Sustainable Change?

Assisting this population in safe choices and providing the right information for healthy relationships is something I am very passionate about.   I’m not sure if I made a huge impact on the students but even if one student feels more comfortable talking and asking about these issues, I think the project was worthwhile.  I obviously do not have the answers for all of the topics I covered. Instead of playing teacher, I tried to help the students understand who they can go to with these questions. I also wanted them to realize they are all dealing with similar situations and talking to one another can be helpful.

These students are all working out in the community completely independently. They require support in many areas but have achieved a successful level of independence at work. To their coworkers, they are perceived just like anyone else. I want this level of equality to transfer as much as possible to their social lives.  The students deserve the opportunity to make and keep friends who are not living at Cardinal Cushing.  Having a better understanding of social networking, alcohol, healthy relationships directly correlates with the individual’s ability to connect with a coworker and friend.

We don’t have to ask our friends to be CORI checked before grabbing a slice of pizza with them. If we did, do you think they would want to spend time with us? This population is forced to face this question on a daily basis. Having this conversation with a new friend can be confusing and anxiety inducing but the more the students practice the better they will be at explaining the situation.