In recognition of the Program’s efforts to ensure all menstruating students have the opportunity for safe, dignified self-care September 13, 2023Our nation’s young people face continued and escalating attacks on their sexual and reproductive health rights, driven by...
Bring Your Amazing Ideas and Work to #HealthyTeen23
How are you taking care and taking action in 2023?February 17, 2023This one is for you—the caregivers, teachers, and changemakers who give it all for today’s youth and the generations yet to come. This one is for you—the caregivers, teachers, and changemakers who give...
Supporting Youth Safety and Wellness in Sex Ed
Resources and information from a recent True You Maryland training to help support the mental health and safety of your students.By Allison Tomai Felsen January 5, 2023Talking about sexuality in the classroom can be awkward! We’ve all been there. But there’s a...
Connecting Rural Youth to Sexual and Reproductive Health
When looking at sexual and reproductive health access across America, geography matters. And we see rural communities facing bigger gaps in access to services and comprehensive sex education. By Mackenzie Piper August 18, 2022True You Maryland brings together partners...
What’s Next in the Endless Attack on Our Rights and Freedoms?
Our freedom, our rights, are being restricted by a radical minority that does not represent the majority of Americans. By Gina Desiderio June 27, 2022Like many of you, here at Healthy Teen Network, we’re feeling the weight of the Supreme Court decision last week to...
Anti-Fat Bias Is Pervasive and Insidious: Combating Its Harm in Sexual Health & Education
“Every time we point out stigma and name it as unfair, it loses its validity, and in turn, its power.” By Yesi Llerenas Daniel (they/elle) By Maria Peñas (she/her) Educators with Responsible Sex Education Institute June 27, 2022Content Warning: This blog mentions...
Would you like FRIES with that?
Sexting and digital consent are important topics to discuss with young peopleBy Allison Tomai Felsen February 17, 2022A study published in 2018 by JAMA Pediatrics found that sexting is becoming a more common practice among youth: about 1 in 7 adolescents reported that...
3 Instagram Accounts to Follow to Learn about Reproductive Justice
Social media can be more than algorithms and explore pages—it can be a spring board into action, a connecting place for activists, and a place for inspiration and growth. By Sam AkersFebruary 3, 2022As a Gen Z’er who has been scrolling Instagram for years, I’ve come...
Get the Shot(s): HPV Vaccine Resources for Parents
HPV vaccine resources to break down science with humor and honest answersBy Gina Desiderio January 20, 2022When it's time for their annual physical, the first question my kids ask me is if they have to get a shot. It's been a while since they've been due for one of...
We Found Love in a COVID Place
Alexa, play We Found Love by Rihanna ft. Calvin HarrisBy Mariah CowsertJanuary 13, 2022It all started with a message on a dating app. Once our conversations got longer, we moved from messaging in the app to texting then after a fun phone call about life and how we...
Say Hello to Sam!
Join us in welcoming Sam to the Healthy Teen Network family! By Deborah Chilcoat, MEd September 2, 2021How is it possible that rays of sunshine actually radiate through my monitor when I have Zoom meetings with our newest staff person, Sam Akers? Sam AkersSam joined...
On and Off the Field: How Title IX Protects the Rights of All Young People
Anyone who works in schools, or with students in other educational settings, can benefit from learning more about Title IX protections.By Mariah CowsertJune 24, 2021When you hear “Title IX,” your mind likely goes first to sports. Indeed, today, more than 100,000 women...
I’m Just a Bill: The Untold Story
I’m Just a Bill covers how a legislative bill makes its way to law. As a public policy advocacy practitioner for over 30 years, let me just say that how a bill becomes a law is more complicated than the short film conveys. By Bob Reeg, MPA, CVA June 3, 2021The I’m...
Adolescents & the COVID-19 Vaccine
Well visits are a good venue for routine and COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as a variety of important screenings and assessmentsMay 19, 2021 With the decline in routine pediatric immunizations and well-child visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, Healthy Teen Network...
10 Ways to Help Young People Become Good Sexual Citizens: How Myth Busting and Youth Empowerment Increases Safety
Following these steps is a really effective way to guide young people towards becoming good sexual citizens.By Ellen Friedrichs, MAMarch 12, 2021 Recently, I was Zoom teaching a college class, and I asked my students to share any questions they had about sexuality....
