Date: October 1, 2008
With accurate information and adequate support, young people can make healthy and responsible decisions about having sex and using contraception. Adults can be most effective by providing the information and support needed to promote responsible decision-making in youth and help ensure transition to adulthood is safe and healthy. In addition to this tip sheet, a complete presentation design is available, for your use in educating caring adults about teachable moments.
A teachable moment is a situation where opportunity knocks and is a time at which a person, especially a child, is likely to be particularly disposed to learn something or particularly responsive to being taught or made aware of something. With accurate information and adequate support, young people can make healthy and responsible decisions about having sex and using contraception. Adults can be most effective by providing the information and support needed to promote responsible decision-making in youth and help ensure transition to adulthood is safe and healthy. The goal of this presentation is to educate and empower caring adults, unfamiliar with the field of sexual and reproductive health, to make the most of teachable moments with the young people they serve regarding safer sex and contraceptive choices.
Citation: Healthy Teen Network & Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. (2010). Tip sheet: Opportunity knocks: Using teachable moments to convey safer sex messages to young people. Baltimore: Author.
