National youth activism nonprofit Advocates for Youth to take ownership of, operate LGBTQ+ curriculum-to-classroom project Hope in a Box

Washington, D.C. (March 19, 2024) — Today, Advocates for Youth announced it has partnered with Hope in a Box to own and operate the LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum-to-classroom program. As book bans and curriculum restrictions increasingly target LGBTQ+-affirming content in schools, the collaboration between Advocates for Youth and Hope in a Box will ensure educators and librarians across the country have access to inclusive curriculum guides and toolkits. 

By becoming a formal project of Advocates for Youth, Hope in a Box will further its goal of building a world in which all students can see themselves reflected at school and thrive. Advocates for Youth’s network of over 20,000 school-based sexuality educators, counselors, and administrators will soon have access to resources from Hope In a Box; likewise, Hope in a Box’s Educator Network will be able to access Advocates’  training, curricula, coaching, and technical support. Both organizations’ resources will reach hundreds of additional educators and ultimately benefit thousands of additional youth. 

“Since I founded Hope in a Box in 2018, the urgency of providing educators and students with LGBTQ+ inclusive classrooms has only grown,” said Joe English, Founder of Hope in a Box. “I am thrilled that Advocates for Youth will continue Hope in a Box’s mission of ensuring that inclusive classrooms are the norm rather than the exception.”

“We are honored to bring Hope In a Box into the Advocates for Youth family,” said Deb Hauser, President of Advocates for Youth. “Advocates for Youth has always worked to help schools become safe and affirming environments for LGBTQ+ youth. We are thrilled to expand this work by making Hope in a Box’s curated book list, curriculum guides, and toolkits available to hundreds of additional school libraries and Language Arts classes. We are deeply committed to the Hope in a Box mission and to ensuring that all LGBTQ+ young people are safe and affirmed in their schools and communities and celebrated for exactly who they are.”

Advocates for Youth has been part of the movement for LGBTQ+-inclusive and affirming classrooms for decades. The nonprofit has developed leading curriculum guides including the first-ever National Sex Education Standards to guide school districts in the provision of LGBTQ+ inclusive sexuality education and ‘Rights, Respect, Responsibility,’ a K through 12th Grade Sexuality Education Curriculum that is fully LGBTQ+ inclusive and used by hundreds of school districts across the country, reaching more than three million students each year. Recently, Advocates for Youth launched the Trans Inclusive Schools Project, a toolkit and training series to help schools better support trans and gender-expansive youth; provided training and support for more than 30 community-based organizations serving BIPOC youth to become more LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming; and trained youth activists across the country to advocate for inclusive and anti-discrimination policies at their schools and in their communities. 

Advocates for Youth and Hope in a Box representatives are available for interviews to discuss their partnership and the need for LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum nationwide.

More details about Hope in a Box can be found at hopeinabox.org.  Apply for Hope in a Box here.

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Advocates for Youth is a 501(c)3 organization that champions efforts that help young people make informed decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Advocates boldly advocates for a more positive and realistic approach to adolescent sexual health, focusing its work on young people ages 14-25 in the U.S. and around the globe.