I, too, am sad at your news. I agree with babyjsc. An afterschool program may be an answer. I work in a computer center in a building mostly populated by low to moderately low income families. The majority of parents do not come home until at least 5 or 6 p.m. The school most of the kids go to lets out at 1:30 p.m. We host an After School Program every weekday and even have activities during the holiday and summer breaks. This has done a lot of good. The children have somewhere to go after school, are entertained, and are learning the importance of hard work, sharing, good manners, etc.
I am also involved in a mentoring program for girls in the 7th and 8th grades. A group of college females act as mentors to the young ladies. We host discussions, retreats, and field trips throughout the school year. To end off the year, we have a Cotillion for the 8th grade girls. The 7th graders act as ushers. This type of program has had numerous positive results: the girls are exposed to college level females and are given the sense of how important education is, they are able to partake in activities they may not have otherwise been able to participate in (i.e. a Cotillion or a girls only retreat), and each girl's self esteem is lifted as she realizes her abilities and potential. You may want to look into starting a program like this.
Lastly, I suggest you try and start a separate young ladies and young men's program. This could be similar to the mentoring program, but led only by you and a male teacher. It could be an open forum for the kids to discuss their concerns and even their reasons for doing certain things (i.e. why the girls choose to have sex with their male company rather than just playing video games, etc.). You may find that the reason is a lot deeper than "my parent(s) weren't home." The group could also be a place that you talk openly and honestly with them, outside of school, about sex, promiscuity, the importance of safe sex, consequences and responsibilities, and even the importance of education to the future of your children.
Since you've mentioned the importance of the closet in your classroom discussions, you could name the group "Closet Talk." Just a suggestion.
Try to get parents involved as much as possible, but I can tell you from experience, it is HARD! Many of the parents of the "troubled" kids either are not as involved or are not able to get as involved due to work constraints. Maybe your results will be different.
I hope this advice helps. All of the programs I've worked in have been successful, so I know that anything you decide to do will work just as well. Just remember that planning is key and that you want to target the kids who need it most. Usually the ones who want to participate are those that are already on the "right path".
As was mentioned, I will keep you all in my prayers, and good luck!
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