The goal for many sexual and reproductive health clinics is to provide quality care for the patients they see and increase the number of young people accessing services. But how can we ensure we meet the unique needs of young people? 

Designed for clinic staff and healthcare providers, “Incorporating Youth-Friendly Services in a Clinical Setting” offers practical strategies to create a welcoming, affirming, and inclusive environment for young people. This interactive course explores what makes a clinic truly youth-friendly (spoiler: it’s more than just colorful posters).  

You’ll learn why it matters to be youth-friendly, how to assess what youth-friendly services should look like, and how to build an environment that feels safe and supportive for young people. This elearning module will equip you with strategies and conversation starters as well as an assessment tool and a list of helpful resources.

Take this elearning course at your own pace. We estimate it takes about 30-45 minutes to complete. 

What if learning about sexual health felt more like scrolling through a friend’s social media than reading a tip sheet? Not a reel made by a clinic or campaign team, but by a young person speaking directly to their followers.

That’s the approach we took when collaborating with young creators in Baltimore City.

Step by step, this guide walks you through the process from recruiting young creators to creating briefs and influencer tips. You’ll learn how to build a supportive community while letting young people take the lead, share their voices, and make content that feels real.

Over the past three years, in partnership with Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) on the Youth Sexual & Reproductive Justice Initiative (Y-SURGE), Healthy Teen Network worked with young creators to make sexual health content that felt real and relatable. Through influencer briefs, shared tips, and learning what worked and what did not, we found our “special sauce:” a good mixture of guidance and flexibility.

The research project sought to boost clinic use for young people who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or those disconnected from school or work, while reducing the stigma around talking about sexual and reproductive health.

Building Trust to Provide Affirming Care for Young People 

The legacy of medical discrimination against both LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals still affects how young people access healthcare today.

Providing care for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ young people means more than just understanding their medical needs—it requires recognizing the long history of discrimination they’ve faced in health care. 

Over the course of about 45 minutes, completed at your own pace, each elearning module explores the historical context as well as the lasting impact of medical mistrust on these specific communities.  

Along with interactive activities exploring how to respond to the concerns of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ young people, these modules also include tips for ways that healthcare providers can build trust with their patients. 

After you’ve completed these elearning modules, use the following practice guides to learn more about putting affirming care into practice. 

Many Ways of Being is a sex education program for all young people, ages 15 to 19, aiming to promote healthy, consensual, and violence-free relationships among young people while reducing the incidence of STIs and unplanned pregnancy.

The program curriculum is comprised of eight two-hour sessions or 16 one-hour sessions. The curriculum covers topics including identity, emotions, interpersonal communication, caring and nonviolent relationships, sexual consent, risk reduction strategies for STI transmission and unplanned pregnancy, accessing clinical sexual and reproductive health services, and portrayals of sex and sexuality in the media.

At the core of the curriculum’s theory of change are norms and their effect on adolescent beliefs and behaviors related to sexual and reproductive health. Many Ways of Being uses a gender transformative approach and aims to promote shifts from restrictive attitudes to more equitable ones and strengthen skills to support young people engaging in healthy behaviors.

The curriculum is available online for free download in both English and Spanish. Materials include:

• Many Ways of Being curriculum (2-hour and 1-hour sessions versions)
• Support Sheets for Sessions 2-7
• Many Ways of Being Workbook
• Many Ways of Being Adaptation Guide