SRAE: Making a Difference!
"Making a Difference" is one of three evidence-based programs available to Sexual Risk Avoidance Education projects in New York State. (The other two are the youth development programs Project AIM and Teen Outreach Program.) Designed for younger adolescents, Making a Difference is an eight-module curriculum that emphasizes abstinence skill building. The program was created for young adolescents by the same team that developed the popular "Be Proud! Be Responsible!" and "Making Proud Choices" curricula. For more information on program content, visit ETR: Making a Difference.
Implementing Making a Difference
Successful implementation of evidence-based programs requires significant planning. Use the template below to create your implementation plan.
Implementation guidelines make clear the program developer's recommendations as well adaptations you may need to consider. Take these guidelines into account as you plan for implementation.
Adaptations
While some adaptations will render a program ineffective (for example, turning a skill-building activity into a lecture), others are necessary (updating language to make a program more inclusive of specific populations, for example). Whenever possible, necessary adaptations should be planned in advance, working with ACT for Youth.
Planned Adaptations: Master Lists
To help you plan, implement, and report adaptations systematically, ACT for Youth has developed a planning tool for Making a Difference. When planning adaptations, it's important to keep in mind the program developer's implementation guidelines (see above). The tool below will aid you in creating a "master list" of adaptations, which in turn will help all educators prepare, keep everyone on the same page, and simplify reporting. Note that a master list should be prepared for each setting in which you plan to implement the program.
Unplanned Adaptations
When adaptations happen on the fly, they must also be recorded. All data on adaptations can help us understand how to improve program implementation. To facilitate note-taking, the document below has a notes section for each activity.
Documentation
All adaptations — planned and unplanned — must be recorded in the SRAE Online Reporting System.