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The United States is a sexually unhealthy nation and young people face the brunt of this disfunction. We have the highest rates of STDs, teenage pregnancy, and abortion of industrialized nations, yet for over a decade the federal government has poured over $1.5 billion into ineffective abstinence-only programs where sex outside of marriage is demonized, contraception is discussed only in terms of failure rates and LGBTQ youth are ignored. Over half of high school students have sex by graduation and 95% of Americans have sex before they get married. Denying young people information that can save their lives in the time of HIV/AIDS is not only irresponsible; it’s immoral. Participants will learn how they can advocate for change on the federal, state and local levels so that young people are educated and empowered to make responsible decisions about their health and wellbeing. From comprehensive sex education to safe schools, participants will learn the importance of policy advocacy to supplement the direct service many are doing in their own communities. This will be presented as a discussion so participants are able to use their own experiences to supplement their advocacy work.
