From underperforming schools to unsafe neighborhoods, from institutional racism to other structural barriers, hindrances often stand in the way of financial success for young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. Given these challenges, many young adults lose hope, thinking they have no way of changing their life trajectories. However, there is a path that frequently leads to the “American Dream” and away from poverty. This path is called the “Success Sequence.” The sequence entails three steps: (1) getting at least a high-school degree, (2) working full-time, and (3) marrying before having children. Young adults who manage to follow the sequence – even in the face of challenges – are much more likely to forge a path to a better economic life. Join Brad Wilcox and Wendy Wang as they discuss how poverty is basically nonexistent among young adults who followed all three steps according to their new analysis of data from the…
Life Skills
50% to 65% of Americans believe that living together before marriage will improve their odds of relationship success, and 70% of newly married couples in the U.S. live together prior to marrying. But is what people believe true? In this webinar, researchers from the University of Denver will briefly highlight the association between premarital cohabitation and marital outcomes. Using the latest findings from a new, national survey on premarital cohabitation conducted in 2022, they will update prior work and findings with people who married for the first time between 2010 and 2019. Join Galena Rhoads and Scott Stanley as they discuss the mechanisms of risk in premarital cohabitation and the implications for working with youth and young adults. The discussion will be followed by an extensive question and answer session. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Describe the historical and latest findings on premarital cohabitation research Understand implications for youth…
For the past 10 years, youth serving programs across the United States have been teaching healthy relationship skills to hundreds of thousands of young people using Relationship Smarts PLUS 4.0 and Love Notes 3.0. Now, The Dibble Institute is excited to announce that both of these evidence-based programs have been updated with brand new information crucial to supporting teens and young adults in today’s world! Both Relationship Smarts PLUS 5.0 and Love Notes 4.0 continue to use a strengths-based, asset building approach to help young people make wise choices about relationships, sex, and the timing of family formation plus setting a path towards achieving their goals. New and updated contents include: Navigating relationships in the digital age Sex trafficking prevention Consent and sexual assault prevention Unique approach to addressing internet porn Current research, music, videos, images Improved activities for greater engagement and easier facilitation Medical accuracy updates on contraceptive and STI information Objectives:…
Youth Voice and Youth Engagement are pillars in youth development and program implementation. As part of the implementation plan for their Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) grant, The YMCA of Greater Louisville partnered with the Teaching and Learning Magnet of Central High School to train seniors as peer facilitators in Love Notes. The peer facilitators then led sessions of Love Notes with adult support, both within their schools and at other community programs. Join YMCA of Louisville’s TPP grant manager, Kelley Luckett, as she describes their model of program implementation that uses peer facilitators to increase both youth voice and engagement. This presentation will demonstrate how this model benefits not only the youth participants but also the peer facilitators. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Describe how the YMCA of Louisville used peer facilitators in the implementation of Love Notes. Explain how the use of peer facilitators increases youth voice. Explain…
Youth Voice and Youth Engagement are pillars in youth development and program implementation. As part of the implementation plan for their Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) grant, The YMCA of Greater Louisville partnered with the Teaching and Learning Magnet of Central High School to train seniors as peer facilitators in Love Notes. The peer facilitators then led sessions of Love Notes with adult support, both within their schools and at other community programs. Join YMCA of Louisville’s TPP grant manager, Kelley Luckett, as she describes their model of program implementation that uses peer facilitators to increase both youth voice and engagement. This presentation will demonstrate how this model benefits not only the youth participants but also the peer facilitators. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Describe how the YMCA of Louisville used peer facilitators in the implementation of Love Notes. Explain how the use of peer facilitators increases youth voice. Explain…
The “Success Sequence” refers to the concept of milestones a young person should complete in their life that are associated with greater economic self-sufficiency and family stability. These steps are most commonly understood as 1) finishing high school, 2) having a full-time job, and 3) waiting for marriage to have children. Up until now, a key part of the Success Sequence has been the order in which a young person achieves these milestones. With funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mathematica conducted an economic analysis of the Success Sequence steps to assess their actual benefits for young people. Join us to discuss Mathematica’s findings about the Success Sequence including new thinking about the order of the milestones, what some alternative pathways may be for young people, and the significance of their order in creating economic self-sufficiency and family stability. Objectives: Participants will be able to explain:…
Join Sarah Halpern-Meekin, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, and of Public Affairs at University of Wisconsin-Madison, to learn about the concept of on-again and off-again relationships known as “Relationship Churning.” Join her as she discusses the frequency of relationship churning among young adults and parents, explains the associated predictors, and reflects on how practitioners can recognize them, including implications for their work. Webinar Participants will be able to: Explain what a churning relationship is Explain the frequency of and factors associated with churning relationships Reflect on the implications of churning relationships for practice Presenters: Sarah Halpern-Meekin, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin – Madison Resources: Relationship Churning Slide Deck + Research The book referenced during the webinar is: Dailey, R. M. (2019). On-again, off-again relationships: Navigating (in) stability in romantic relationships. Cambridge University Press.
