Featured Project In/Tend Breaking down science with humor and honest answers, from videos to infographics to a chatbot. Where We Started We had the challenge of developing an educational yet entertaining campaign to increase HPV vaccination. We focused on prime … Read More
Projects
Creating a Comfortable Climate
Creating a Comfortable Climate Training Available Online & In-Person This training helps sex education instructors ensure they are using best practices when it comes to setting the tone for discussions, answering questions, preventing challenging situations, and managing them effectively if … Read More
Projects
“The internet is not private”
ReSHAPING “The internet is not private:” The role of social media in sexual health among youth in foster care Journal of Adolescence, July 2020 Suggested CitationKachingwe, O.N., Salerno, J.P., Boekeloo, B., Fish, J., Geddings-Hayes, M., Aden, F., & Aparicio, E.M. … Read More
Projects
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
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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
Projects
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
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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
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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
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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
Projects
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
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Spotting Sex Trafficking
Spotting Sex Trafficking U Choose to Know Digest, 2019 Sex trafficking is using force, fraud, or coercion to exploit someone for a commercial sex act. Any minor involved in commercial sex is automatically a victim of sex trafficking whether or … Read More
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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
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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
Projects
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
Projects
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
Projects
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
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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
Projects
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
Projects
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
Projects
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
Projects
10 Ways to Support Students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities in Sex Ed
It can be challenging to deliver sex education in the general education classroom while meeting the needs of students with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD), even if you are accustomed to doing this for other topics you teach. Sometimes it’s mistakenly assumed that students with ID/DD don’t really need sex education. … Read More
Projects
Youth-Friendly Services Assessment Tool & Guide
Youth-Friendly Services Assessment Tool & Guide 2018 This interactive tool can help you decide if your clinic is delivering services in a youth-friendly way. Offering youth-friendly services means that clinical services are provided in a way that makes it easy … Read More
Projects
HPV: By the Numbers (for parents)
HPV: By the Numbers (for parents) 2019 HPV…maybe you’ve heard about the kinds of cancers it causes, the 30,000+ people it affects every year, or that it’s sexually transmitted (through all types of sex), but you still aren’t sure about … Read More
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Evidence-based sexual health programs for youth involved with juvenile justice and child welfare systems
ReSHAPING Evidence-based sexual health programs for youth involved with juvenile justice and child welfare systems: Outcomes across settings, Children and Youth Services Review Children and Youth Services Review, 2019 Suggested CitationCombs, K.M., Aparicio, E.M., Prince, D.M., Grinnell-Davis, C., Marra, L. … Read More
Projects
Early childbirth among foster youth
ReSHAPING Early childbirth among foster youth: A latent class analysis to determine subgroups at increased risk Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2019 Suggested CitationKing, B., Eastman, A. L., Grinnell‐Davis, C., & Aparicio, E. (2019). Early childbirth among foster youth: … Read More
Projects
“My body is strong and amazing”
ReSHAPING “My body is strong and amazing:” Embodied experiences of pregnancy and birth among young women in foster care Children and Youth Services Review, 2019 Elizabeth Aparicio, PhD, MSW; Claudette Grinnell-Davis, PhD, MS, MSW; Bryn King, PhD, MSW; and Svetlana … Read More
Projects
Power Through Choices: Final Impact Evaluation Report
Final Impacts of the Power Through Choices Program Evaluation Reports September 2016 Power Through Choices was evaluated as part of the federal Evaluation of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Approaches (PPA) in collaboration with the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, and its independent … Read More
Projects
Sex and Labor Trafficking: What Parents and Caregivers Need to Know
Sex and Labor Trafficking: What Parents and Caregivers Need to Know July 2019 Through Healthy Teen Network’s partnership with the University of Maryland School of Social Work’s Prevention of Adolescent Risk Initiative, this elearning unit is available to learn about sex and labor … Read More
Projects
Power Through Choices Curriculum Overview
Power Through Choices Curriculum Overview 2019 Curious about Power Through Choices, the only evidence-based sexual health education program designed for youth in foster care? This overview walks you through the basics of the curriculum to answer all your questions: What is … Read More
Projects
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
Projects
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
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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
Projects
Hidden In Plain Sight: Labor Trafficking
Hidden in Plain Sight: Minor Sex Trafficking in Maryland 2017 What is labor trafficking? What are some signs labor trafficking is happening? What should you do if you see labor trafficking? Through Healthy Teen Network’s partnership with the University of Maryland School of … Read More
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Supporting Young Parents to Reach for the Stars
Supporting Young Parents to Reach for the Stars! U Choose to Know Digest, 2018 It can be hard keeping up with schoolwork, and even harder when pregnant and/or parenting. While it is true that only about 50% of young mothers … Read More
Projects
A Path Analysis Predicting Contraceptive Use Among Youth Formerly in Foster Care
ReSHAPING A Path Analysis Predicting Contraceptive Use Among Youth Formerly in Foster Care: Intention or Unmet Need? Society for Social Work and Research, 2018 Suggested CitationCombs, K. M. (2018). A Path Analysis Predicting Contraceptive Use Among Youth Formerly in Foster … Read More
Projects
Equipping Youth to Succeed: Power Through Choices
Equipping Youth to Succeed: Power Through Choices 2017 Power Through Choices is the only sexual health program designed with and for youth in foster care and other out-of-home care. And it’s proven effective. We created this infographic (originally designed for a poster presentation … Read More
Projects
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
Projects
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
Projects
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