaching Nurse Practitioner students both clinical and research content while at Columbia. As a clinician, Kelli has years of experience as a reproductive health and adolescent medicine nurse practitioner, working most recently in college health, family planning and gynecology practices in New York City. In addition to clinical expertise in contraceptive management, Kelli is specialized in treatment of eating disorders and interested in integrating mental health and primary care into family planning contexts.

Kelli believes HiTOPS public health approach to positive youth development designed by nurse practitioners is the perfect setting for her to deliver high quality, integrated and evidence-based health care to male and female adolescents and emerging adults.

To contact HiTOPS J.Seward Johnson, Sr. Center for Adolescent Health, please call 609.683.5155 x211.

Parenting Brief: Teens and Privacy

Privacy seems like a basic concept and a simple human right, but parents often neglect to talk explicitly and intentionally with their kids about it. Simply by defining what privacy is and how that translates to respect and behavior, you will help to avoid humiliating stories, from mildly embarrassing within your own home to more serious breaches of respect on the internet.

Every human being needs a certain amount of privacy. There may be intimate details about each of us that we choose to share with our families, spouses, and closest friends. When we chose to do that, we become vulnerable to others while developing intimacy and trust. However, people have differing beliefs about what they will or will not share with others, and as a result, have varying needs for privacy. Nudity, sexual behavior, toileting and bathing, are the most commonly agreed upon private behaviors. People in the U.S. are also deeply private about other things, such as income, age, and political beliefs.

When it comes to the internet, especially social networking sites and other online formats, both adults and kids are at a loss as to what privacy really means. What does privacy mean if you can Google just about everyone? What does it mean to have our credit card numbers stored on a site? What about phones that can take photos and post them on Facebook almost instantly? What happens when our shopping histories are recorded by our local grocers every time we use our discount cards?

The first thing we need to do is understand what privacy is, why it is important to us, and to communicate that within our own homes so that our values about privacy are clear to everyone. Then we need to develop an understanding of how others define and value privacy, and to learn appropriate respect for those differences.

Define privacy. For example: Every adult has the right to be alone when doing things that they consider to be private behavior. Some behaviors that people consider to be private are things like changing clothes, using the toilet, bathing or sexual behavior. Some people and cultures also believe that other behaviors like grooming, kissing, arguing, or crying, are things that should only be done in private. Sometimes privacy also means that one does not have to talk about or answer questions about things that they consider to be private – some people believe that one’s weight, age or income for example, are private matters. In our family, we believe that….

Explain about closed doors. You might say, “A closed bathroom or bedroom door means that someone wants to be alone. You need to knock on a closed door, and wait to be given permission before entering.” Adults need to extend this same courtesy to children, unless they believe that the child is in physical danger. Modeling privacy from an early age is an important way to develop an understanding and appreciation that can help people avoid uncomfortable or humiliating situations in the future.

Invasion of privacy is serious. Peeking behind a closed door, whether through a hole in the door or via webcam or other technology is a complete invasion of privacy. No matter what the intent – from curiosity to outright bullying – having one’s private moments shared without consent can be embarrassing, humiliating or devastating. Making this clear at home is the first step to preventing situations in the future that might be truly harmful to others.

Discuss online privacy. Everyone needs to know that almost any words, photos or videos that are texted, emailed, blogged, or posted on a website are stored permanently and can be viewed by people who wish to see them. Something that a person posts, tweets or shares today will likely be available forever. Future employers, police, press or partners may be able to find this material at any point, and depending upon the material, there could be legal consequences. There is no way to control material once it takes an electronic form and is distributed. Anything that is done behind a closed door or a conversation that is limited between people should not be shared in any electronic format.

Look for next month’s article on Kindness!

For more information, contact: Elizabeth Casparian, PhD, ecasparian@hitops.org

Strategic Plan: 3 Years and 4 Initiatives

On Monday November 8, HiTOPS Board of Trustees unanimously approved a three year strategic plan put forth by a committee of Board and staff. The exciting new plan is the result of the most comprehensive strategic planning and organizational assessment process in HiTOPS’ history.

Over the years HiTOPS has experienced considerable growth and earned recognition for its expertise with adolescents—truly being there for them, listening well and responding with relevant and needed programs and services. Founded on a deep respect for an adolescent’s ability to learn and make good decisions when given factual information, HiTOPS grew organically for 22 years to meet the growing demand for services. The leading question driving the planning effort was: how can HiTOPS financially sustain its unique approach to adolescent health and well-being? ”

HiTOPS envisions a world in which youth have the resources they need to live healthy, responsible and empowered lives.

Building on its programmatic strengths, HiTOPS outlined four initiatives to ensure excellence, demonstrate effectiveness, leverage partnerships, and strengthen capacity to achieve our vision and financial sustainability.

• Distinguish Ourselves
• Build Community
• Sustain Impact
• Achieve Greatness

The three-year plan is ambitious. Within each initiative are specific goals and objectives that will serve as a roadmap for Board and staff to grow HiTOPS from its current state to its desired state.

This next year is pivotal for HITOPS. Your support, or your extra support, at this time will help HiTOPS maintain program delivery while beginning the process of addressing the long-term goals. If you would like to sponsor an initiative click here and indicate on memo line of donation form, or contact: Catharine Vaucher, Director of Development and Marketing, cvaucher@hitops.org.

HiTOPS Trustees at a planning retreat in June (l-r): Art Ferrara, Nicole Martin, Jeffrey Kurtz, Ann McDonald, Sharon Perlman, Jim Levine, Anne Skalka, and Marc Kanoff. Not pictured: Jean Moses and Andrew Koontz.