Strathmore Pregnancy Care Centre offers education about healthy relationships

Times Contributor 

 

As another school year begins, Strathmore Pregnancy Care Centre (SPCC) again offers school-based programs to help young people make healthy relationship choices. The programs are presented by staff of the Calgary Pregnancy Care Centre, of which SPCC is a satellite.

For high school classes, the SPCC offers sessions about abuse and media influence, and a program called Take Charge, which presents the abstinence component of Alberta’s CALM (Career and Life Management) curriculum.

“We really want to help our young people, and people in general, to think critically about their decisions,” says Jutta Wittmeier, director at the Calgary centre. “A lot of kids have heard about abstinence, but they really don’t think it’s viable, and media doesn’t present it as viable. Our program helps them think it through, and (to) realize that it is a viable option and maybe even beneficial, because they have a lot of goals to achieve in their lives.”

The SPCC also offers age-appropriate programs for Grade 7, 8, and 9 classes, and parenting seminars to help parents talk to preteens and teenagers about challenging issues. 

“Parents (and families) are still the first educators,” says Wittmeier. “When you think about young people and brain development, you realize that they’re making some of the most critical life-changing decisions at the time when … their brain is not ready to make those decisions … parents and teachers are invaluable in that whole process.”

In all school programs, “we communicate information that is scientific and accurate,” the most up-to-date information from Alberta Health and Health Canada, Wittmeier says. 

“We ask students to apply it to their own values, rather than giving our values,” she emphasizes. “We want (students) to use critical thinking skills. We do a very interactive program, where they’re asking questions and they’re figuring it out for themselves.”

The SPCC and CPCC request evaluations after every presentation and “they’re consistently positive,” Wittmeier says. “We’re invited back (to schools), year after year.” 

They also get many invitations from teachers who’ve heard about the programs from others.

The SPCC, which opened this spring, is currently open two days a week, staffed by coordinator Jenn Page. In addition to school programs, the Strathmore centre offers “options, conversations, ongoing support and clothing,” Wittmeier says. 

In addition, the Calgary centre’s programs are all available in Strathmore.

They offer a birthmothers’ support group, for women who have placed, or are considering placing, children for adoption. Their Post-Abortion Recovery Education is “a group for women who have experienced abortion and are having some struggles with it,” Wittmeier says. They offer men’s programs, as well. This September, the centre will also host Expose 2: A Pornography Awareness Conference.

The CPCC’s 24-hour hotline, 403-269-3110, lets people “have a conversation with someone day and night, any time,” Wittmeier says. 

For information about programs, or to make an appointment, see www.pregcare.com. For information about Expose 2, see www.pregcare.com/expose2.

The website also provides opportunities for community members to donate financially, or to contact Jenn Page about donating new or gently-used maternity and baby clothes.

“We’re just excited to be able to build this program in (Strathmore),” Wittmeier says. “It’s a free and confidential service to the Strathmore community. We have always had clients coming in from Strathmore … so we’re really glad that … they can access those services within their own community.”