Young people involved in child welfare services face persistent disparities in sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including limited access to contraception and delayed or incomplete sexual health education. Research and interventions have focused on identifying and reducing individual-level risk factors (very important stuff!), but less is known about factors that promote access to SRH.

What we wanted to know

In a recent study, we examined whether having a non-parental supportive adult (i.e., someone a young person says they can trust and turn to for guidance) is associated with two indicators of contraceptive access:

• Receiving contraceptive information or education
• Knowing how to obtain contraception

What we did

We followed 245 young people with open child welfare cases due to maltreatment within the family at two points in adolescence: early adolescence (8th/9th grade) and mid-adolescence (about 2.5 years later, when most youth were in 10^th/11^th grade).

Every April, Black Maternal Health Week—observed from April 11–17—calls the nation to reflect and act in support of Black maternal health. Led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) and aligned with National Minority Health Month, this year’s observance marks a decade of advocacy, community building, and collective power. At its core, the week reminds us that advancing reproductive justice is not only about addressing disparities, but also about honoring the lived experiences of Black mamas and birthing people.

As conversations around reproductive health continue to shift, I find myself thinking deeply about young Black mothers—those most often overlooked by systems meant to support them yet profoundly impacted by the care they receive.

As conversations around reproductive health continue to shift, I find myself thinking deeply about young Black mothers—those most often overlooked by systems meant to support them yet profoundly impacted by the care they receive. Their journeys are shaped not just by access to services, but by whether they are seen, heard, and treated with dignity along the way.

In an organization like Healthy Teen Network, our team spans coasts, time zones, and departments, which can sometimes make it a bit more challenging. Each department has its own flow, as we all work together to achieve a common goal: supporting and empowering young people in their sexual and reproductive health. Naturally, there is variation in how we engage in this work, so what happens when you’re an omnivert in this space? What even is an omnivert, you may ask?

Being an Omnivert

An omnivert is defined as an individual who experiences extreme shifts between being highly introverted and highly extroverted, often driven by mood or situation.

An omnivert is defined as an individual who experiences extreme shifts between being highly introverted and highly extroverted, often driven by mood or situation. For me, outside of work, this looks like playing all the viral games at family get-togethers with enthusiasm and being totally burnt out afterward. It can also look like a full-blown kitchen concert for my son while I make dinner. There are a lot of ways I’m extroverted, but I find it’s mostly private.

Creating Social Spaces at Work

I have found that I am my most extroverted self when I feel safe to be that vulnerable. Being extroverted to me looks like putting down that “professional” hat we’re all asked to wear and inviting my colleagues into my day-to-day.  Most recently, this has looked like creating a community care space affectionately named “Working Women Wednesdays” with a close group of colleagues to just be and share the good and the not-so-good about anything and everything. In today’s world, I have found that no matter how social I’m feeling, these spaces are necessary and sustaining.

Finding Times to be “Off”

There are also so many instances, as an educator, that require you to be “on,” so opportunities to be “off” feel especially important, allowing you to reconnect with yourself as a human being outside of what you produce in a field you love. I intentionally create opportunities to get some fresh air and work away from my desk; sometimes that change in scenery is all I need for a quick reset. Other times, after a long workday, having dinner alone or taking myself on a movie date feels especially good.

Bringing Your Whole Self to Work

Being in and held by community as your whole self is possible in the workplace in small and big ways, even when it may be hard to imagine.

My reminder to you is that you are a whole person, holding your work deadlines and deliverables, and your literal or metaphorical laundry list of tasks outside of work simultaneously. Being in and held by community as your whole self is possible in the workplace in small and big ways, even when it may be hard to imagine. A well-timed meme or GIF is a whole love language of its own with the colleagues I now consider friends, and I’m grateful for the safe spaces they’ve helped me co-create.

Some of these suggestions might work well for you also…or perhaps they are a reminder that we all need to find what works best for each of us. And that building positive work environments for yourself and with your co-workers is a collaborative and ongoing process.

On Transgender Day of Visibility, visibility is often celebrated—but visibility without protection, without advocacy, and without action can leave trans people more exposed than supported.

If you want to protect trans young people, you must be willing to understand that history and actively work to do better.

For many LGBTQ+ and BIPOC young people, medical spaces are shaped by a long history of discrimination and harm, leading to real and justified mistrust. If you want to protect trans young people, you must be willing to understand that history and actively work to do better. Hint: The work doesn’t stop at knowing the right terminology or checking boxes on an intake form.

