Cultural Experiences, Shared Identities, and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once By April “Kayuri” Lat, MS MPP By Patricia Natalie, MA May 28, 2024 C heck out this video blog post, where April and Patricia discuss their shared identities as Southeast … Read More
True You Maryland
The Not-So-Top-Secret Mission to Improve Adolescent Health Outcomes
Dive deep into county-level data to identify factors contributing to the sexual and reproductive health outcomes of young people in your community! By Deborah Chilcoat, MEd May 16, 2024 Here is your mission, should you choose to accept it: Dive … Read More
True You Maryland
Save the Date! May Is Sex Ed for All Month!
Each May since 2019, Sex Ed for All Month is an opportunity to voice our shared commitment to a world where all young people get equitable access to the education and care they deserve. April 18, 2024 The seasons are … Read More
True You Maryland
Sex Education Is Essential (Sex Ed for All Talking Points)
Together, by advocating in our communities, we can ensure Sex Ed for All. April 16, 2024 As April starts to wind down, and as we look ahead to the start of May on the horizon, we wanted to take a … Read More
True You Maryland
Stay in the Loop with our Shareable National Observances Calendar
Stay up to date with our 2024 adolescent health national observances Google calendar! By Mariah Cowsert January 25, 2024 When I first started working at Healthy Teen Network—now 3 years ago, almost to the day!—and started creating content for our … Read More
True You Maryland
How Youth-Friendly is Your Clinic?
On a scale from mid to stellar, how would the youth you serve rate your clinic’s youth-friendliness? By Allison Tomai Felsen August 17, 2023 Have you ever walked into a health care facility and felt totally overwhelmed? Or been unsure … Read More
True You Maryland
Let’s Talk Inclusivity… in Birth Control!
We need to be mindful of our language to ensure that we’re reaching young people of all genders. By Vanessa Geffrard July 13, 2023 As health educators, it’s likely that we’ll teach a lesson, or answer questions about, birth control … Read More
True You Maryland
Give Your Contraceptive Lessons a Refresh
Support your students to feel informed and in control of their health! By Allison Tomai Felsen June 23, 2023 As part of its efforts to bring the very best sexual health education to Maryland youth, True You Maryland, a program … Read More
True You Maryland
Beyond Sexual & Reproductive Health: Linking Young People to Mental Health Resources
Whether it is crisis hotlines, toolkits, trainings, or support groups, there are ways to get youth connected to mental health resources today. By Mackenzie Piper, MPH, CHES March 6, 2023 Many years ago, I still remember being introduced to a … Read More
True You Maryland
New Year, Same WHY
Our Thoughts on Why Sex Ed Matters By Sam Akers February 23, 2023 “What do you do?” I was asked by my family when I went home… “Well, I work in sex ed!” *Brace for impact* “and I LOVE what … Read More
True You Maryland
Conversations Between Grandparents and Grandchildren: Love, Relationships, and Human Sexuality
Generation to generation, we can all learn from each other’s stories and experiences By Deborah Chilcoat, MEd January 13, 2023 I Googled “grandparents as sex educators” today. I wanted to write about the role grandparents play in educating their grandchildren about … Read More
True You Maryland
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, 2023 Talking about sexuality in the classroom can be awkward! We’ve all been … Read More
True You Maryland
Talking to Your Dog about Sex: 5 Reasons to Prepare for Human Conversations with a More-Forgiving Furry Friend
If you are a dog parent, or ever had a loving pet in your life, you already know how responsive they are to our emotions. By Deborah Chilcoat, MEd December 15, 2022 As I was passing my pups laying on … Read More
True You Maryland
Where the Wild Things Are: 5 Reasons to Embrace the Playful, Outrageous, and Make-Believe at Work
Why a fun, outside-of-the-box scheme might be just what your brand, product, or campaign needs. “That very night in Max’s room a forest grew and grew—and grew until his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all … Read More
True You Maryland
Get Ready for Our Staff Sessions at #HealthyTeen22
This is only a sneak peak of our incredible line-up of some of our conference sessions; you’ll just have to join us in Miami for #HealthyTeen22 to get the full experience! September 23, 2022 We’re counting down the days to … Read More
True You Maryland
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, MPH, CHES August 18, 2022 True You Maryland brings … Read More
True You Maryland
Navigating Sexuality + Faith for Better Sex Ed
True You Maryland
Would you like FRIES with that?
Sexting and digital consent are important topics to discuss with young people By Allison Tomai Felsen February 17, 2022 A study published in 2018 by JAMA Pediatrics found that sexting is becoming a more common practice among youth: about 1 … Read More
True You Maryland
Brand Voice: The Make-or-Break Secret for Crafting Health Information that Inspires
How you say it matters now more than ever. By Nicholas Sufrinko October 1, 2021 It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it—an adage said a zillion times over. And yet today, it’s one that’s felt with … Read More
True You Maryland
To be or not to be (on camera)? That is the question….
Quick tips to build motivation to turn the camera on. By Valerie Sedivy, PhD July 15, 2021 By far, the most common challenge we hear from facilitators working in virtual settings is that young people do not want to be … Read More
True You Maryland
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 … Read More
True You Maryland
Lemonade Musings: Seeing Youths’ Strengths
True You Maryland
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 assessments May 19, 2021 With the decline in routine pediatric immunizations and well-child visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, Healthy Teen … Read More
True You Maryland
Sexual & Reproductive Health, Rights, & Justice Organizations Applaud Introduction of Legislation to Improve the Health & Well-Being of Young People
All young people deserve access to high-quality sex education and sexual health care May 18, 2021 For Immediate Release Washington, D.C — Today, champions in Congress are introducing the Real Education and Access to Healthy Youth Act of 2021 (REAHYA). The … Read More
True You Maryland
Engaging Young People Virtually
Sharing what we’ve learned from our Power through Choices facilitators. By Valerie Sedivy, PhD February 16, 2021 I know. You’re tired of Zoom, young people are tired of Zoom, and I’m tired of talking about how tired we all are … Read More