Photo from: www.npr.org May: Teen Pregnancy Prevention MonthPlanned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) is recognizing Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month by offering teen clinics in Connecticut and Rhode Island focused specifically on pregnancy prevention. Although teen pregnancy rates are declining across the country, PPSNE says that Connecticut and Rhode Island are still ranked 13th and 11th… Read more »
What project(s) in Sex Ed are you currently working on? I currently work for Bronx Teens Connection, an adolescent pregnancy prevention program out of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. We are a community-wide initiative to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health through 4 components: evidence-based sexual health education programs, access to high… Read more »
What project(s) in Sex Ed are you currently working on?I serve on a national advisory council for research supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to create evidence-based curricula for a trauma informed approach to sex education for vulnerable children and teens. Additionally, I’m writing a book chapter entitled, “Encouraging Sexual Health in Youth With Problematic… Read more »
What project(s) in sex ed are you currently working on? I am designing an innovative curriculum based on the philosophy of the Children’s Aid Society-Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program. The project is titled ABOVE THE WAIST: Beginning with the Brain and incorporates cutting edge research in the field of adolescent brain development to support healthy sexual… Read more »
Sex vs Sexuality: Puberty and sexuality education all too often do not coincide. In Northern California, Kaiser Permanente offers a play to 6th graders called Nightmare on Puberty Street, which introduces them to the changes that occur to youngsters bodies during puberty. (As a personal aside, I’m not a fan of this name, as it’s… Read more »
Graphic: Guttmacher Institute New Mexico: For six years, the New Mexico Department of Health has rejected federal funding for abstinence-based sexuality education, saying it’s ineffective and biased. However, the DOH, in partnership with New Mexico State University, has recently accepted a nice sum of money to support an abstinence-based sexuality curriculum called Sex Can Wait. The curriculum will be offered as… Read more »
Tulsa, Oklahoma: Tulsa Public Schools is set to vote this coming Tuesday, September 10 on the expansion of their sex ed curriculum for 7th, 9th, and 11th graders in the district. If passed the comprehensive pregnancy prevention curriculum, Making Proud Choices! will begin this Fall and will require the consent of a parent or guardian. The classes… Read more »
Two students attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are encouraging conversations on their campus for sexual education and advocacy through their reinstatement of two student groups: Students for Choice, and Students Advocating Gender Equity (SAGE). Meredith Cain and Audrey Nance returned to campus feeling inspired after attending the Youth Organizing and Policy Conference in Washington, DC in July,… Read more »
Great news! Effective January 1, 2014, all Illinois schools that choose to teach sexuality education will have to teach comprehensive sex education to their students, thanks to Democratic Governor Pat Quinn who is expected to sign House Bill 2675 into law in the coming weeks. This bill essentially bans abstinence-only curriculum from the classroom. Illinois is ranked 27th in the… Read more »
In the United States Bridgeton, NJ: Inspira Health Network‘s Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, “At Promise, Not At Risk,” just received $5 million from the United States federal government to continue its programming. The program, now in its third year, combines life skills with abstinence-based sexuality education for 120 6th graders across two school systems. The… Read more »
Training & Technical Assistance Coordinator Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential What project in sex ed are you currently working on? Brandy coordinates GCAPP’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month activities which include a statewide adolescent essay contest and parent webinars. She trains and provides TA to Personal Responsibility Education Program (GAPREP) grantees and Working to… Read more »
MA State RepresentativeTricia Farley-Bouvier wishes to address the county’s high teen pregnancy rates. Good news from Pittsfield, Massachusetts! Its school curriculum subcommittee has decided to review the sex education programs in city schools this week. The decision comes as state representative Tricia Farley-Bouvierand two students called for its overhaul, citing a high teen pregnancy rate in… Read more »
