What is The EDGE?
Maybe you’ve just landed on this blog through a search, or maybe your student brought home a permission form for the program in their school. Regardless of how you got here, it’s important that you know why we are here.
The EDGE is the education department of the The Care Center, Rhea County’s local pregnancy help medical clinic. While The Care Center provides pregnancy testing and limited ultrasound, as well as material support, The EDGE’s focus is students in the classroom.
The program as long been a vital part of Rhea County. Though not under the same name, I actually was a participant in the program more than 20 years ago! That’s a pretty well-established program if you ask me.
The EDGE is a risk avoidance program for teens. We encourage whole-person health (health that encompasses not just a physical aspect, but an emotional and mental aspect as well) that can be obtained by making healthy choices, such as avoiding alcohol, drugs, and gang activity. In addition, we believe that the healthiest relationship for sexual activity is not a teenage relationship, and we equip students with the knowledge and refusal skills to avoid these risky behaviors. We encourage students to completely eliminate risky behavior, rather than merely reduce it.
We work in grades six through nine, in several counties including Rhea, Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties, and also serve Sale Creek, Rockwood and Harriman. We are so very thankful for the school systems and teachers which open their classrooms to us.
Our program builds upon itself. Our sixth graders aren't getting the same lessons that our ninth graders receive. It is entirely age appropriate. For example, our sixth graders learn about the importance of family, dealing with peer pressure, puberty, the influence of media and entertainment and begin establishing boundaries for healthy relationships.
Our students are sent home with a permission form before we present at the school. We firmly believe that students are influenced by their parents, and strive to establish parental contact. We want to make our resources available for parents to implement at home, and help them to establish good communication skills with their teens.
Our goal is never to replace the parents. Our goal is to equip parents to have these conversations with their students. Our goal is to educate students on the truth that decisions matter, and can have lasting consequences. Our goal is to equip students with the skills necessary not just for healthy romantic relationships, but friendships as well.
Sometimes, we face mixed reviews. Because honestly, it can seem like a big subject for a sixth grader to grasp. Many times, as parents, we want to believe our kids are underexposed to these things, when thanks to media, especially social media, they are actually overexposed. With most teens getting their TV fix through streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, any number of inappropriate messages is available at their fingertips at any moment of the day. From shows like 13 Reasons Why, to Big Mouth, to Riverdale and Sex Education (which is anything but), our teens are bombarded with the message of “me.”
We want to turn students’ focus from themselves to others. We want them to be future-focused, and understand that it is important to set goals and have dreams. We want them to realize that they are responsible for what they think, say and do, and to recognize that their decisions today determine their future.