Daring to Dream
From Our President & CEO
Janet Max, MPH, CHES
We know that these last few years haven’t been easy. We’ve collectively adapted to pandemic life, shifting our work to adapt to remote work, and dealing with the aftermath of the Dobbs decision and the overturning of Roe V. Wade.
While it’s been a rollercoaster of a year, we’ve seen pockets of joy, and we are grateful we have been able to push forward together to advance social change.
And we want to thank you—our members—who keep us energized and connected in this important work. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without our project partners, colleagues across organizations, and community supporters out in the field working with young people. Each and every one of you is crucial in this field, and we’re grateful to be able to collaborate and uplift each other’s work.
Highlights
2022 was a year of collective dreaming and collaboration.
Many Ways of Being
Many Ways of Being is an inclusive, youth-centered curriculum focused on gender equity, healthy relationships, and safer sex practices.
Real Talk Evaluation
Real Talk modernizes sex education by capitalizing on youths’ desire to engage in peer sharing.
True You Maryland
True You Maryland brings together partners in six rural Maryland counties. Together, we’re working to advance the sexual health and well-being of youth here at home.
U Choose
U Choose is a collaborative approach to providing evidence-based sexuality education and youth-friendly reproductive health services to Baltimore City youth.
Many Ways of Being | Curriculum and Digital Components
The aim of this project was to adapt and combine the Manhood 2.0 and Sisterhood 2.0 curricula to create a new sexuality education curriculum accessible to and inclusive of all youth, regardless of their gender identities, all while maintaining a gender transformative lens. The result is Many Ways of Being. In addition to the typical classroom activities, participants will have access to a digital component of the program (via social media), used to engage them in and bolster their understanding of the content outside of the classroom.
The curriculum incorporates gender transformative approaches, while being accessible to youth of any gender identity. Previously, Manhood 2.0 and Sisterhood 2.0 offered single-gender spaces, while Many Ways of Being aims to be inclusive of all. Youth have been involved along the way as we developed the curriculum as well as the digital components of the project.
Communication is Key | Collaboration with U Choose
If you want to have sex, you and your partner (or partners) should talk about how you will prevent STIs. Before having sex with each other for the first time, you should get checked for STIs.
This video shares some tips to help you confidently have these important conversations.
2022 FINANCIALS
Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Data*
*unaudited
our Supporters
Bart Bombay
Susan Braun
Butler
Bridget Casey
Kimberly Culp
Linda Davis
Linda Dawkins
Roberta Domres
Tracey Ebony
Jim Egan
Donna Elliston
Marc England
Patti Flowers-Coulson
Lora Fults
Lillian Harris
Lori Houck Cora
Leah Huddleston
Andy Jaehrling
The Kulash Family Fund
Marissa Latini
Kathleen Long
Amena Mitchell
Anthony Motyl
Jessica Murison
Patricia ONeal
Pat Paluzzi
Sarah Parr
Marilyn J. Preston
Kiel Quinn
Shannon Rauh
Zanny Regas
Lela Reynolds
Bruce Riggins
Ruth Anne Seifert
Karen Skelly
Ted Smith
Monica Taylor
Julie Thompson
Andy Weisberger
Debbie Wengert-Rippetoe
Kayla Wilburn
Conference
Dare to Dream of a New Era | #HealthyTeen22
During our staff meeting before the conference, we asked everyone to share one thing they were excited about for this year’s conference. Every single person mentioned they were excited to be together, in person. Yes, they also mentioned the workshop sessions, and our wonderful plenary speakers, but at the core it was all about creating connections and building relationships across the country.
Being in Miami was a moment to take a breath and look around at all the people—colleagues, friends, soon to be friends who had come together for three days to learn, question, challenge, and have a little fun together.
This year, we asked you to join us in dreaming of a new era. In many ways, COVID freed us from some of those cant’s and wont’s…but it shouldn’t take a pandemic to let us break free and innovate. We have much work to do…and our general sessions each spoke about different ways we can get moving!
Board & Staff
Our 2022 Board
Interested in joining our Board? We’re not currently recruiting, but if you’re interested in future opportunities, please let us know.
Chair
Rhoda Smith, PhD, MSW
Assistant Clinical Professor, Erikson Institute
Vice Chair
Shannon Rauh, MEd,
AASECT Certified SexualityEducator
Senior Consultant, JSI Research and Training Institute
Treasurer
Anthony Vela
Project Manager, U.S. Department of Labor
Secretary
Brina Bolden, JD
Contracting Officer, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Donna Elliston, DrPH, MSPH
Senior Consultant, John Snow Inc.
Monica Faulkner, PhD, LMSW
Director, Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing; Research Associate Professor, Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin
Patti Flowers–Coulson
Public Health & Administrative Organizer, Baltimoreans United In Leadership Development, Inc. (BUILD)
Marissa Latini
Associate Director of Development, My Friend’s Place
Anthony D. Motyl, LICSW
Director of Grants & Sponsored Research, Springfield College
Valerie J. Parker, MA, LMFT, LCSW
Executive Director, Young Families of Indiana Network, Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County
Marilyn Preston
Associate Professor of Human Services, Metropolitan State University
Zanny Regas, Nursing Student, ABSN-MSN
Family Nurse Practitioner Degree Candidate, University of Pennsylvania
Our 2022 Staff
Looking Ahead
Some of Our Priorities for 2023
Thrivology
We bring you the latest science on how to provide the very best programs and services, so young people may thrive.
El Camino
El Camino is a youth-focused goal-setting sexual health program developed for and with Latino adolescents.
#HealthyTeen23
At #HealthyTeen23 in Portland, OR, we will look to each other for inspiration and renewal. The stories we share will feed our hearts and grip our spirits.
Baltimore City Health Department
Partnering to create short videos that cover topics like: talking to your partner(s) about STIs, digital health literacy, and childhood immunizations.
Learn More
Check out some of our other work.
