OCTOPUS--a church-based sex education program for teens and parents

OCTOPUS is the acronym for a rural, church-based sex education program for teens and parents. The tentacles symbolize the agencies and individuals involved in this multi-faceted community outreach program designed to promote "Open Communication Regarding Teenagers Or Parents Understanding of Sexuality." Its purpose was to establish a forum for family discussion within a church setting to enhance communication skills, convey factual information, and cultivate the development of a decision-making process to help parents help their teenagers acquire appropriate morals and values. The OCTOPUS program was a team effort comprised of nurses, health educators, and counselors with experience serving adolescents, ministers who sought to integrate religious views with sex education, and church and community members interested in improving dialogue between parents and teenagers about sexuality. The team developed a comprehensive yet flexible program that could be modified to meet each church's preferences. Generally, the topics were arranged into four two-hour sessions. Presentation methods included a combination of lectures, films, and pamphlets. Large and small group discussions were used for clarification and communication skills development. While the results of this program were not quantifiable, feedback from four churches and one-hundred participants has been highly favorable.