Bee Busy Inc. Case Study
Organization: Bee Busy Inc.
URL: https://beebusy.org/
Program Name: Project Capture and Motivate (Project CAM)
Funding: Competitive PREP (Federal teen pregnancy prevention grant)
What Problem is Being Solved? Bee Busy’s mission is to build a strong, healthy community by enhancing the quality of life for individuals and families. Through this funding Bee Busy’s health educators are delivering evidence-based relationship education programming as a form of preventing unhealthy relationships and pregnancy in addition to helping youth develop important life skills.
Youth also have the opportunity to build technical skills through an added youth development component that entails media production. After completing Love Notes, youth are taught video production skills, learn how to produce podcasts, and more. Youth utilize what they have learned from Love Notes to create videos and other digital content which is shared with other youth in the community.
Curricula Used: Love Notes Classic
Curricula Benefits:
Meets the requirements for FSBY federal PREP funding.
- Teen Pregnancy Prevention EBP plus
- Adult Preparation topics:
- Healthy Relationships
- Adolescent Development
- Parent-Child Communication
- Healthy Life Skills
- Educational and Career Success
Relationship education — Youth are better equipped to build healthy relationships using the skills learned in Love Notes
Goal setting — Youth set goals for their futures
Connections with trusted adults — Youth have an expanded definition of who can be a trusted adult in their lives. In addition to reaching out to a parent/caregiver, youth are reaching out to other adults in their lives.
Target Audience: High school students (grades 9-12)
Audience Demographics: All the youth are high school students, the majority of whom are economically disadvantaged and at-risk. Common challenges encountered by youth include truancy, gangs, substance use, poverty, and trafficking.
Participant race/ethnicity (approximate values)
60% Hispanic
30% African American
10% Other
Class Size: Approximately 20 youth per class
Program Setting: Classroom-based implementation in health, physical education, science, AVID, or career preparedness/life skills classes during school hours
Location of Instruction: High schools in Houston, Texas, and surrounding areas
Length of Instruction (# of Sessions and Hours per Session): Session length varies by school. The health educators typically meet with each class for one session per week.
In schools where each class is 45 minutes, the team completes approximately one lesson per class period and will meet with the youth over 10 weeks. Health educators complete all 13 lessons in 10 sessions.
In schools where each class is 90 minutes, the team completes approximately two lessons per class period and will meet with the youth over 5 weeks. Health educators complete all 13 lessons in 5 sessions.
Instructors: Instructors are health educators all of whom have been trained in Love Notes. Bee Busy utilizes a co-facilitation model meaning two health educators lead the Love Notes sessions. When possible, the team pairs a man and a woman together as co-facilitators.
Adaptations: No adaptations to Love Notes content.
Bee Busy incorporates a media production component to teach youth new skills and reinforce the knowledge learned in Love Notes. As youth learn multimedia skills, hidden talents are often unlocked and then utilized to create videos, short films, posters, podcasts and more. The content is then shared with other youth in the community which drives continued interest for Project CAM.
Student Workbooks: Students utilize the Love Notes participant journals.
Incentives to Teachers and Students: Teachers and students are given Bee Busy gear including stress balls, towels, and lanyards that have positive messages.
Students are asked to bring their Love Notes journal to each class. Bee Busy hosts a pizza party for the class that brings their Love Notes journals most consistently.
Observable Outcomes: Bee Busy is utilizing exit surveys and will have data available after their next cohort of youth complete Love Notes. Teachers love the curriculum and the Bee Busy team has a waitlist for schools and classes that have requested for their students to receive Love Notes.
Youth give positive feedback about Love Notes saying statements like, “this is needed” or “all my friends should go through this program.”
Challenges: Teachers suggested getting youth more involved with lessons to increase their overall engagement. The Bee Busy team started to pass out scenario cards and asked youth to volunteer to read the cards to increase their participation and have seen improved engagement.
In previous funding where Love Notes was implemented, the Bee Busy team realized sessions may need to be canceled which can present a challenge for delivering all of the Love Notes content. As part of this grant, the Bee Busy team now schedules an extra day in the classroom as a buffer in the event a session needs to be canceled. This ensures that all content will be delivered.
Tips: Prior to going into a school or classroom, the Bee Busy team hosts an initial meeting on Zoom with teachers and runs through a list of questions together to ensure everyone is on the same page. Teachers also have the opportunity to ask any of their questions to the team. By the end of the meeting, the Bee Busy team and teachers will agree on the dates Love Notes will be delivered in their class. It is crucial to be transparent in communication and also flexible when needed. Words can get lost in emails which is why meeting via Zoom is helpful.
A week or two before the health educators begin their implementation, they reach out to the teachers to remind them they will be coming to their class soon. The health educators also remind the teachers to distribute consent forms to students, and to get a copy of the rosters.
Bee Busy also offers in-person parent academies at the school before they begin their implementation. Bee Busy staff attends parent night and brings a copy of the Love Notes instructor manual for parents to look through. The team is available to answer any questions.