Tucson, AZ
Teens and Technology
"One in five teens (22% of girls and 18% of guys) and one-third of young adults age 20-26 (36% of women and 31% of men) say they have electronically sent, or posted online, nude or semi-nude images of themselves. According to the results of a survey released by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, these racy images are also getting passed around: About four in ten teens and many young adults (24% of women and 40% of men) say they have had nude/semi-nude images—originally meant to be private—shared with them" (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnacy).
Articles about "Sexting" and Keeping Safe Online:“Are Lots of Teens 'Sexting'? Experts Doubt It” By Justin Berton, The San Francisco Chronicle
“'Sexting': Self-Destructive or Simple Rebellion?” By Jaimee Lynn Fletcher and Vik Jolly, The Orange County Register
“Tech-Savvy Teens Misinformed on Sex” By Shannon Proudfoot, Canwest News Service
“Greatest Internet Threat to Teens May Be Teens Themselves” By Melissa Healy, The Los Angeles Times
“Mastering MySpace Dangers: 10 Tips for Concerned Parents” By Lindsay Lyo, USNews
“Sex in the Digital Age: Internet Changing Sexual Attitudes Among the Young“ By Tom Glaister, ConsumerAffairs.com
TIPS TO HELP PARENTS TALK TO THEIR KIDS ABOUT SEX & TECHNOLOGY
from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnacy
1. Talk to your kids about what they are doing in cyberspace. Just as you need to talk openly and honestly with your kids about real life sex and relationships, you also want to discuss online and cell phone activity. Make sure your kids fully understand that messages or pictures they send over the Internet or their cell phones are not truly private or anonymous. Also make sure they know that others might forward their pictures or messages to people they do not know, and that school administrators and employers often look at online profiles to make judgments about potential students/employees. It’s essential that your kids grasp the potential short-term and long-term consequences of their actions.
2. Know who your kids are communicating with. Of course it’s a given that you want to know who your children are spending time with when they leave the house. Also do your best to learn who your kids are spending time with online and on the phone. Supervising and monitoring your kids’ whereabouts in real life and in cyberspace doesn’t make you a nag; it’s just part of your job as a parent. Many young people consider someone a “friend” even if they’ve only met online. What about your kids?
3. Consider limitations on electronic communication. The days of having to talk on the phone in the kitchen in front of the whole family are long gone, but you can still limit the time your kids spend online and on the phone. Consider, for example, telling your teen to leave the phone on the kitchen counter when they’re at home and to take the laptop out of their bedroom before they go to bed, so they won’t be tempted to log on or talk to friends at 2a.m.
4. Be aware of what your teens are posting publicly. Check out your teen’s MySpace, Facebook and other public online profiles from time to time. This isn’t snooping—this is information your kids are making public. If everyone else can look at it, why can’t you? Talk with them specifically about their own notions of what is public and what is private. Your views may differ but you won’t know until you ask, listen, and discuss.
5. Set expectations. Make sure you are clear with your teen about what you consider appropriate “electronic” behavior. Just as certain clothing is probably off-limits or certain language unacceptable in your house, make sure you let your kids know what is and is not allowed online either. And give reminders of those expectations from time to time. It doesn’t mean you don’t trust your kids, it just reinforces that you care about them enough to be paying attention.
Contact Us:
If you have questions about Real Life. Real Talk.; would like to become a partner; or want to know how you can get yourself, your school, or your church involved, please contact us!
Our Local Partners
Leadership Circle
The Honorable Amanda Aguirre, State Senator LD 24 The Honorable Sharon Bronson, Pima County Supervisor The Honorable Olivia Cajero Bedford, State Representative LD 27 The Honorable Richard Elías, Pima County Supervisor The Honorable Raúl M. Grijalva, U.S. Congressman AZ 7 Dr. Marilyn Heins, M.D., Pediatrician, and parenting educator José Ibarra, Former Tucson City Council Member The Honorable Steve Leal, Tucson City Council Member The Honorable Linda Lopez, State Representative LD 29 The Reverend Briget Nicholson, United Church of Christ The Reverend N. Jean Rogers, Episcopal Church The Honorable Lena Saradnik, State Representative LD 26 Dr. Eve Shapiro, MD, MPH, Pediatrician Dr. Patricia Strempel, MD, Pediatrician The Honorable Nina Trasoff, Tucson City Council Vice Mayor and City Council Member The Honorable Karin Uhlich, Tucson City Council Member The Honorable Ramón O. Valadez, Pima County Supervisor
Partnership Group
Brewster Center Domestic Violence Services Brewster Center Domestic Violence Services provides safer options and support to all victims/survivors of domestic violence through individual empowerment, advocacy, shelter, prevention, community education, and social change.