From hooking up, to living together, to bearing children prior to clarity about having a future together, relationship and family development has changed. New paradigms have important implications for how we understand the romantic and sexual relationships of young adults. Ambiguity is a preferred condition of relationships for many, which makes it easier to finesse intentions and hide asymmetrical commitment. However, this new relationship paradigm can lead to a person losing life options before making a clear choice about what they want the most. In this webinar, Scott Stanley, Ph.D. will explain the ways motivated ambiguity intersects with types of commitment (e.g., constraint and dedication) to impact mate selection and lasting love. Some themes include the role of commitment in securing attachment, asymmetrical commitment, and research on how common types of relationship transitions can impact long-term outcomes. Objectives: Webinar participants will be able to: Understand how teen and early adulthood…
The prevention educators of Women In Need, Inc., based in north Texas, will share with participants their experiences in developing curriculum to help high school students choose healthy relationships. They will also share with participants their experiences in developing curriculum to help middle school students develop healthy social and emotional skills. In addition, participants will hear how Women In Need’s prevention educators utilize Love Notes 3.0 to serve at-risk teens. Finally, participants will be reminded of the significance of ongoing curriculum evaluation and modification. Participants will be encouraged to adopt a process of curriculum evaluation and modification that works best for their organizations and the students they serve. Objectives: Webinar participants will understand: The history, mission, and services of Women In Need, Inc. (WIN). WIN’s Teen Dating Violence Prevention curriculum for high school students designed to help them choose healthy relationships. WIN’s prevention education curriculum for middle school students designed to…
Working directly with teens to robustly build healthy relationship skills gives us a unique and positive approach for primary and secondary dating violence prevention with males and females. Developing adolescents’ knowledge about and skills for their romantic lives is an especially effective approach to deescalating conflict, developing a personal sense of responsibility, and staying safe. This webinar will: Review the research on comprehensive relationship education as it relates to teen dating violence; Explore how relationship education positively impacts other outcomes for adolescents, and Learn strategies that participants can use to bring evidence-based relationship skills to their schools and communities. Presenter: Kay Reed, President and Executive Director, The Dibble Institute Resources: HRE for Dating Violence Prevention Among High-Risk Youth NIJ Journal Issue Number 261 Relationship Smarts Plus Sample Lesson STOP SV-A Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence Teen Dating Violence as a Public Health Issue
Adolescence now lasts longer than ever, and the adolescent brain is surprisingly malleable. These new discoveries make this time of life crucial in determining a person’s ultimate success and happiness. From Dr. Steinberg’s book, “Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence,” he will present: The teenage brain’s potential for change, The elongation of adolescence as a developmental stage, The implications of each for how we parent, educate, and understand young people. Presenter: Distinguished Psychology Professor Laurence Steinberg, PhD, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.
Did you know that a “dibble” is a garden tool used to plant seeds? No small coincidence that our founder, Charlie Dibble, recognized the need to help youth grow healthy relationship skills. Join the staff of The Dibble Institute as we explore the “inside scoop” on effective tools to help youth develop the skills and knowledge needed for growing satisfying and healthy romantic, family, and work relationships. At the end of this webinar, participants will learn: Who is behind The Dibble name and what is our mission, How The Dibble Institute achieves our mission, and What services The Dibble Institute provides to help you meet your goals for teens and young adults. Presenters: The Staff of The Dibble Institute Resources: Dibble Curricula
Significant numbers of teens and young adults use social media as their main source of communicating with friends both those they have met in person and online. Today’s technology allows adolescents instant but distant access to each other yet at what price?. We wonder – “How will social media affect young people’s ability to build healthy, ongoing relationships? How will the new technologies affect their social skills? What can we do to help teens and young adults navigate this new terrain safely while building essential interpersonal skills?” Join Jennifer Myers and Aaron Larson as they: Share how social media impacts the relationships and interactions of teens and young adults. Introduce a just-released supplementary lesson from Relationship Smarts PLUS on Technology and Social Media, using the new Dibble Digital platform. Presenters: Jennifer Myers, M.A., L.P.A., University of North Carolina, Wilmington,Carolina Counseling Center and Aaron Larson, Dibble Digital Coordinator. Resources: September 2014 Webinar…
Teen parenting, poor refusal skills, early sexual involvement, and family complexity characterize the experiences of many youthful offenders. When teens and young adults are incarcerated, they often return to society still lacking healthy relationship skills necessary for successful family reunification and job retention. Relationship Smarts Plus and Love Notes curricula are about the building of the developmental assets missing in this population. Attendees will hear how a youth detention program is tackling this issue and a re-entry program experienced successful outcomes by addressing relationship skills first and job skills second. Presenters: Marcia White, IMPACT Community Action, Columbus, OH; Re-Entry Program, Relationship Education/Workforce Readiness and Laura Waggle, Perry County Detention Center, OH; Relationship Education in Juvenile Corrections; sponsored thru Forever Dads and the Ohio Office of Jobs and Families Resources: August 2014 Webinar PPT