Love U2®: Relationship Smarts Plus
Love U2® is a curriculum designed to help middle and high-school students cultivate a "North Star" for developing healthy relationships. In the Love U2® curricula, issues such as attraction, infatuation, rejection, falling in love, emotions, dating, breaking up, and dealing with a broken heart are addressed.
Teachers, counselors, nurses, and volunteers are trained by ChildBuilders™ to deliver 13 program sessions.
Why is this program important? From healthy relationships grow healthy families.
The goal of Love U2® is to arm students with knowledge and skills that will empower them to form healthy relationships now and strong marriages in the future. Divorce rates in the U.S. have been steadily increasing over the past few decades and parents are not the only ones to feel the effects of divorce. Single-parenthood can contribute to:
- school dropout
- teen pregnancy
- juvenile delinquency
Domestic violence and/or aggression in parental relationships can increase aggression and disruptive behavior in the children who witness it, whether the parents are married or not.
According to the Houston Area Women's Center, "teens are more likely than adults to be confused about appropriate behaviors in intimate relationships, due to their lack of experience. They may confuse jealousy and possessiveness with expressions of love." Love U2® teaches students healthy relationship skills to help them avoid situations like these. Basic relationship skills include:
- what to say and do in the early stages
- how to get to know someone
- how to assess a relationship
- how to avoid attachment to problem partners
Love U2® was created by Marline Pearson, a nationally recognized expert on teen relationship education. The U.S. government approved the curricula for Administration for Children and Families Healthy Demonstration Grant Activity 4: Education in high schools on the value of marriage and relationships skills.
There are thirteen activity-based lessons focused on navigating the world of teen relationships.
- In addition topics previously mentioned, students also learn about:
- Building relationships that are not based on sex
- Domestic violence prevention
- Dating skills
- Healthy and unhealthy romantic relationships
- Effective communication and non-violent conflict resolution
- The importance of a strong commitment and marriage