Focus Area News Post Archives - Page 2 of 13

iRT’s Recent Research Examines How Sex Education Affects the Way College Students Think About Sex and Relationships

Elizabeth Porter2024-06-17T20:34:51+00:00

June 17, 2024, Durham, NC – Over the past few years, iRT researchers have been conducting the Community College Health Study to learn more about how to promote the sexual and relationship health of community college students. Over 1,500 students and 50 faculty, staff, and administrators from community colleges across the United States are participating in the Community College Health Study. Findings from the study are being used to examine sexual health programming to enhance student health and prevent sexual assault, as well as to help community college personnel find ways to promote the well-being of their students. As part of [...]

iRT’s Recent Research Examines How Sex Education Affects the Way College Students Think About Sex and RelationshipsElizabeth Porter2024-06-17T20:34:51+00:00

Oklahoma Mentoring Programs Implement Mentoring Central’s Mentor Trainings

Elizabeth Porter2024-06-24T14:08:16+00:00

June 24, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT is excited to announce that it is collaborating with the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) and the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth (OCCY) to implement and evaluate Mentoring Central’s training programs and mentoring resources in mentoring programs across Oklahoma. Mentoring Central, a division of iRT, is dedicated to providing mentoring programs with trainings and tools to enhance their programs and help matches achieve better outcomes. Receiving feedback from and working closely with mentoring programs across the nation that have unique goals and serve diverse subpopulations of youth is an integral part of achieving [...]

Oklahoma Mentoring Programs Implement Mentoring Central’s Mentor TrainingsElizabeth Porter2024-06-24T14:08:16+00:00

iRT Researchers Discuss Sexual Health and Media Literacy Education at Fact Forward’s Adolescent Health Spring Summit

Elizabeth Porter2024-05-03T17:21:04+00:00

May 03, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT researchers presented at Fact Forward’s 2024 Adolescent Health Spring Summit last month to discuss how incorporating media literacy education concepts in sexual health education can impact young people’s sexual health beliefs and behaviors. Fact Forward hosted the Adolescent Health Summit in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on April 24, 2024. This event provided opportunities for youth-supporting professionals in North Carolina to learn and share current trends, research, and best practices in adolescent health education and wellness with subject matter experts. iRT Researchers Liz [...]

iRT Researchers Discuss Sexual Health and Media Literacy Education at Fact Forward’s Adolescent Health Spring SummitElizabeth Porter2024-05-03T17:21:04+00:00

Promoting Safe Driving in Teens with Plan My Ride: Training Young Drivers on Driving Essentials

Elizabeth Porter2024-04-11T14:28:47+00:00

April 11, 2024, Durham, NC – April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, which provides an important opportunity to spread awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and strategies to prevent it. Distractions can come in various forms for drivers, including using a mobile device, eating or drinking, talking to passengers, or fidgeting with a navigation device or radio while driving. Distracted driving can significantly increase the chance of vehicle crashes as well as death or injury for drivers and passengers. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that approximately 3,000 people die in crashes involving distracted driving [...]

Promoting Safe Driving in Teens with Plan My Ride: Training Young Drivers on Driving EssentialsElizabeth Porter2024-04-11T14:28:47+00:00

DigiKnowIt News is Expanded to Help Recruit Adolescents into Pediatric Clinical Trials

Elizabeth Porter2024-04-11T13:59:32+00:00

April 11, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT is pleased to announce the release of a new version of DigiKnowIt News. Pediatric researchers across the nation are struggling to recruit an adequate number of children and adolescents into pediatric clinical trials and other types of research projects. Until recently, DigiKnowIt News included information designed to educate children about clinical trials but did not have activities and content that were appealing to teens. DigiKnowIt News is one of the first interactive, educational web-based software applications designed with the specific goal of helping researchers recruit more children and adolescents to participate in pediatric clinical [...]