 Catalina United Methodist Church Serving others is the other half of the Gospel at Catalina. In 2005 over 20% of our budget went directly to "Mission and Outreach" by helping others in our community and in our world. “Changing lives by serving others” is our mission.
 Child & Family Resources, Inc., is a private, nonprofit, community-based organization that has made a meaningful contribution to the children of Southern Arizona since 1970. The agency’s mission is to improve the well-being of Arizona's children and families through programs that strengthen child care, youth, and families.
CODAC Behavioral Health Services, Inc. CODAC Behavioral Health Services of Pima County, Inc., works collaboratively with individuals, families, and organizations to eliminate the harmful effects of substance use disorders, mental illness, and abuse on their lives and their communities.
The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is made up of more than 450 funds representing individuals, families, organizations, and corporations in Pima and Santa Cruz counties. The foundation’s mission is to work with charitably minded individuals and organizations to strengthen southern Arizona communities.
Community Prevention Coalition The CPC is a group of partners committed to preventing the onset and reducing the progression of substance abuse including childhood and underage drinking, reducing substance abuse-related problems in communities across Arizona, and building prevention capacity and infrastructure at the state and local levels.
 Devereux Arizona provides treatment programs and community services to children, adults, and families experiencing behavioral challenges brought on by abuse, neglect, mental illness, and/or substance abuse. Included in the array of behavioral health and social welfare services offered are foster care programs and prevention programs.
The Institute for Children, Youth and Families seeks to increase the capacity of the University of Arizona to support research, education, and outreach programs that address the most critical social, emotional, and physical issues facing today's families. ICYF is founded on the Land Grant philosophy and thus is dedicated to creating and sharing knowledge that will contribute to the optimal growth and development of children, youth, and families.
Luz Southside Coalition Luz Southside Coalition is dedicated to addressing community substance abuse prevention and its consequences and associated problems, such as juvenile crime, school dropouts, teen pregnancy, and alcohol and drug use. The coalition has a grassroots approach and wide reach into Tucson's Latino community. It uses coalition building, capacity building, community development and organization, information sharing, and public awareness and advocacy to strengthen community.
Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona The mission of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health is to promote the health of individuals and communities with a special emphasis on diverse populations and the Southwest. The UA Zuckerman College of Public Health provides both undergraduate and graduate education in population-based health disciplines to prepare students for professional and academic public health careers. It is currently the only nationally accredited college of public health in the 12-state Mountain/Pacific region.
 The Metropolitan Education Commission (MEC), composed of 34 Citizen Commissioners, advises, makes recommendations, and serves as an advocate in all areas as they affect the educational welfare of Tucson and Pima County. MEC's goals are to empower and advocate for students, their teachers, and their families; to acknowledge individuals and groups within the community whose exemplary service to students and education merits such special recognition; and to promote graduation from high school as a first step toward an enriched future for students and a realistic sense of their place within the community.
Neighborhood Coordinator/Promotora del Barrio (TUSD) Neighborhood Coordinators build community from the inside out. They recognize what already exists in the community (its assets) and from there they can develop knowledge in the following areas: Education and Leadership; Human Rights and Immigration; Death and Illness; Environmental Health; Personal Health (Physical, Mental, Intellectual, Spiritual and Social); Politics; and Healthy Neighborhoods.
Our Family Services Our Family was created by the merger of Family Counseling Agency and OUR TOWN. With a combined history of more than 75 years of service to our community, our experience and expertise span a comprehensive range of services addressing the needs of at-risk children, youth, families, seniors and neighborhoods.
