Sexual Health Facilitators’ Guide to Responding to Youth’s Questions About Sex 2023 Facilitators of sexual health education programs may face a dilemma when they aren’t sure about how to respond to a youth’s question. This may be because they don’t … Read More
Tip Sheet
Internal & External Condom Steps
Internal & External Condom Steps August 2024 Condom demonstrations are important because it’s better for young people to see (and then practice!) applying a condom before they need to use it. Review condom use steps for internal and external condoms, … Read More
Tip Sheet
Sexual Identity Glossary
Sexual Identity Glossary 2024 This handout identifies terms related to gender and sexual identity. Sexual identity is typically a combination of someone’s: sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and sexual behavior. When packaged together, we get a sense of our … Read More
Tip Sheet
Group Agreements for Good Colleagues
Group Agreements for Good Colleagues 2021 This is a working document that was crafted by the Healthy Teen Network staff and was inspired by our former Board Chair Nadine Finigan-Carr in the midst of the first year of the COVID-19 … Read More
Tip Sheet
Why All-Gender Classrooms Work
Why All-Gender Classrooms Work U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 Discussing gender in the classroom can be a difficult task for some teachers and staff. Challenging situations can come up, like students having different perspectives on the subject matter or … Read More
Tip Sheet
When Sex Education Meets Mandatory Reporting
When Sex Education Meets Mandatory Reporting U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 As a teacher, you know that if you suspect that a student has been abused, or a student tells you about a situation that sounds like abuse, you … Read More
Tip Sheet
When Is the Right Time to Engage in Sexual Activity?
When Is the Right Time to Engage in Sexual Activity? U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 In the classroom, students may ask questions like, “How do I know when it is the right time to have sex?” or “How do … Read More
Tip Sheet
What’s Law Got to Do with It?
What’s Law Got to Do with It? U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 Although you don’t need to be a legal expert to teach sex education, it helps to be up to date on federal and state laws that relate … Read More
Tip Sheet
What Is Dual Protection & Why Is It Important?
What Is Dual Protection & Why Is It Important? U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 Although birth rates among young people have declined over the years, STI rates are soaring. According to the CDC, adolescents ages 15-24 account for nearly … Read More
Tip Sheet
Talking to Partners about STI Status: Building Skills & Confidence in Youth
Talking to Partners about STI Status: Building Skills & Confidence in Youth U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 Having conversations about sex with a partner can be difficult, but talking to partners about STI status can feel particularly tricky, especially … Read More
Tip Sheet
Talking about Values in Sexuality Education
Talking about Values in Sexuality Education U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 A lot of us have been told that we should stay away from any discussions about values during sex education. But the truth is that high-quality sex education … Read More
Tip Sheet
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs): Is Your Knowledge Up to Date?
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs): Is Your Knowledge Up to Date? U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 When you teach about STIs, your students will usually have lots of questions, and it can be hard to keep up with evolving knowledge … Read More
Tip Sheet
Sex Education and Abusive Relationships: What You Need to Know
Sex Education and Abusive Relationships: What You Need to Know U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 When you teach sex education (and maybe even when you teach other topics), the subject of abuse within relationships is likely to come up. … Read More
Tip Sheet
Regrouping, Refocusing, and Reengaging Your Students
Regrouping, Refocusing, and Reengaging Your Students U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 We get it! Managing a classroom of middle and high school students can present its challenges, especially when the topic is sex education. Students are bound to have … Read More
Tip Sheet
Positively Rock Answering Questions!
Positively Rock Answering Questions! U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 This U Choose to Know resource gives you tips on how to positively answer questions that students might have and gives some practice questions to review. Get It Now Contributing … Read More
Tip Sheet
Making Role-Plays Work for You and Your Students
Making Role-Plays Work for You and Your Students U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 Some teachers say that role-plays are one of the hardest activities to manage during sex education. Students can feel awkward or get out of hand, and … Read More
Tip Sheet
Eliminating Stigma from STIs and Testing
Eliminating Stigma from STIs and Testing U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 You probably already know how important it is to talk to your students about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and ways to prevent them, and the data helps make … Read More
Tip Sheet
Does Humor Belong in Sex Education?
