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Community Corner

Sex. Youth. Substance Abuse.

Conference on Sexual Behaviors and Substance Abuse of RI Teens and Young Adults 

The Rhode Island HIV Prevention Coalition is sponsoring a one-day conference and training on improving communication with young people about sexual health and substance abuse issues.

Entitled “Got UR Game On?” the Friday, May 2 event will be held at Roger Williams University’s Baypoint Inn and Conference Center, 144 Anthony Road, Portsmouth, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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The conference and training are designed for educators, social workers, health care providers, counselors, faith leaders, community leaders and others interacting with young people ages 11 to 24.

Opening remarks will be from Rhode Island First Lady Stephanie Chafee, and the keynote address will be made by Cynthia Rosengard, PhD, from Brown University who will speak on “Contexts of Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Relationships, Substance Abuse, and Life Transitions.”  There will be an expert panel regarding community efforts to address sexual health and substance abuse.  Panelists include Kobi Dennis of Project: Night Vision; Deborah L. Perry, president and CEO of the YWCA of Rhode Island; and Beata Nelken, MD, a family practitioner at Thundermist in Woonsocket.

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There will also be training sessions available.  Kobi Dennis will present on lessons learned from working with youth; Stump Olsen, of Rhode Island YouthWorks, will present on communications strategies with LGBTQ youth; and Diane Logan, PhD, from Brown University will provide training on motivational interviewing skills.

To register, attendees should send a $20 check to Youth Pride, 743 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903.  On-line registration is available at http://tinyurl.com/p6v8e44 .

The coalition has applied for education credits for physicians, nurses and social workers for the event.

The Rhode Island HIV Prevention Coalition is composed of stakeholders committed to ensuring HIV prevention remains a public health priority.  More information about the coalition is available at. https://www.facebook.com/HIVPreventionCoalition.

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