Sexting educational public workshop set for Aug. 30

    Sexting and other unsafe cellphone behaviors are being addressed through a series of events and activities sponsored by Holyoke School District Re-1J this fall.
    The first event is set for Wednesday, Aug. 30, when Ruthie Kolb from Colorado Youth Matter will be the speaker at a workshop for the public from 6-7:30 p.m in the HHS auditorium.
    A faculty session will precede the public workshop, and Kolb will work with students Thursday morning, Aug. 31, with the focus being grades 5-12.
    Holyoke Superintendent John McCleary noted, “This is an effort to curb what I can only describe as an epidemic among our students and among students throughout the state of Colorado and the United States.”
    He sees next week’s workshop as something to educate students in ongoing work to promote digital citizenship.
    The workshop will focus on how to turn reactive stances on media usage into positive youth development, risk reduction and a strengths-based approach to positively address a young person’s sexual health.
    Utilizing activities, discussion and research findings, the workshop will educate staff, community and students as they discuss the concerns, consequences, reactions and possible solutions regarding sexting and media usage.
    Kolb has a background in reproductive health and education. As training manager, she combines her training in both fields to help educators bring effective and meaningful sexual health education to their classrooms.
    She began her education experience in 2005 when she worked in curriculum design, teacher training, education research and project management with the education program for gifted youth at Stanford University.
    Following that, she received her teaching licensure and worked as a high school math teacher. Her sexual-health interests began when she spent her pre-med practicum with an OB-GYN in 2004. Since then, she has studied to be a doula and a postpartum coach.