MARCH 2016
Feature: New! Sexual Health Education for Young People with Disabilities: Research and Resources for Parents/Guardians and Educators
Advocates for Youth has recently updated and now provides specific fact sheets for parents/ guardians and educators who care for or work with young people with disabilities. These fact sheets address young people having the right to access this education and dispelling reasons this might not be occurring for young people with disabilities. Included in each document are strategies, educational resources, curriculum and training opportunities to support adults who are in an educational opportunity or setting and able to provide sexual health education to young people with disabilities. To access the full fact sheet for parents, click here. To access the full fact sheet for educators, click here.
RESOURCES
Gay Lesbian Straigh Education Network (GLSEN) Local School Climate Survey tool (LSCS). Based on the National School Climate Survey, the LSCS allows school districts to customize their own surveys by choosing from a set of validated questions from GLSEN and creating their own questions, if they desire. Pre-loaded questions assess safety, harassment, bullying, and name-calling, as well as available school resources. The survey also allows school districts to examine specific types of prejudice experienced by students, including bias based on race/ethnicity, gender, disability, body size, gender expression, religion and sexual orientation. In addition to allowing school districts to administer the survey online through a customized URL and/or distributing hard copies of the survey, the LSCS will also automatically generate survey results, providing easy-to-understand tables and charts. GLSEN provides a step-by-step guide for the LSCS. For more information, click here.
Above the Waist. The Children’s Aid Society Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program has developed a middle school sexuality education curriculum that looks to address sexual health education by first beginning with the brain. Above the Waist, utilizes research in adolescent brain development and remains true to the philosophies of the evidence-based CAS-Carrera program. The curriculum aims to engages learners through innovate, hands-on, and adaptable activities. It is also age-appropriate, scientifically accurate, and instructor-friendly. For more information, click here.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
The HIV Crisis among Hispanic Men. Who Have Sex with Men The Hispanic Health Network/Latino Commission on AIDS released the “The HIV Crisis Among Hispanic/Latino MSM” Brief, to bring attention to the health crisis faced by Hispanic/Latino Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), in the United States. The brief addresses continued increase of rates of infection of Hispanic/Latino MSM, contributing factors and recommendations to address this issue. For more information, click here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD). is a day to educate the public about the impact of HIV and AIDS on young people as well as highlight the amazing work young people are doing across the country to fight the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Every year, Advocates for Youth celebrates NYHAAD on April 10th through a week of online and on the ground activities. To learn more about NYHAAD and how your organization can get involved visit our webpage at: http://amplifyyourvoice.org/nyhaad/
American School Health Association (ASHA) abstracts. ASHA opened their call for session abstracts for the Connecting Health and Learning: 2016 Annual School Health Conference taking place October 6-8, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. ASHA welcomes proposals for either 60- or 30- minute oral sessions or poster presentations, for one of the following four tracks, 1) Administration, Coordination, and Leadership, 2) Programs and Services, 3) Research and Emerging Issues, 4) Teaching and Learning. For more information, click here.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
American School Health Association’s (ASHA) Scholarship. The ASHA Leadership & Recognition Committee is pleased to announce that scholarship applications are now being accepted. ASHA will award 2016 scholarships to ASHA members who are either full-time students pursuing a graduate or undergraduate program specializing in any school health profession; or who are school health professionals seeking one of the following PreK-12 education certifications: health teacher, school nurse, counselor, or social worker. The deadline to apply is July 20th. Recipients will be notified by the third week in August. Scholarships will be awarded shortly thereafter. For more information, click here.
CAPACITY BUILDING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day webinar. The creation of NYHAAD is a step toward acknowledging and addressing the needs of young people in the HIV and AIDS response. Each year, young activists in high schools and at colleges and universities across the country will use this day to organize and educate about HIV and AIDS. They promote HIV testing, fight stigma, and start the necessary conversation we need to deal with honestly and effectively with the challenges we face. NYHAAD also provides a yearly date for all of us to hold our leaders responsible to their commitments and invest in realizing an AIDS-free generation. On March 24, 2016 Advocates for Youth with be hosting a webinar to amplify the voices of young people in the HIV/AIDS movement. Join us to engage in conversation on Youth-Adult partnerships, and how they can be leveraged to end AIDS stigma, while working towards an AIDS-free generation. For more information please contact Wesley@Advocatesforyouth.org.
Conference on Adolescent Health Transferring Research to Practice. The University of Michigan Health System’s Adolescent Health Initiative is hosting its 3rd annual conference on April 18-19, 2016 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Content will address patient-centered outcomes, Identifying evidence-based healthcare practices in the arenas of mental health, physical health, sexual health, and nutritional health, Determining strategies to implement best practices in adolescent healthcare, and Developing evidence-based communication skills for working with adolescents. Early registration ends March 18th. For more information, click here.
Teaching Consent through Modeling and Skill Building. On March 15th from 4-5 pm EST, the American School Health Association (ASHA) is hosting this webinar for school health professionals to provide tools and resources to teach the basics of consent with teens and young adults in the classroom. A brief background for the need of consent education along with four short educational videos on consent will be reviewed. Lesson plans on negotiating consent and media literacy will also be covered during the webinar. For more information and to register, click here.
Teaching Happiness in our Classrooms. On April 19th from 3-4 pm EST, ASHA is hosting a webinar conducted by Dr. Steve Goodwin to provide tools and resources to encourage school health professionals and teachers to incorporate happiness/positive psychology principles into their classrooms and personal lives. For more information and to register, click here.
Stonewall National Education Project’s Symposium. Policymakers, educators and thought leaders are invited to gather May 12 – 14, 2016 at the Law School at American University in Washington, DC to focus on LGBTQ inclusive curriculum and LGBTQ student safety. For more information and to register, click here.
This document was made possible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health (CDC-DASH) under cooperative agreement 1UP87PS004154. The contents do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To submit an article, announcement, or resource for the School Health Equity Newsletter, please call email Mary Beth at marybeth@advocatesforyouth.org
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