September: Sex Ed
Strengthening Rural Youth and Communities with Evidence-
Based Sexual Health Curriculum
Wednesday,
Sept. 9
10-11 am
Presenters:
Leslie Saunders & Kris Hutchins, Henderson County HELP Center
Learn how to collaborate with rural communities and schools to let underserved rural youth get the much-needed evidence-based sexual health curriculum and additional support services. This session will review the disparities of rural youth and communities vs. urban and suburban communities. The lack of services, programming, and other issues rural youth, families, and communities struggle with due to being cloistered. This will show how to get support from local school districts School Health Advisory Committees (SHAC) and how to look at what additional services those youth, families, and schools need which can be provided with nonprofits and other community support.
Learning Objectives:
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Summarize the dynamics and disparities of rural youth, families and communities
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Demonstrate work with rural schools to get evidence-based curriculum to the youth and families in need and collaborate with other programming to achieve needed services.
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Identify how to engage rural youth in the classroom to change their behaviors regarding sexual health and long-term goal setting.
Culture Change: Equity in Sexual Health and Pregnancy Prevention Education
Wednesday,
Sept. 16
10-11 am
Presenter:
Jennifer Driver, SIECUS
Comprehensive sexuality education is more than just teaching safe sex. It’s about dismantling the systems of power, oppression, and misinformation that allow today’s biggest sexual and reproductive health and rights injustices to exist in the first place. Content will focus on the many topics relevant to create equity including LGBTQ inclusion; sexual violence prevention; racial, sexualized stereotypes that put people of color at greater risk of experiencing violence; harmful gender stereotypes; consent practices; and more.
Learning Objectives:
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Demonstrate how to message pregnancy prevention without shame and stigma.
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Explain the importance of sex ed programs that take into account lived experiences of young people.
Wednesday,
Sept. 23
10-11 am
A Sex-Positive Approach
Presenter:
Ariel Kirklen & Linda Fyffe, Planned Parenthood Greater Texas
During this session, the presenters will discuss ways in which sexual health education can in many cases present very shaming messaging to all teens, and can make young people unwilling to engage in conversations and problem solving around the topic. In listing a variety of the ways in which sex is "bad", educators can sometimes unconsciously use messages that shame sexuality and certain sexual ideas and practices. Attendees will learn ways to have sex-positive conversations with young people while continuing to get the message across of safety and risk reduction.
Learning Objectives:
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Define what it means to be “sex-positive”, and specify its relation to sexuality education strategies
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Recognize ways in which youth-serving professionals, sexuality education or teen pregnancy prevention sources use shaming or fear-based messaging
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List strategies to incorporate a sex positive lens in your work