Does Humor Belong in Sex Education? U Choose to Know Digest, 2019 Humor and laughter are probably going to happen in your classroom during sex education whether you plan for it or not. While teaching about sexuality is serious business, … Read More
Tip Sheet
Connecting With Youth Who Are LGBTQ+
Connecting with Youth Who Are LGBTQ+ U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 Gender and Sexuality Alliances or Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) have been around since the 1980s providing youth who identify as LGBTQ+ and their allies a safe space to support … Read More
Tip Sheet
Are You a Trauma-Informed Sex Educator?
Are You a Trauma-Informed Sex Educator? U Choose to Know Digest, 2020 As a teacher, you undoubtedly strive to be inclusive of all your students, including those who have experienced trauma. You are also probably aware that sex education requires … Read More
Tip Sheet
Sex Education and Abusive Relationships: What You Need to Know
Sex Education and Abusive Relationships: What You Need to Know U Choose to Know Digest, 2018 When you teach sex education (and maybe even when you teach other topics), the subject of abuse within relationships is likely to come up. … Read More
Tip Sheet
Best Practices in Sexuality Education
Best Practices in Sexuality Education U Choose to Know Digest, 2018 Check out this U Choose to Know tip sheet for some best practices for teaching sex education and some resources that may help you if you get stuck on … Read More
Tip Sheet
Fidelity is a Delicious Pie
Fidelity is a Delicious Pie U Choose to Know Digest, 2018 Consider this: fidelity is like a delicious pie. Say your favorite pie is your grandmother’s special apple pie. Her recipe uses frozen pie crust, Gala apples, and brown sugar. … Read More
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Working with Youth Who Are Transgender and/or Gender Nonconforming
Working with Youth Who Are Transgender and/or Gender Nonconforming U Choose to Know Digest, 2018 Transgender youth don’t feel safe at school. They experience bullying based on their gender often and report that school personnel rarely intervene. Almost all transgender … Read More
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Send Shame Walking! Applying a Sex Positive Lens to Health Class Facilitation
Send Shame Walking! Applying a Sex Positive Lens to Health Class Facilitation U Choose to Know Digest, 2018 Sex positivity is the idea that all sex (as long as it’s healthy and consensual) is a good and normal thing. Sex … Read More
Tip Sheet
Being an Ally to Youth Who Identify as LGBTQ+
Being an Ally to Youth Who Identify as LGBTQ+ U Choose to Know Digest, 2018 Young people consume more media than ever before. The images they see and messages they receive impact not just how they view the world, but … Read More
Tip Sheet
Know Your Audience
Know Your Audience 2017 This tip sheet gives ways to find common ground with stakeholders and elected officials. The goal is to have better communication and educate others on your cause. It’s important to know your audience, so you can… … Read More
Tip Sheet
Working with School Health Advisory Committees (SHACs)
Working with School Health Advisory Committees (SHACs) 2016 A school health advisory committee (SHAC) is any group that advises on school health. SHACs might go by other names, such as “school health teams” or “wellness councils.” Often based at the … Read More
Tip Sheet
Characteristics of Youth-Friendly Clinical Services
Characteristics of Youth-Friendly Clinical Services 2015 Youth-friendly services are services that all adolescents are able to obtain, and these services, which include full contraceptive coverage to avoid unintended pregnancies and STIs, should meet youth’s expectations and needs and improve their … Read More
Tip Sheet
Increasing Our Impact by Using a Social-Ecological Approach
Increasing Our Impact by Using a Social-Ecological Approach 2015 The social-ecological model is a theory-based framework for understanding, exploring, and addressing the social determinants of health at many levels. The social-ecological model encourages us to move beyond a focus on … Read More
Tip Sheet
The Art of Verbal Storytelling
The Art of Verbal Storytelling 2015 This tip sheet illustrates how a good story flows naturally with a well-developed plot that takes the listener through an image-filled journey that leaves the listener with something to think about or remember; a … Read More
Tip Sheet
Making Your Logic Model Work for You
Making Your Logic Model Work for You 2014 Have you ever wondered, “Why do I need to develop and use a logic model?” Logic models should be a clear and concise “10,000 foot view” of the work you’re doing and … Read More
Tip Sheet
What Is a Logic Model?
What Is a Logic Model? 2013 What is a logic model? Learn more in this tip sheet! Logic models display the relationships among the resources you have to operate your program, the activities you plan, and the changes or results … Read More