FABS NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2011

Augustina had an interview with TV Central at their Matamata studios on October 14. The interview was broadcast on Monday October 18.

She spoke in response to an article which had appeared in the NZ Herald 19 September 2011 which claimed that certain unnamed schools in the Auckland area were teaching children how to put condoms on a male penis, that anal and oral sex were okay and, in one case, encouraging the children to imagine being gay.

Augustina said that the article in the paper had deeply shocked her. "What the paper was talking about was not sex education, it was abuse."

"I believe that many of these children hearing about what is essentially adult sexual activities become emotionally traumatised. This can lead to teenage suicide because it disturbs their normal development. Many children are already so disturbed this sort of teaching will only add to it.

She said that children could easily be overwhelmed by the information leading to sleeplessness, nightmares, anxiety, aggression. "We must remember that these children are children. The full development of the adult brain doesn't take place until around the age of 16 to 25 years of age. They simply cannot cope with these adult concepts.

Some people claim that sex education prevents sexually transmitted diseases (STD) but I believe that the rate of STD should be lower than it appears to be. Garth George in the NZ Herald article of September 2011 says "Considering that FPA-backed sex education programmes have been used in schools for more than 25 years, any sane person who looks at the facts must come to the conclusion that they have been an abysmal failure. Over that time the number of teenage pregnancies, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the number of abortions and suicides have all soared"

Augustina told the FABS website that there definitely ought to be sex education as some parents find it difficult to talk about this with their children however it must be carried out with love and respect, they need to be taught about puberty and the changes it causes, and about reproduction. Otherwise, it seems to me that children are being taught self-indulgence and instant gratification.

Augustina feels we need to support and teach our children to embrace abstinence. We need to encourage children to have simple fun together like bike-riding, fishing general outdoor activities rather than focussing on what sex is about.

Quoting Bob McCoskrie of Family First: "A recent poll found that three out of four NZ parents of young children want the abstinence message taught in sex education. The Government should be demanding any government funding to go towards resources which empower parents - not schools - to be the primary sex educators of their children, As a parent, I know we all dread the "sex talk". But after the evidence presented this week in the media, my dread is more about the "sex talk we had at school, Dad"."

FAMILY ATTACHMENT CHARITABLE TRUST NEWSLETTER No 4. November 2010

                                       FABS FEATURES ON TV CENTRAL.

A 14 minute double slot on Tv Central brought the programmes BASE and SAFE to the attention of the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty when founder Augustina Driessen was interviewed in the Matamata studios recently.

“We are pleased to have had this opportunity to talk to a wider public about the programmes,” Augustina commented. “The people at Tv Central were very interested in the work of the Trust and have already made the decision to film BASE in action at a local school, sometime in the New Year”

Augustina’s contact with Tv Central began when she was asked, by the Bay of Plenty Times, for comments on the effect of inappropriate fashions for young girls: young girls …and even babies/toddlers…who are dressed in adult-type clothes which “sexulise” them leading to possible mental health issues as they become older.

Along with Bob McCoskrie, director of Family First, Augustina was subsequently interviewed on this subject by Tv Central.  Both she and Mr. McCoskrie agreed on the salient points: that children ought to be allowed to be children and not forced too early into adult ways; that they need to wear simple, comfortable clothes enabling them to play… children deal with their emotions through play. Play is also the  means through which the neurons in the developing brain, grow.

Both also remarked that dressing young girls in the type of fashions which are marketed so strongly these days causes them to miss out on their childhood so that natural development does not take place leading to many unacceptable behaviours in their teenage years.

“These girls, who slavishly follow the fashions displayed by such pop idols as Miley Cyrus, are in danger falling into “at risk” patterns like addictions, anorexia, bulimia,” said Augustina. “It is up to the parents to say no, you cannot wear clothes like that, you cannot have your ears pierced until you are older, for example.    The trouble is parents these days are often not prepared to be parents, to set boundaries for their children.”

Having impressed the tv team, Augustina was invited back two weeks later … and given a double slot…to talk specifically about BASE and SAFE.  This 14 minute talk was informative, guided by the excellent interviewer.   Augustina managed to get across a great deal of valuable information about the programmes and because Janelle, the interviewer is a young mother she and her team responded positively to the suggestion that they visit the Bay of Plenty to film a BASE session in action.

BASE is now running in several  Bay of Plenty schools and pre-schools.  Two members of the FABS team who reside in the area further south of Tauranga are putting in many hours taking the programme to education facilities and , in some cases, actually running the babywatching classes themselves.    Teachers know that they can ring the team for help or encouragement or if they want a class monitored.  

Although SAFE is yet to get fully underway, the Trust team is presently in negotiation with a national Government agency to provide the programme for its clients; if negotiations are successful this course will begin in the Bay of Plenty in the near future.

“We have been working very hard on this. Dr Brisch (who created these programmes) has modified SAFE so that it can also be used for prospective foster and adoptive parents. SAFE is just as valuable for the latter as for natural parents as there are many aspects about fostering or adopting which the prospective parents need to be aware of,” Augustina said.

Clincial Psychologist Tanzi and Family Therapist Marjorie  will  facilitate SAFE along with Augustina. The three professionals will be assisted by a team of volunteers who will example nurturing by serving the parents morning and afternoon teas plus lunch. The parents will be mentored by the team.  SAFE runs over a period of 16 months for up to 10 couples (or singles) from the early stages of pregnancy until the baby is a year old. Clients attend for 10 full days during the 16 months.  Out of course hours a hotline will be available to them so that they can contact a professional should problems become too much for them to handle.

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FABS was delighted to receive $1000 from the Acorn Foundation recently to be used for administration costs … such funding is always most welcome.