By HM staff

Candor Health Education continued providing school-based health education during the pandemic to ensure that young people received time sensitive prevention information Communities experienced increased youth mental health needs and more teens experimented with alcohol and drugs to deal with anxiety/stress/boredom. We continue to raise funds so we can offer a sliding scale to help schools all over Chicagoland access our high-quality programs. Our supporters participated in our annual Golf Invitational at Ruth Lake Country Club in September 2021, and we are hosting “UNWINED: Raise a Glass to Health” on February 26, 2022, in Hinsdale at Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge to raise funds we can continue to serve youth in underresourced communities. Last year, our 12 health educators taught drug prevention and sex education programs to nearly 60,000 4th – 8th graders across eleven Illinois counties. Thankfully Candor Health Education already had a robust online Learning Management System before Covid-19 affected school-based programming. We quickly revamped our existing programs and offered live virtual and fully online learning options for schools doing remote learning or hybrid schedules.

In the end, 93% of students received virtual classes last year. We tested learning results and were happy to see that students learned as much during live virtual programs as when a Candor educator was in their school classroom. We are now marketing virtual programs downstate and exploring markets in neighboring states to increase health literacy among young people. Candor Health Education drug prevention and sex education programs provide essential skill building opportunities for young people and support parents and guardians so they can better understand the unique journey of adolescents and be ready to have ongoing conversations about avoiding risky behaviors such as sexting and marijuana use. Learn more about our unique programming and online parent resources on our website: www.candorhealthed.org You may also follow us on social media or sign up for a monthly e-newsletter to stay informed about current trends in youth drug use and protective factors that help kids become more independent while avoiding negative consequences. We are excited to offer a new program for 5th – 7th graders called “Navigating Middle School Years.” This class will be launched in 2022 and it helps students build their resilience so they can make healthy choices during this key developmental time.

*Photo provided by Candor Health Education