Mary Jo Podgurski

The Nonnie SeriesTM seeks to open the door to parent or adult/child communication by addressing complex issues with grace, humor, sensitivity and warmth. In the 11th book in the series, Nonnie Talks about Relationships, Dr. Podgurski explores the wide variety of relationships encountered by children and young people every day. Each person is involved in many types of relationships, starting with family, teachers, and friends, and growing into romantic and sexual partnerships. Nonnie Talks about Relationships looks at numerous types of relationships to guide children and adults to a vibrant discussion of healthy and unhealthy connections. Consultant author Al Vernacchio, a nationally known sexuality educator, provides perspective on body-body, mind-mind, and love-love aspects of relationships. Dr. Mary Jo takes care to describe crushes and explore how a young person defines love, friendships (fake and real), and the need for socialization. Characteristics of unhealthy and healthy relationships are explored. Nonnie helps her main characters, Tamika and Alex, sort through their questions about love, attraction, jealousy and obsession. The children begin to understand that they waiting for a relationship is okay; they are given time to consider how they feel and are validated for their feelings.Adults must respond to children's needs with honesty, openness, and a true listening ear. Like all the books in The Nonnie SeriesTM, Nonnie Talks about Relationships is meant to be read by a parent/trusted adult and a young person. It is interactive and encourages connection. Proceeds from The Nonnie SeriesTM help Dr. Mary Jo continue the Common Ground Teen Center she began in 2008. Thank you.

If you're an adult seeking connection with young people, this book is for you Teaching over a quarter-million young people sex education, Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski shares her own life experiences and her work serving young people to help adults communicate with the young people they know. Our evolving times call us to be actively present in the lives of young people; this book shows us how.Sex Ed is in Session is more than learning how to talk about sex and other tough topics with young people; it's a guide on how to respect young people, listen to them, and create a safe environment where young people can learn and thrive. Dr. Mary Jo's faith in young people and her hope for the future will inspire others to connect.

The 9th Volume in The Nonnie SeriesTM looks at the world of disability. Some children and young people live in a complicated world, where they may or may not encounter disabled individuals. Other children live with disabilities. This book seeks to create a learning tool for adults and young people where open conversation about disabilities and disabled young people can freely occur. In selecting 17-year-old Kendle Haught as my consulting author, I partnered with someone who lives an authentic life as a disabled teen. Kendle's insight was key to this book's birth. As always in my Nonnie Series, I wrote the dialogue and then gave it to Kendle for feedback. She was exceptional. She'd say things like "This is great I would say that," and then gently add, "How about saying this?"Kendle was a peer educator with my program before I asked her to work on Nonnie Talks about Disability. Not only did she want to be a character in the book, she wanted the character to be as real as possible. This is a unique book because of her involvement. The new characters in the book - LaShauna, David, Dylan and Malik - are also real young people, although David, Dylan and Malik's names are changed. LaShauna is a dynamite peer educator, which is only right. Both Tamika and Alex are named for peer educators I worked with over 20 years ago.Explore human difference with young people in this book and learn about the lives and accessibility needs of young people with physical disabilities, autistic teens, teens living with Down syndrome and Deaf young people. Then, model respect for all people. Each Person is A Person of Worth.

The Nonnie Series addresses challenging topics for children and adults with kindness and respect. The idea of consent if too often relegated to adult conversations; children hear and listen to adult words and are often confused. Consent is more than sex or adult relationships; teaching people the concept of consent as children and young people can lay a foundation for communication and healthy relationships. The two main characters in The Nonnie Series, Tamika and Alex, learn about setting boundaries, respecting little people during tickling or play, sharing feelings and vulnerability, ways to talk about older relatives who kiss and pinch cheeks, and dealing with crushes. Along the way, the children's friend Hailey discloses unwanted touch and Nonnie guides the children to an awareness of their own self-worth. They discover the power of "Owning their no" and the reality that yes means yes. Created for adults and children in grades 3 - 8, Nonnie Talks about Consent seeks to inspire dialogue between child and adult while modeling respect and kindness.

