Building Foundations for Healthy Relationships (BFFHR) Curriculum

Building Foundations for Healthy Relationships (BFFHR) is a child abuse prevention and healthy relationships curriculum created by CARES Northwest located in Portland, Oregon. BFFHR contains 12 lessons (4 lessons at 3 different age/developmental levels) intended to build knowledge of healthy relationships for youth aged 10 – 15 years old.

About BFFHR

BFFHR utilizes best practices and research to address the root causes of violence and the factors that help youth heal, grow, and thrive. Topics include empathy, bullying, consent and boundaries, dating and sexual violence, power dynamics, and child sexual abuse. In addition, BFFHR relies on inclusive and culturally relevant teaching theories and practices and centers the perspectives and voices of youth in their own education.

How can BFFHR be used?

The 12 lessons in BFFHR span 4 different relationship topic areas (personal, friendship, dating, and adult and youth) across three levels (starting with simpler language for younger ages/development and ranging up to more in-depth discussion for older ages/development). While they do build on each other to promote consistent messaging as youth grow, they do not have to be done in order or in full. The goal is that BFFHR’s lessons are flexible to best meet the needs of each community that uses it!

Background and Introduction to BFFHR

Overview and What’s Included