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! These lessons can be adapted to work in non-classroom environments, including after-school programs or groups within a youth-serving organization.
Read more: Background and Introduction to BFFHR
Overview and What’s Included
-
We want all youth to have healthy friendships and relationships.
To prevent youth not only from experiencing violence but from using violence against others.
Unfortunately, violence in relationships is common.
One in four youth will experience some form of violence or trauma before they turn 18 (Child Maltreatment, Facts at a Glance, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2014).
The best violence prevention is health promotion. Health and happiness are grounded in healthy relationships.
-
Lesson 0 applies to all levels
Level 1, lessons 1-4
Level 2, lessons 1-4
Level 3, lessons 1-4
Lessons plans in English and Spanish
PowerPoint Slides for Classroom Use
-
The curriculum provides a complete list of additional resources for learning, for both the instructor and youth.
-
Any individual who works with youth can use this curriculum! When purchasing the curriculum, the price ($350) refers to 1 instructor/individual.
-
Included are guiding principles and suggestions on teaching about violence prevention to youth effectively. CARES Northwest is available to provide additional help to instructors on a case-by-case basis.
-
Ready to become an instructor and start using our lessons?
K-12 curriculum created by CARES Northwest. Purchasing today for $350 provides 1 instructor with immediate access to lessons. Please fill out this required form about the instructor and you will then be taken to check-out. If payment needs to be through mail, check, or an organization requests an invoice, please contact caresnwadmin@lhs.org with “BFFHR Purchase Support” in the subject line. Please note that you are purchasing a single license, and you may not charge participants using this curriculum, nor is it available for purchase by another entity. Full content license agreement here.