j----_. - New York Civil Liberties Union

Mahopac 075
Prepare for the Class 8 "Visit or
Call a Clinic" Assignment
In Class 8, students will be given an assignment to visit or call a
clinic. At this time, read the Class 8 section to determine the possible
options for this assignment. Well before Class 8 you should begin to
learn more about local clinics. To facilitate students' visit to a clinicwhich
may be the most important single element in the entire curriculum-you
will need to know:
1. what clinics in your community are available to handle the students
who wish to visit;
2. what the clinics' guidelines are regarding the number of students
who can visit at a time;
3. whether appointments are needed prior to visits;
4. how many total students they can serve; and
5. the best times to call or answer questions.
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Individual visits to the clinic are the most effective for enhancing
students' ability to attend a clinic. At some future date if they want
birth control or protection, other arrangements can also increase their
comfort with going to a clinic. These arrangements, as described in
Class 8, are field trips and speakers. If visits to a clinic are not feasible,
then one or both of the latter arrangements must be developed
before Class 8.
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Using Role Plays
This curriculum moves to the beat of "practice, practice, practice."
Students get considerable experience talking to their peers in order to
learn to manage situations that might otherwise lead to unprotected
sex. Because such situations are, in real space and time, more highly
charged than they are in the classroom, students must overlearn ways
to handle themselves. If they complete the curriculum and are still
tentative about what to say and do, then their chances of being clear
and forceful in the throes of romance are not great. Some students and
classes see each role playas a new challenge, which is how it was
designed. The role plays become more challenging för students as the
lessons progress. Others see them each as the same, and after a few
role plays their interest ebbs. The practice is more important than the
way they practice, so teachers should feel free to create alternative
ways to role-play. Teachers have reported success with the following
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