Sexual Risk Avoidance Education

The purpose of the SRAE program is to promote sexual risk avoidance education as defined by section 1110 of the Social Security Act, for adolescents. The focus of the program is to teach participants how to voluntarily refrain from non-marital sexual activity, and teach the benefits associated with self-regulation, success sequencing for poverty prevention, healthy relationships, goal setting, resisting sexual coercion, dating violence, and other youth risk behaviors such as underage drinking or illicit drug use without normalizing teen sexual activity. Recipients use an evidenced based approach and/or evidence-informed strategies to educate youth on how to avoid risks that could lead to non-marital sexual activity. SRAE projects are implemented using a Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework as part of risk avoidance strategies, to help participants build healthy life skills, develop individual protective factors that reduce risks, empower youth to make healthy decisions, and provide tools and resources to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Linking program participants to services provided by local community partners that support the safety and well-being of youth is also a key component to the program. The services are targeted to youth ages 10 to 19 and participants that reside in areas with high rates of teen births and/or are at greatest risk of contracting STIs. The program’s goals are to empower participants to make healthy decisions, and provide tools and resources to prevent pregnancy, STIs, and youth engagement in other risky behaviors. Recipients must agree to use medically accurate information referenced to peer-reviewed publications by educational, scientific, governmental, or health organizations and implement an evidence-based approach integrating research findings with practical implementation that aligns with the needs and desired outcomes for the intended audience.