Parent Talk

Empowering Parents

Empowering 
Parents

Talk’s Parent Program was developed and refined at Carnegie Mellon University’s Institute for Social Innovation and designed as a complement to the student programming.

Parent Talk empowers parents to foster an open and ongoing dialogue with their children about sexuality and other sensitive topics.

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Teens consistently say that parents most influence their decisions about sex.

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Parents consistently underestimate their own influence, and overestimate the role of peers and the media.

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Talk’s Parent Programming bridges that gap.

Source: The National Campaign

Parents play a critical role in teens making healthy decisions, and it’s time they start having the talk.

The Goal

Equip Parents As The Primary Sexuality Educators of Their Children

Empowering Parents

Most parents find discussing sexuality-related topics with their children a daunting and awkward prospect. It is often unclear what to say, how to say it, and where to start.

As a result, many parents don’t talk, and teens are left to navigate on their own.

Talk’s Parent Program prepares parents to foster an open and ongoing dialogue with their children about sexuality and other sensitive topics, and helps parents position themselves as a resource of choice in an effort to guide their teen’s decision making.

empowering parents sex ed
helping parents talk with teens about sexual health

Impactful Outcomes

Parents who complete the program:

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Consistently say that Talk helped to alleviate the anxiety they feel about speaking with their children about sex and sexuality.

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View educating their children about sex and sexuality as their primary responsibility.

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Report success in capitalizing on teachable moments to instill their beliefs and values.

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Report more frequent productive communication about sexuality-related topics with their children

What Parents Say About The Program

“Once I started recognizing TEACHABLE MOMENTS, I saw them everywhere, and I’ve already had a slew of important CONVERSATIONS I wouldn’t have otherwise. Thank you, Talk!”

“I didn’t know I had it in me, but apparently I do! My kids actually seek me out now to help them make SENSE of the things they see and feel, and I couldn’t be more GRATEFUL.”

“Having a SUPPORT network of other parents has been INVALUABLE. It’s been a year since our official program ended, but our group still gets together regularly TO TALK!”

“My child recently “CAME OUT.” Had Talk not PREPARED ME for having this CONVERSATION, I don’t know if it would have gone as well as it did – or if it would have happened at all.”

Teen
Talk

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Classroom Programming

parent
Talk

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Empowering Parents

chat fiction research

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Scaling Talk

Campus
Talk

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Chat Stories