Building Relationship Skills Newsletter
March 2003

• Greetings!
• Teaching CONNECTIONS?
• Conferences
• New Resources –
Being Yourself
Exploring Healthy Relationships
Should We Live Together?
• FREE Resources!
• How You Can Help

Dear friends,

Given the situation we find ourselves in today, I take inspiration for our work with young people from the following quote:

"At a time when the nation is understandably preoccupied with global events and with economic turmoil, it is doubly important that we not neglect the most important long-term investment any society can and should make -- an investment in its children. "

-- Carl Schramm, president and CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman
Foundation, (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Press Release 03/13/03)

Thank you for helping young people to learn positive and productive relationship skills!

Kay Reed (kayreed@dibbleinstitute.org)
President

Teaching CONNECTIONS?

We frequently receive calls from the press and others who want to observe CONNECTIONS being taught. This is your chance to make a difference on a larger scale! Please keep us informed of when you will be teaching either CONNECTIONS: Relationships and Marriage or CONNECTIONS: Dating and Emotions. That way the next time TIME Magazine or The Times of London calls and wants an East Coast, Mid-West or West Coast reporter to observe the program, I’ll be ready and you could be in the spotlight!

Please let us know by emailing your general timing ( ie May or late March - early April) back to this list serve along with your contact information and which program you are teaching.

Thanks!

Kay

CONFERENCES

Dibble Institute resources will be on display at well over 60 conferences during the year 2003. To see if there is a conference near you, please see a listing on the conference page of our website. If you would like to find out more information about any of these conferences, please feel free to contact us.

If you know of a conference or meeting of people who would like to see our relationship skills resources, please let us know. We’d like to get the word out about the best practices relationship skills programs we’ve developed and found. And, we appreciate your help!

SMART MARRIAGE CONFERENCE

The annual Smart Marriage Conference will be held this year in Reno, Nevada from June 26-29. Many youth relationship skills programs will be there. Char Kamper will be presenting workshops on the CONNECTIONS program and Dr. Scott Gardner will be telling us about his most recent research on CONNECTIONS. Nancy McLaren from the Loving Well Project at Boston University will be there as well. This conference is always full of the latest research and resources. This is its first time to be held in the West, so do try to attend since it won’t be in our time zone again for many years. Conference details and registration can be found at www.SmartMarriages.com.

We are introducing three NEW RESOURCES to help you understand and teach relationship skills. These can be found on the resource page of our website.

• BEING YOURSELF; EXPERIENCING SUCCESS IN RELATIONSHIPS
[grades 5-8]
(Excellent pre-curser to CONNECTIONS: Dating & Emotions!)
These 10 one-hour lessons help youth manage themselves effectively when relating to people and situations. By using “I-Sight,” a researched, self-assessment instrument, participants will have the opportunity to develop behavior competencies leading to a better understanding of personal motivations, greater self-awareness, more effective self-regulation, taking responsibility for performance, greater empathy for others and improved social skills. For use with classrooms, small groups, athletic teams and clubs. Ready to use: activity materials listed; reproducible overhead transparencies and name card masters. 69 pp. instructor’s binder; 50 pp. student workbook.
Dennis E. Macha and Charlene R. Kamper.
Instructors Kit $90.00
Set of 5 workbooks $40.00

• EXPLORING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS [grades 7-12]
By introducing the four keys of a healthy relationship (mutual respect, open communication, trust and boundaries), students learn how they can use these elements successfully in their relationships with peers, parents, siblings and teachers. 22-minute video, extensive teacher’s resource book with 9 student activities. Human Relations Media. $139.95.

• SHOULD WE LIVE TOGETHER? [Adult resource.]
What Young Adults Need to Know about Cohabitation before Marriage; A comprehensive review of recent research.
Excellent resource for youth leaders.
The National Marriage Project, 20 pages, $7.00.

FREE RESOURCES!
We are currently sending out a FREE copy of “Why Marriage Matters” with every order. Also, upon request, we will send you a free copy of “Can Kids Get Smart about Marriage?” Please see our resource page for more information.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Dibble Institute for Marriage Education is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young people learn skills which enable successful relationships and marriages. We serve as a nationwide advocate and resource for youth marriage education and publish materials which help teach relationship skills.

The Dibble Institute finances these activities through the sales of educational materials as well as from donations. With your ongoing support we can continue to help change the culture of marriage and divorce through teaching young people relationship skills. The Dibble Institute receives no government funds, we must rely on your generosity to provide young people with skills for today and hope for tomorrow.

Secure credit card donations can be made on-line through our web site as well as over the phone. Donations may also be mailed to The Dibble Institute, PO Box 7881, Berkeley, CA 94707-0881. For more information about donations, please call us at 800-695-7975.

Every gift is important. You will receive a receipt for your records. Gifts to the Dibble Institute, a 501©3 tax-exempt organization are deductible to the extent allowed by law.

If you are interested in viewing sample lessons from either of our two CONNECTIONS programs (“Dating & Emotions” and “Relationships & Marriage,”) current research, links to relevant websites and a variety of relationship skills educational resources, please visit our website at www.BuildingRelationshipSkills.org.

The Dibble Institute is non-religious and non-political. Our activities are funded through sales of educational materials and services and through support from foundations, corporations and individuals. If you are interested in making a donation, please call us at (800) 695-7975.

This is a moderated list. Replies are read by Rebecca Brooks, Director of Educational Services. If we believe your reply may be helpful to the recipients of this e-newsletter, we may paste (& edit for space) your reply and send it. Therefore, please indicate if your response is NOT to be shared with the list.

This e-newsletter shares information on youth relationships and educational approaches. The Dibble Institute does not necessarily share the opinions expressed; they are shared for knowledge of happenings within the field.

The Dibble Institute for Marriage Education
Kay Reed, President
P.O. Box 7881
Berkeley, Ca. 94707-0881
(800) 695-7975
(510) 528-1956 fax
skills@dibbleinstitute.org
www.BuildingRelationshipSkills.org

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