.JPG) Parenting Arizona is a statewide nonprofit agency with a mission to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. Offered in a nonjudgmental atmosphere of trust and confidentiality, services help to stabilize families and eliminate violence toward children through parent education and support with the philosophy that healthy parenting is the cornerstone to a safe and fruitful childhood. Pima County Medical Society The Pima County Medical Society's mission is to secure unity and harmony in the medical profession in Pima County; to bring together in one organization all reputable, ethical, and competent physicians of Pima County for the purpose of maintaining high standards in the medical profession in Pima County; to develop a high type of ethical practice among its members; and to conserve and promote the public health.
Pima County/Tucson Women's Commission The mission of the Pima County/Tucson Women's Commission is to expose, eliminate, and prevent discrimination against women and to assist women in attaining full equality of opportunity in all aspects of life. The Women's Commission is specifically empowered to represent the rights and needs of the women of Tucson and Pima County, to investigate women's issues, to conduct hearings, to compile reports, and to make recommendations to the mayor and city council and to the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
Planned Parenthood Arizona is a private not-for-profit corporation (501(c)(3)) affiliated with Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Planned Parenthood Arizona provides quality health care and education and training focusing on reproductive and sexual health and advocates for public policy that facilitates access to accurate information and reproductive health care.
 Pro-choice Clergy Pro-Choice Clergy aims to find and raise unapologetically our own voices as religious leaders in support of family planning, quality reproductive health care and sex education, free decision-making by women facing unintended pregnancies, and reducing unintended pregnancies.
 The Sahuaro Girl Scout Council builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The council was chartered in 1935 by Girl Scouts of the USA and is one of more than 300 Girl Scout councils in the United States responsible for organizing and maintaining the quality of Girl Scouting in its jurisdiction of seven southern Arizona counties.
Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF) strives to create and sustain a healthier community through a compassionate, comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS.
 Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault The mission of the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault is to reduce the trauma and incidence of sexual violence by providing treatment and promoting prevention of sexual abuse, incest, molestation and rape. The Center will accomplish this through the provision of services including crisis intervention, specialized mental health services, advocacy, prevention education and professional training.
 Sunnyside Unified School District aims to ensure that all students achieve academic success and contribute positively to a diverse, changing, democratic society. The district operates 13 elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high schools, including one alternative education school, and serves 16,889 students.
University of Arizona National Center of Excellence in Women's Health The mission of UA’s National CoE in Women’s Health is to improve health and promote wellness of all women throughout the lifecycle. The UA National CoE is led by a distinguished and diverse group of UA administrators, clinicians, and researchers with input from community members. The staff is committed to the idea that women deserve health care that supports their unique needs in every stage of their lives; is based on the most recent scientific evidence, and is sensitive to their language, culture, beliefs and lifestyle.
Westside Coalition Weed & Seed Steering Committee Westside Coalition Weed & Seed uses an innovative and comprehensive approach to community revitalization, crime prevention, and law enforcement. It invites neighborhood residents, law enforcement agencies, human service providers, public officials, schools, churches, and business to work together in the shared goal of weeding out the violent crime and seeding in social and economic revitalization.
 Wingspan is Southern Arizona's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community center. Wingspan's mission is to promote the freedom, equality, safety and well-being of LGBT people.
Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona The mission of the Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona is to foster equity and opportunity for women and girls. One of more than a hundred women's funds globally, the foundation advances women's leadership and philanthropy by raising, managing, and granting money to meet the unique needs of women and girls.
Women's Resource Center, Associated Students of the University of Arizona The Women's Resource Center is a nondiscriminatory organization devoted to providing programs that are specifically designed to address significant issues women face today. It offers resources and information by providing access to books and periodicals, informational pamphlets, and contact information of local support groups and other organizations for women.
Youth on their Own Youth on their Own serves students in Pima County schools who, through no fault of their own, find their lives disrupted by the lack of safe, permanent housing and parental support. The organization provides financial assistance, basic human needs, and guidance to over 8,600 homeless teens so each has the opportunity to graduate high school and lead a productive adult life.
YWCA Tucson The mission of YWCA Tucson is to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership, and power and to eliminate racism wherever it exists. To this end, YWCA Tucson offers programs in the areas of social services, financial education for women, women’s leadership development, health education, and racial justice. In addition, specific programs are offered for young women and youth.
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