Sexual and Reproductive Health Policies Affecting Youth: A Look at What’s Ahead
Newly-inaugurated President Joe Biden has reversed several policy decisions of former President Trump that had curtailed the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls.Bob Reeg, MPA, CVA February 2, 2021As the saying goes, "elections have consequences." No...
Welcome, Mariah!
Mariah brings an artistic lens to nonprofit communications, along with a passion for inclusive health education and access. January 26, 2021We are just so excited to announce our newest staff member: Mariah Cowsert joins Gina and Allison in our...
Welcome, Tonyé Fohsta-Lynch!
Tonyé brings a lot of energy, a commitment to centering youth voices, and multiple dimensions to her work.January 12, 2021We are stoked to welcome Tonyé Fohsta-Lynch as our newest staff member. Tonyé Fohsta-LynchSituated in the Capacity Building and Evaluation...
ReSHAPING Launches Partnership with Healthy Teen Network and New Website
Looking for the latest research on sexual health and adolescent parents in out of home care? We have it for you on ReSHAPING’s brand new website.By Claudette Grinnell-Davis, PhD, MS, MSWBy Bryn King, PhD, MSWOctober 27, 2020Do you know where you can find the latest...
What’s the Deal with Porn?
We know young people are watching porn. But, what are they learning from it? How can sex ed equip young people to make informed decisions about the porn they watch?August 27, 2020Bring up pornography in any conversation, and you may just get an awkward silence…bring...
Help Young People Make a Game Plan for Their Health with Volt20
We wanted to create a virtual tool that educators and students love. The goal is to help young people create a plan for a healthy future.March 26, 2020Looking for a way to engage the young people you work with while maintaining social distancing? Consider using Volt20...
Influencers are Leading the Online Sex Ed Revolution!
Young people are leading in delivering quality content and health information to their peers.By Genevieve Martínez García, PhD September 22, 2020Sex education is everywhere—in schools, in clinics, in places of faith, and of course on your screen. Sex ed in digital...
Let’s See: Pulse Short-Term Impact Results
Here's what we found from our six-week short term follow-up survey.By Elizabeth Cook, Research Scientist from Child TrendsBy Nicholas Sufrinko By Milagros Garrido, MS, PMPMarch 6, 2020From 2016 to 2019, Child Trends conducted a randomized control trial with 2,317...
Healthy Teen Network Chosen as a Finalist for the Amazon Alexa EdTech Skills Challenge
We are excited to be chosen as a finalist for the Amazon Alexa EdTech Skills Challenge, even though the 2020 SXSW Edu conference has been postponed.By Milagros Garrido, MS, PMP By Genevieve Martínez García, PhD February 28, 2020Update, March 16, 2020: What’s Happening...
It’s time for sexual health to get a little bit kinky.
Here are some of the things we have learned from having conversations about sexual health with young people.By Nicholas Sufrinko February 7, 2020Washington, DC’s premier leather, kink, and fetish event known as “Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend (MAL)” concluded last...
Why do we NEED to talk about technology and sexuality?
We need to update our sex ed to address more questions about sexuality, including the role of technology.By Ella Dorval Hall January 30, 2020How are young people using technology to tend to their sexuality? How is technology shaping young peoples’ intimacy? And how do...
This Earth Day, Consider a Green Sex Ed
Let's celebrate this Earth Dat with a green sex ed — a holistic appproach to well-being outcomes in addition to risk reduction.By Nicholas Sufrinko April 22, 2019I have long maintained that sex education in the United States is too science-centric, too focused on...
The Professional Learning Standards for Sex Education Are Here!
The Sex Education Collaborative is delighted to share their first product to help existing sex education teachers become more effective.By Valerie Sedivy, PhD April 15, 2019Have you ever wondered why we have student standards for sex education in schools, guidance...
Because Where We Learn Matters
Today is National Healthy Schools Day, sponsored by Healthy Schools Network to raise awareness of issues of environmental health at school.April 2, 2019Today is National Healthy Schools Day, sponsored by Healthy Schools Network to raise awareness of issues of...
Sexual & Reproductive Health Is a Social Justice Issue with Public Health Impacts #NPHW19
#NPHW19 is calling for conversations! We believe that adolescent sexual and reproductive health is a social justice issue with public health impacts.March 28, 2019Next week is National Public Health Week 2019, or #NPHW19, sponsored by the American Public Health...
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