Vision of You
Kim Hartzler-Weakley, Ph.D.
Vision of You is an online, self-paced sexuality education program that aims to reduce sexual activity and the number of sexual partners, increase contraceptive use, and prepare participants for adulthood. It is designed for youth ages 13 to 19. It includes content on healthy relationships, life skills, communication skills, and adolescent development. The online curriculum is interactive and includes games, videos, quizzes, character scenarios, and reflection questions.
Vision of You was designed for youth ages 13 to 19.
Vision of You is delivered online.
For curriculum, materials, and pricing information, please contact:
There is an online form on the Vision of You website for requesting pricing information: https://www.visionofyouinfo.org/pricing
For training and support, please contact:
sexedva@jmu.edu
| Category | Component | Core Component | Component present | Notes | Lesson number(s) / activities where present |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content | School engagement | No | No | ||
| Content | Anatomy/physiology | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 5: Anatomy | |
| Content | Other | No | Clinic Visit - Content about going to your first sexual health clinic appointment, process for gynecological and male annual exam, questions and concerns for LGBTQ youth, STI screenings, exam equipment names and definitions | ||
| Content | Volunteering/civic engagement | No | No | ||
| Content | Spirituality | No | No | ||
| Content | Morals/values | No | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 4: Consent | |
| Content | Identity development | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 1: My Identity, Lesson 9: My Timeline | |
| Content | Social support/capital | No | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 3: Trust | |
| Content | Social influence/actual vs. perceived social norms | No | No | ||
| Content | Social competence | No | No | ||
| Content | Parenting skills | No | No | ||
| Content | Normative beliefs | No | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 3: Assumptions, Difficult Conversations, Lesson 4: What is Consent, Yes Means Yes | |
| Content | Leadership | No | No | ||
| Content | Gender roles | No | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 1: Understanding Identities, History of Family, My Identity | |
| Content | Gender identity | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 1: Understanding Identities | |
| Content | Cultural values | No | No | ||
| Content | Connections with trusted adults | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 3: Trust, Difficult Conversations | |
| Content | Conflict resolution/social problem solving | No | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 3: Trust, Difficult Conversations, overarching scenario questions and avatar goal setting | |
| Content | Communication skills | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 2: Communication Styles, Lesson 3: Difficult Conversations, Lesson 4: What is Consent, Yes Means Yes | |
| Content | Child development | No | No | ||
| Content | Boundary setting/refusal skills | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 2: Communication Style, Lesson 4: What is Consent, Yes Means Yes | |
| Content | Substance use cessation | No | No | ||
| Content | Substance use - Other drugs | No | No | ||
| Content | Substance use - Alcohol | No | No | ||
| Content | Substance use - Abstinence | No | No | ||
| Content | Brain development and substance use | No | No | ||
| Content | Vocational/skills training | No | No | ||
| Content | Supplemental academic services | No | No | ||
| Content | Graduating from high school | No | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 1: My Identity, Lesson 9: My Timeline | |
| Content | College preparation | No | No | ||
| Content | Alternative schooling | No | No | ||
| Content | Self-regulation | No | Yes (both versions) | Self-regulation is taught through identifying passive, aggressive, and assertive behaviors and actions. Users respond to scenario questions in each unit that show a character dealing with high emotions, stress, and difficult situations. | |
| Content | Self-esteem | No | No | ||
| Content | Self-efficacy/empowerment | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 1: My Identity, Lesson 2: Communication Style, Lesson 7: Methods of Protection, Lesson 8: Clinic Visit, Lesson 9: My Timeline, You Can Do It! | |
| Content | Resilience | No | No | ||
| Content | Sexual health | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 2: Healthy Relationships, Lesson 4: Consent | |
| Content | STIs - Treatment | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 6: STIs | |
| Content | STIs - Screening | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 6: STIs | |
| Content | STIs - Prevention | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 6: STIs, Lesson 7: Methods of Protection | |
| Content | STIs - Information | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 6: STIs | |
| Content | Sexual risk reduction | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 7: Methods of Protection | |
| Content | Sexual risk discontinuation | No | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 7: Methods of Protection | |
| Content | Personal vulnerability | No | No | ||
| Content | Sexual orientation | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 1: Understanding Identities, My Identity | |
| Content | Maternal health | No | No | ||
| Content | Contraception - Condoms | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 7: Methods of Protection | |
| Content | Contraception - Long-acting reversible contraceptives | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 7: Methods of Protection | |
| Content | Contraception - Other | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 7: Methods of Protection | |
| Content | Contraception - Pills, patches, rings, and shots | Yes | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 7: Methods of Protection | |
| Content | Reproduction | No | Yes (both versions) | Lesson 5: Female Anatomy |
Vision of You aims to reduce sexual activity and the number of sexual partners, increase contraceptive use, and prepare participants for adulthood by educating them on adolescent development, healthy relationships, life skills, and communications skills. The program also provides content on sexually transmitted infections, contraception, reproductive health and pregnancy, and clinic visits.
The program includes the following nine units:
- Identity: The unit includes content on future orientation, self-identity, and influences of peers and the media.