Affirming Care for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ Young People

That’s where our affirming care elearnings come in. These modules offer a concrete way to move from awareness to action—deepening understanding of medical discrimination, exploring how mistrust is formed, and building the skills needed to provide inclusive, healing-centered, and affirming care.

Whenever I open Instagram, it feels like my entire feed is filled with content about the importance of community…from mutual aid requests to “everybody wants a village, so be a villager.”

When systems fail us, how can we support each other to thrive?

As I’ve been reading and hearing more about folks turning to one another for support, care, and resources, I’ve been thinking about how this drive for connection impacts sex ed. When systems fail us, how can we support each other to thrive? When schools, clinics, and other systems are not showing up for young people, especially for queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, what can we do to try to fill in those gaps?

Enter community-based sex education.

By ensuring caregivers, local leaders, and youth-supporting folks have access to medically accurate and understandable information, we’re meeting young people where they are. Bringing young people and their caregivers to learn together, having community conversations, and making your resources accessible is CRUCIAL always, but especially now. When schools, federally funded programs, and beyond are being told they cannot say “gender” or “sexuality” or even share medically accurate information, we need to turn to folks outside of the normal systems we may typically rely on.

Here are some examples of youth-supporting professionals across the nation who are showing up for their communities.

• Your Empowered Sexuality is a Philadelphia-based organization providing education not only to young people in schools, but also to teachers, caregivers, and healthcare providers. Beyond the “typical” sex education topics, they also do workshops on nutrition, body liberation, and anti-fatness.
• Talk More is doing incredible work to support caregivers in having shame-free conversations with their young people in the Atlanta area and beyond! They’re holding workshops in the community, but they also have AMAZING free resources on their website, like Parent Planners, categorized by age to prepare caregivers for age-appropriate conversations with their youth. Their Values Expressions Exercise and Conversation Generator provide guidance for a conversation that so many parents are afraid of!
• Healthy Native Youth holds virtual Community of Practice calls for folks supporting Native young people. By bringing folks together to focus on specific topics, they’re offering space for caring adults to problem-solve, commiserate, share wins, and find resources. They also have a text message service that gives caring adults tips on talking with young people about mental health!
• Other educators, like SexEdU, SxEdFiles, SexEdForGuys, and more are turning to social media to reach their communities! Young people (and really, anyone) may find themselves using TikTok as a search engine for health information, and it’s folks like these who are ensuring that there is medically accurate, understandable, and relatable information there for them.

While restrictions on federal funding and public education are rampant, community-based sex education can offer a different perspective that public education may not be able to. In an individualist society rooted in white supremacy, for some of us, the more organic, grassroots community approaches can feel like intimidating.

And yet, at the same time, since humans have been around, people have been building communities and relationships to stay connected, to be protected, and to resist systems of oppression. From neighborhoods to group chats to villages and beyond, a sense of belonging has provided people with purpose. Turning to our neighbors instead of relying on systems designed to oppress us helps us support young people and, in turn, makes us all better.

For a long time, being a perfectionist was something I chased. I couldn’t make any mistakes, couldn’t fail at anything I tried for the first time, couldn’t slip up in any way, or I’d risk losing some imaginary gold medal.

And it was exhausting.

Don’t get me wrong—I don’t think there’s a problem with having a close eye for detail and taking your time to make sure you’ve dotted all your Is and crossed every T. But I’ve learned that there are some nuances behind the idea of perfectionism that have me trying to recover from this impossible goal.

There is more than one right way to do something

There’s always more than one way to cook an egg. My ideal path to solving a problem or reaching a goal might not be the same as my friend’s or colleague’s—but that doesn’t mean either one of us is wrong. Perfectionism, however, doesn’t leave room for these other perspectives.

For example, as a writing major, my training was in standard American English. It has a specific grammar and conventions that, as an editor, I stringently abided by. But sometimes, particularly in first-person writing meant to capture and evoke the writer’s personality, the use of dialects like African American Vernacular English (AAVE), is the “right” English—even if its grammar and conventions might differ from those I was taught in school.

In my quest to begin decolonizing my own mind, I’m learning that perfectionism and the belief in one right way are two of the characteristics of white supremacy culture identified by writer Tema Okun. This discovery really got me thinking about how pursuing perfectionism wasn’t serving me or anyone else.