The Nonnie Series seeks to open the door to parent or adult/child communication by addressing complex issues with sensitivity and warmth. In Nonnie Talks about Trauma, Dr. Podgurski looks at the real world young people inhabit, full of confusing messages and potentially frightening events. Trauma comes in many forms and is caused by school shootings, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and abuse. Children are inundated with negative messages about trauma from their peers, on their phones or tablets, and in the news. This book will help adults start conversations about trauma and help children heal. All children will benefit from the kindness in this book. Trusted adults, parents, and the children they love will find a safe place for learning here. The Nonnie Series believes Each Person is a Person of WorthTM

La doctora Mary Jo considera que todos los ni os merecen recibir protecci n y apoyo. Su m todo para trabajar la prevenci n del abuso infantil es empoderador, proactivo, interactivo, y con una visi n positiva del cuerpo. Los ni os aprender n 7 Lecciones Importantes que pueden compartir con adultos en quienes conf an para crear espacios seguros que fomenten el aprendizaje y el desarrollo. La pel cula Intensa-Mente fue creada en el 2010 y es utilizada en clases de 3er y 4to a o en la comunidad de la Dra. Podgurski. La edici n en espa ol de este libro fue creada en respuesta a las peticiones de diversos educadores, y fue traducida por Simona Miguelina Carollo. Tal como en la versi n en ingl s, este libro es f cil de leer y entretiene a los ni os. La Dra. Podgurski ofrece un taller online (webinar) con seis sesiones para adultos quienes quieren ser parte de la soluci n y proteger a los ni os como facilitadores autorizados de Intensa-Mente. Contacta a la Dra. Podgurski a trav s de su correo electr nico podmj@healthyteens para m s informaci n.

Pregnancy and birth are important parts of life; the fourth book in Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski's Nonnie Series looks at these vital topics with honesty and care. As a birth advocate and certified childbirth educator since the 70s, Dr. Podgurski brings a lifetime of experience in pregnancy and birth; she combines knowledge with an open, honest, interactive, joyful, respectful approach to education for young people. Although the Nonnie Talks about Pregnancy and Birth is suggested for children in grades 3 - 8, parents and trusted adults should consider their young person's curiosity, maturity, and developmental readiness for the information. Each young person is unique. The chapters can be read sequentially or as needed. Topics including anatomy and what happens during pregnancy end in two different types of births in Tamika and Alex's families. Diverse topics like experiencing a miscarriage and fertility challenges are briefly explored. Dr. Podgurski knows children are curious, yet may not know how to start a conversation with adults. Conversely, parents and educators may not know how to begin. The power of the Nonnie Series is the message "It's OK to talk about this together" - for adults and children

Inside Out is a body-positive, empowering approach to proactive abuse prevention. Targeting individuals with different abilities, especially those people dealing with cognitive challenges, Inside Out was created with the support and wisdom of self-advocates. All people are sexual beings; each person is a person of worth. Inside Out speaks the truth of each person's ability and beauty. Remember: Your body is amazing, inside and out, and belongs only to you

Through her original manual of resources, Me Too TM, Dr. Podgurski's focuses on empowerment, independence, and enhanced communication for individuals and their families in the sensitive area of sexuality. Dr. Podgurski believes that information about sexual health is a basic human right and should be available for people of all abilities. Me Too TM, approaches sexuality education in a body-positive, non-threatening manner employing learning activities that are geared for a wide range of learners. Individuals living with intellectual or development disability, or on the autism spectrum respond to different teaching modalities. Me Too TM, strives to provide tools and techniques applicable for people of all abilities. With purchase, a buyer should contact Dr. Mary Jo at [email protected] for access to reproducible PDFs of games and activities. Proof of purchase is necessary for access.