- Healthy relationships: This unit includes content on self-efficacy, support mechanisms, communication about sex, and how to negotiate safer sex or refuse sex.
- Talking with adults: This unit includes content on developing strong social support mechanisms and open communication with adults about sex.
- Consent: This unit includes content on developing skills to enhance sex refusal and self-efficacy, self-control techniques, and identifying situational factors and making decisions to take protective action.
- Anatomy: This unit includes content on adolescent development, reproduction, reproductive anatomy, human sexual responses, reproductive health, and pregnancy.
- Sexually transmitted infections: This unit includes content on self-efficacy, safe sex, perceived susceptibility and severity of sexually transmitted infections, and cues to action.
- Methods of protection: This unit includes content on skills on how to refuse sex, self-efficacy, perceived benefits and barriers of protection, how to negotiate condom use and use a condom, and attitudes toward condom use.
- Clinic visit: This unit includes a virtual clinic visit video, information on gynecological and male annual exams, equipment used during exams, STI screenings, and questions and concerns for LGBTQ youth.
- Thinking forward: This unit includes content on promoting optimism for the future and creating structure for future goals.
The program is delivered through an interactive online curriculum that uses games, videos, quizzes, character scenarios, and reflection questions.
The curriculum includes nine 45-minute units, for a total of 6.75 hours of programming. It is intended to be completed over four to six weeks. Participants work their way through the online curriculum at their own pace but, ideally, participants will complete the program in no fewer than three sittings.
Staff implementing the program will need to maintain an instructor account and share access to the Vision of You program with students.
Participants need a computer with internet access and their own email address.
Personal headphones are recommended to watch videos and participate in games with sound.
Vision of You is intended to be completed over four to six weeks. It should be completed independently and can be done in a variety of settings, including school, community-based settings, and at home.
Staff offering Vision of You are required to take a training course on the components of the program, allowable adaptations, the role of an askable adult, and responding to student questions.
Contact sexedva@jmu.edu for training and support.
Allowable adaptations are listed below:
- Offering adaptations or accommodations to meet accessibility needs or provide opportunities for participants to complete the program with a supporting adult. This can include support in reading text, typing assistance, identifying interactive components to click on, or explaining activities and games.
- Skipping videos or activities that make participants uncomfortable for whatever reason. When skipping videos or activities, it is recommended that a teacher talk through the content covered in the video or activity. The instructor will need to allow a video to play on mute or enter a response for the student to advance content.
- Providing participants with a list of resources or places to go for further information about the topics.
- Offering the program outside of a classroom setting and providing options to talk with a supportive adult (such as a case manager or counselor).
- Giving students twice as much time to complete the program due to an individualized education program, personal issue, or heavy workload.
- Moving on from games, including Playing it Safe, STI Eliminator, Circle of Connection, Common Myths, Consent Get Some, Female Anatomy Jigsaw Puzzle, Male Anatomy Jigsaw Puzzle, and Say What?, without a high (or assigned) score.
- Adapting games so they are in person and with peers instead of computer based. For example, scenarios can be presented by a facilitator and turned into a group activity in the classroom.
- Allowing schools to bring in physical examples of methods of protection for students to look at (with parent permission).
- Allowing a knowledgeable health care or mental health professional to provide participants with an anonymous question box link or phone number to answer questions.
- Having class discussions after each lesson.
- Adding a lesson on the effects of alcohol on the body. For example, the school can bring a speaker to discuss alcohol safety after completing content on consent.
The following adaptations are not permitted:
- Omitting lessons or activities.
- Removing videos or parts of videos without a teacher talking through the content.
- Using only one lesson out of the entire program.
- Forcing participants to share their answers with the whole class, their parents, or their teacher.
| Citation | High-Quality Randomized Trial | Moderate-Quality Randomized Trial | Moderate-Quality Quasi-experiment | Low Study Rating | Did Not Meet Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dainis 2021 |
✓ |
| Citation | Setting | Majority Age Group | Majority Racial/Ethnic Group | Gender | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dainis 2021 |
Alternative school, Community-based organization, Correctional facility | 14 to 17 | White | Youth of any gender | 626 |
Evidence by Outcome Domain and Study
| Citation | Sexual Activity | Number of Sexual Partners | Contraceptive Use | STIs or HIV | Pregnancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dainis 2021 |
|
|
|
n.a. | n.a. |
| Citation | Details |
|---|---|
Dainis 2021 |
The program was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial involving young men and women recruited from nontraditional education settings in several rural regions in Virginia. The settings included juvenile detention centers, alternative schools, night school programs, Community Services Board Programs, and programs of third-party service providers. Youth were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that received the Vision of You program or a control group that had the option of taking part in a healthy eating program called Eat, Move, Win. Surveys were administered immediately before the program (baseline), immediately after program completion (five to six weeks after baseline for the control group), three months after the program ended (about four months post-baseline for the control group), and nine months after the program ended (or about 10 months post-baseline for the control group). Study authors report findings only for the follow-up that took place nine months after the program ended. |