“Mistakes” are really just lessons

“Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet.” Those words from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables were a balm to my struggling perfectionist self. A new day, a fresh start, a chance to forget the mistakes you made in the past. But ignoring mistakes also casts aside the gifts that they are. Some of my greatest learning experiences have been borne out of something going wrong.

Mistakes, failures, and unexpected obstacles fuel innovation and growth.

Mistakes, failures, and unexpected obstacles fuel innovation and growth. A mistake can shed light on a previously unseen bias, a pain point that needs to be addressed, or an area of weakness to explore further. A mistake can even serve as a simple reminder: “Hey, remember last time you forgot to grab your keys and locked yourself out? Put them in your jacket pocket so you don’t do that again!”

Growth is a more realistic goal than perfection

Once, when I was agonizing over a small mistake, someone gave me the tough love I needed by asking, “Did you really think you were so perfect that you wouldn’t ever make a single mistake?” Well, when you put it like that, of course not!

Perfect is the apex, the often unattainable peak of progress. There’s no way to improve on perfect, and if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that I’m always improving, learning, and growing. How can any of us hold ourselves to perfectionism when there is so much more waiting on the other side? Curiosity, open-mindedness, collaboration, resilience, creativity—the possibilities open up immensely if you allow yourself to let go of perfection as a goal.

We could all use some more self-compassion

When you identify as a perfectionist and then you inevitably mess up, it can lead to a lot of mental distress—I’m talking middle-of-the-night panics and plenty of negative self-talk. That’s not a good, helpful, or healthy way to go through life.

Whether we like it or not, making mistakes is part of what makes us human, and putting yourself or anyone else on the pedestal of perfection can set you up for a fall. Eschewing perfectionism allows us to be kinder to ourselves.

For now, I’m focusing on being perfectionish, rather than perfectionist, and I think that’s a good start.

I will proudly say that I identify as a nerd. I love learning new things, exploring topics I’ve never heard of before, and diving deep into the nuances of how things work. Because of my nerdiness, I love professional development trainings. Not only does it feed my thirst for knowledge, but it also allows me to share what I’ve learned with everyone around me, my peers, teachers, young people, and anyone who will listen.

Some people do not share the same kind of enthusiasm, and I can understand their perspective. Teachers, for example, are my primary audience for professional development training, and historically, they have a million other things on their plates. Adding on an hours-long professional development training can feel daunting.

Adding another thing to their never-ending to-do list can be stressful, which is why I believe it’s imperative that, as trainers, we make professional development as stress-free as possible.

I see teachers as real-life superheroes: They get up early for class, stand on their feet all day to teach, then work all night grading papers and prepping for after-school clubs. Adding another thing to their never-ending to-do list can be stressful, which is why I believe it’s imperative that, as trainers, we make professional development as stress-free as possible. Throughout my time training for U Choose, I have learned some strategies to ensure that teachers leave sessions feeling that the training was a good use of their time.

Create a comfortable environment

I have led professional development sessions in a variety of different settings: libraries, old school buildings, auditoriums, and new classrooms with high-tech smart boards. No matter where you end up, it’s important that you make the environment as inviting as possible. If the room is a little warm, try opening some windows to let in a fresh breeze. Turn on some lo-fi music, so when participants walk in, they’re welcomed with the relaxing sounds of chill beats. Greet them with a smile and make them feel seen and special because they are!

Embrace the fidget

Another thing I’ve realized is that when it comes to learning while moving, adults are just young people in bigger bodies. Adults, like our young people, LOVE fidget toys (my personal favorites are tangle puzzles and flip cubes). I enjoy placing a few different fidget toys on their desks and watching them relax as they listen to my presentation. It’s a simple but effective tool for focus and relaxation.

Let them decorate

Another fun tip is to treat the training like the first day of school. On that day, every student gets a name tag and desk tent to personalize, and adults love that, too! Participants really get into decorating their desk tents with their names and doodle fun designs that represent their personalities. Giving them ownership over their space creates a sense of belonging and opens the door for introductions and conversations.

Encourage them to “be the expert”

Sure, the trainer is technically the “expert” in the material, but there is a wealth of knowledge in the room that others (including you!) can benefit from. Of course, the trainer may know the answer, but it’s powerful to turn questions back to the participants and ask what they know about a topic, or whether they’ve dealt with a situation mentioned in the training.

