MARY JO PODGURSKI
NSEC Workshop Title: Games Educators Play: The Art of Teaching with ‘Wise’ Games
NSEC Workshop Description: Enjoy the art of teaching with games! Interactive learning tools can enhance behavioral change and empower critical thinking skills. This dynamic workshop will demonstrate fun, teen-tested games for use in comprehensive sexuality education. Instructions will be provided. A ‘WISE’ (wondrous, inclusive, safe, easy) game will be created.
- How many times have you attended the National Sex Ed Conference?
MJP: This is my fifth attendance. I’ve presented every time.
- What about your workshop are you most excited about?
MJP: Reaching other Sexuality Educators with interactive learning games and tools. The attendees at the conference are committed, dynamic educators and it’s an honor to be with them.
- When you meet someone new how do you describe what you do?
MJP: I tell people that I advocate for social justice and sexual health as a teacher and counselor.
- Sex educators and the other professionals who present at the National Sex Ed Conference often do so many different things. Tell us a bit about your work life.
MJP: I created a Teen Outreach in 1988 – since then my staff and I have taught comprehensive sexuality education to over 230,000 young people. I am the author of 15 books – the most recent is Inside Out: Abuse Prevention Education for Individuals with Different Abilities. My work with sex and disability inspired me to write Me Too: Real Talk about Sexuality for People of All Abilities. I am the co-founder of the first GSA in our community (2005), and run the only Teen Center (Common Ground Teen Center) in town. My books for children include What’s Up as You Grow Up (early sexuality education), Inside Out: Your Body is Amazing Inside and Out and Belongs Only to You (body-positive child abuse prevention), and Nonnie Talks about Gender (about gender identity). I am working on Nonnie Talks about Race with two outstanding colleagues, Mariotta Gary-Smith and Tanya M. Bass.
