Ohio Abstinence Education Program Services

The Abstinence Education program at the Ohio Department of Health provides leadership for abstinence education in Ohio by

Encouraging healthy choices among adolescents in order to develop into healthy Ohioans.
Providing parents and other encouraging adults with positive resources they can use to discuss good decision making with children.
Supporting new and established abstinence education providers with funding, ancillary materials, workshops, conferences, technical assistance and partnership.
Lending materials from the Abstinence Education Program Resource Library to those who wish to preview various abstinence curricula, books, brochures and videos.
Developing supplementary resources that address Ohio-specific needs related to abstinence education.
Collaborating with other state and local agencies to provide a uniform message of the benefits of youth sexual abstinence.
Acquainting health educators, teachers and other youth-serving groups with the requirements and benefits of abstinence education in Ohio.
Raising the overall profile of abstinence education in Ohio.

Our program targets all sectors of Ohio society:

Youth: Subgrantees work directly with Ohio youth to encourage them in the choice of abstinence for their health. Youth are the key to our future. The skills they learn in abstinence programs will prepare them for productive lives in society as they use the transferable qualities of ethical living and character growth and development in each aspect of their lives. Abilities learned in programs will help them in their present circumstances as they learn relationship, decision making, and refusal skills.
Abstinence Educators: We want to work closely with all abstinence educators in the state, freely communicating with one another and with their communities in order to promote a single uniform message of abstinence.
State and Community Agencies (including local health departments): Many agencies are not familiar with Ohio’s abstinence program, nor are they familiar with the benefits of this message to youth. We wish to raise the awareness among these key agencies in order to jointly seek the healthiest premarital lifestyle for Ohio’s youth.
Anyone else: This includes parents, public officials, media and faith-based organizations. Strategies to implement the healthy message of premarital abstinence throughout the community helps to strengthen the message and make it more viable.

Last Updated: 4/18/05