One of my favorite practices during training is establishing group agreements, which are a set of guidelines everyone agrees to follow to ensure the space is safe, respectful, and focused on learning. One of the agreements I always like to include is maintaining a “learning mindset” and leading with grace, curiosity, and patience. I always follow up by reiterating that even though I may be leading the training, I do not have all the answers. I’m always eager to learn from participants and hear about their experiences. This approach also creates a pathway for them to lean on each other. They ask each other questions, get advice, and often exchange contact information, so they have someone to turn to for support. It’s a great way for participants to build camaraderie within the learning environment.

Involve them in the training

Trainings can range from a couple hours to a full day, which means there is often a lot of information to absorb. While there will be times when you need to share a significant amount of content, it’s important to lean away from talking at them and instead involve them in the learning process.

Remember how I said that adults are just like big kids? It’s the same thing here! They want to talk, move around, and have fun. Build time in the training for participants to get out of their seats and engage with others. Put them in small groups, have them act out a scene, or hand them a mic to present a big idea to the larger group. Encourage them to call out answers if you ask them a question. The more they move and interact, the more energy flows throughout the room. Create fun, engaging activities that stimulate their minds and make learning enjoyable.

Ultimately, professional development can be fun, and it’s our job as trainers to make it that way.

Sex ed is powerful work, and you deserve to feel safe doing it—that is the premise of our three new Thrivology resources: Supporting Sex Educator Safety, Managing Your Personal Information Online, and Protecting Yourself from Hacking.

Many sex educators are currently navigating uncertainty around the evolving safety risks they face and how they can protect themselves.

Many sex educators are currently navigating uncertainty around the evolving safety risks they face and how they can protect themselves. We sought out to create resources that would target sex educators’ real gaps and support needs, while also honoring the ways they and their managers are already working to protect their safety. And we knew the only way to achieve that goal was to center the voices of sex educators, managers, researchers, and other subject matter experts.

Interested in using the resources but want to learn more about how they were made? Curious about human-centered design as a way to partner with local youth-supporting professionals and design tools of your own? Read on for a brief breakdown of our design process as a case study of one way that collaborative design can happen.

Deciding to focus on sex educator safety

Thrivology resources address a wide range of topics within adolescent sexual and reproductive health (check out some others here!). Our first step is always to take an informed approach to choosing the topic to focus on.

We decided to focus on sex educator safety by brainstorming with project staff, then widening the circle to include input from our Research Alliance members and expert trainers at Healthy Teen Network, who work closely with sex educators.

A clear theme that our discussions surfaced is that these are uncertain times in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

A clear theme that our discussions surfaced is that these are uncertain times in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. A lot of sex educators are concerned about their safety and are unclear about what specific risks they face.

Some of our project team had specifically heard calls from the field for digital safety support: Sex educators can see that heated debates about sex ed are gaining increased attention online, but they don’t feel that they have the tech expertise and guidance to protect themselves. We also did background research that found that resources for supporting sex educators’ safety is basically nonexistent.

From these conversations, we saw a clear opportunity to support sex educators’ well-being and enable them to better show up for young people.

Understanding sex educators’ and managers’ needs

For our field research, we took a two-pronged approach of a survey and interviews.

Digital safety survey

Because we had already heard a direct need for digital safety tools, we decided to create a targeted survey aimed at filling gaps in information about sex educators’ experiences and concerns, rather than opening up new areas to explore. Thirty-five eligible respondents took the survey, including 15 educators and 7 managers. Over half of them were very or somewhat concerned about their digital safety, which aligned with our understanding. Others shared confusion about whether they should be worried.

“I do think there’s some reason to be concerned, but I haven’t put much thought into my concern personally. I do know other educators in my field and area who have been doxed, but I do not sense imminent threat of that. I should possibly be more concerned than I am.” -Digital safety survey participant

While many respondents expressed concerns about not being tech-savvy enough to protect themselves, almost everyone was able to name at least one way they were keeping themselves safe! The two main strategic areas were doxing and hacking protection. The survey also validated our belief that sex educators need more support for their digital safety. Over half had not tried to use any resources to improve their digital safety, and only 7% felt that existing resources were working well to keep them protected.

Safety interviews

In addition to digital safety, we knew we wanted to create a suite of safety-focused resources. We therefore took a more expansive field research approach to learn about what supports sex educators need for their overall safety.

We led six 60-minute interviews with five youth-supporting professionals and one policy expert, from across the country. For one portion of the interview, we created an interactive Miro board structure to encourage participants to get specific about their concerns.