DigiKnowIt News is Expanded to Help Recruit Adolescents into Pediatric Clinical TrialsElizabeth Porter2024-04-11T13:59:32+00:00

Recent Research Supporting STEM Mentoring for Traditionally Underrepresented Youth

Elizabeth Porter2024-03-27T20:59:28+00:00

March 27, 2024, Durham, NC - Recent research indicates that opportunities for students to explore their interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are growing. The Afterschool Alliance’s 2021 America After 3PM Special Report states that among approximately 31,000 randomly selected parents of school-aged children in the United States, 39% reported that their child’s school offered a technology- or engineering-related afterschool program in 2020. This was a significant increase compared to findings from 2014 surveys which indicated that only 30% of schools offered engineering and technology learning opportunities in afterschool programs. Science-related afterschool programs increased from 46% in 2014 to [...]

Recent Research Supporting STEM Mentoring for Traditionally Underrepresented YouthElizabeth Porter2024-03-27T20:59:28+00:00

Customize Mentoring Trainings to Reflect Your Program

Elizabeth Porter2024-03-27T20:56:32+00:00

March 27, 2024, Durham, NC - When offering training to mentors, mentees, and parents/caregivers of mentees involved your mentoring program, you likely want to be sure that the trainings you offer not only provide essential information participants need for a successful mentoring relationship but also reflect your program’s specific mission, policies, practices, and branding. Mentoring Central, a division of iRT, offers options to customize any of our mentoring training courses, so you can elevate your program participants’ training experiences and achieve your program’s goals. Mentoring Central’s team of mentoring subject matter experts, highly-skilled web applications developers, and talented multimedia and instructional [...]

Customize Mentoring Trainings to Reflect Your ProgramElizabeth Porter2024-03-27T20:56:32+00:00

New Version of Plan My Ride Available Now

Elizabeth Porter2024-03-15T16:39:30+00:00

March 13, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT is pleased to announce the release of a new version of the Plan My Ride program. Plan My Ride is an interactive, multimedia, eLearning program developed with and for young drivers to teach safe driving skills to prevent distracted and impaired driving. Unlike other safe driving educational programs, Plan My Ride uses a science-backed and theory-driven approach to change behavior by teaching concrete, practical strategies to avoid impaired and distracted driving, and providing opportunities for young drivers to practice the skills learned in 360-degree virtual scenarios. The updated version of Plan My Ride contains [...]

New Version of Plan My Ride Available NowElizabeth Porter2024-03-15T16:39:30+00:00

The State of Substance Use Among Adolescents in the United States

Elizabeth Porter2024-04-22T17:34:38+00:00

March 06, 2024, Durham, NC – As decades of research has shown, trends in adolescent substance use in the United States are constantly evolving. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently published an updated report on findings from the Monitoring the Future research study to share information about recent trends in adolescent substance use. Monitoring the Future is an ongoing research study aimed at examining the drug use related behaviors, attitudes, and values of American adolescents and adults. Since 1975, approximately 50,000 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students are surveyed each year [...]

The State of Substance Use Among Adolescents in the United StatesElizabeth Porter2024-04-22T17:34:38+00:00

iRT Research Scientist Presents on Innovative Solution to Preventing the Problem of Impaired Driving Among Young People

Elizabeth Porter2024-02-22T19:29:00+00:00

February 22, 2024, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientist Dr. Rebecca Stelter presented at SAMHSA’s 20th Prevention Day gathering last month to discuss the problem and prevention of substance use and impaired driving among youth. SAMHSA’s Prevention Day gathering is the largest annual, national event dedicated to advancing substance misuse prevention. Each year, substance use prevention professionals, researchers, and advocates gather to share current developments and discuss future research and innovations in substance misuse prevention. This year’s gathering took place in conjunction with CADCA’s National Leadership Forum in National Harbor, Maryland. Dr. Stelter led a session entitled Sober Lives, Safer Roads: [...]

iRT Research Scientist Presents on Innovative Solution to Preventing the Problem of Impaired Driving Among Young PeopleElizabeth Porter2024-02-22T19:29:00+00:00