Grant Opportunity for Transitional Living Program and Maternity Group Homes

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) will soon be accepting applications for the Transitional Living Program (TLP) and for Maternity Group Homes (MGH). TLPs provide an alternative to involving RHY in the law enforcement, child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice systems. Each TLP must provide a safe and appropriate shelter for up to 21 months of services with adult supervision, life and interpersonal skill building, career counseling and job skills, counseling, and medical care as appropriate. MGHs provide the same services as a TLP in addition to providing parenting instructions and child care. Other services that are offered include, but are not limited to, transportation, family planning, abstinence education and pregnancy prevention services. Available: April 2012, Deadline: June 2012 Get more info and apply here 

Yesterday, four leading health organizations released the first-ever national standards for sexuality education in schools. Published in the Journal of School Health, the ground-breaking National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, K-12 provide clear, consistent, and straightforward guidance on the essential minimum, core content for sexuality education that is developmentally and age-appropriate for students in grades Kindergarten through grade 12. The standards are the result of a cooperative effort by the American Association of Health Education, the American School Health Association, the National Education Association Health Information Network, and the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education, in coordination with the Future of Sex Education (FoSE) Initiative. Nearly 40 stakeholders including content experts, medical and public health professionals, teachers, sexuality educators, and young people developed the standards in a two-year process. For years, research has highlighted the need to provide effective, comprehensive sexuality education to young people. The US has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the industrialized world and teens bear a disproportionate impact of the sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV epidemics facing our nation. Furthermore, there is also a pressing need to address harassment, bullying, and relationship violence in our schools, which have a significant impact on a student's emotional and physical well-being as well as their academic success. The National Sexuality Education Standards set the groundwork for the minimum of what sexuality education should look like in America's public schools. Studies have repeatedly found that health programs in school can help young people succeed academically and programs that included health education have a positive effect on overall academic outcomes, including reading and math scores. Read more and get the standards here 

In recent years, important changes in public policies and attitudes have resulted in improved opportunities for people with physical and mental disabilities. Unfortunately, societal attitudes have changed less in regard to sexuality and disability. Even today, many people refuse to acknowledge that all people have sexual feelings, needs, and desires, regardless of their physical and/or mental abilities. As a result, many young people who live with disabilities do not receive sex education, either in school or at home. The summary addresses sex education for youth who live with physical and/or mental disabilities-including, but not limited to hearing, sight, and motor function impairments; Down syndrome; cerebral palsy; paraplegia and quadriplegia; developmental disorders; and mental health issues. Beginning with a few statistics on disability among American youth and an overview of common myths and facts about the sexuality of people living with disabilities, the document also provides general guidelines for parents of physically or mentally challenged children and youth and offers a select, annotated bibliography of sex education materials and resources.  Read more  

CDC Awards $339 Million to Health Departments for High-Impact HIV Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun awarding a total of almost $339 million to state and local health departments across the United States to fund HIV prevention activities this year. The awards are for the first year of a five-year funding cycle and represent a new direction for CDC HIV funding designed to achieve a higher level of impact with every federal HIV prevention dollar spent.

The awards are a critical component of CDC's new high-impact approach to HIV prevention and better align resources to reflect the geographic burden of the HIV epidemic today. As part of this funding announcement, CDC is also providing the health departments with new, specific guidance for prioritizing the most effective prevention programs that will have the greatest impact on reducing new HIV infections. "State and local health departments are the backbone of the nation's HIV prevention efforts," said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. "This latest round of funding will help them lead the nation to slow, and ultimately end, the HIV epidemic in the United States - a public health imperative that could finally be achieved." Read more 

Some Girls Overestimate HPV Vaccine Protection 

Some adolescent girls who get the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer wrongly think they no longer need to practice safe sex, U.S. researchers have found. Overall, most adolescent girls said they believed it was important to practice safe sexual behaviors after getting the shot. But a small group of girls -- 23.6 percent -- believed they were less at risk for getting sexually transmitted diseases after getting the vaccine. But neither vaccine can prevent other forms of sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea or human immunodeficiency virus or HIV that causes AIDS. And HPV vaccines can only prevent HPV infections; they do not treat active infections. Most girls who get the vaccine know its limitations, the researchers said, but the vaccines are recommended for all girls aged 11 to 12, and overestimating their effect could increase a young woman's risk of contracting other sexually transmitted diseases. The findings suggest doctors need to do a better job of educating girls and their mothers about the vaccine. Read more 

Choice: Relentless Assaults, Vigilant Defense  

Where: United Methodist Church, 250 California Street, Santa Cruz 

What: To celebrate reproductive choice and commemorate the 39th anniversary of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, you are invited to the annual pro-choice brunch. Keynote Speaker: Phyllida Burlingame, Reproductive Justice Policy Director, ACLU of Northern California. A nationally recognized expert on sex education and reproductive health policy, Phyllida Burlingame was instrumental in passage of California's two landmark sex education laws. She is the author of numerous policy studies including Sex Education in California Public Schools: Are Students Learning What They Need to Know?; Sex, Lies and Politics: Abstinence-Only Curricula in California Public Schools; and Preventing Unfair Prosecution of Abortion Providers: An Investigation into Political Bias by the Medical Board of California. Ms. Burlingame will describe current assaults on reproductive choice and access to services at the state and national levels, and the strategies being used to preserve and extend those rights. Sliding scale donation: $10-25. Students invited free of charge. For more information: (831) 423-2356 Presented by the Reproductive Rights Network of Santa Cruz County.   

When: February 1st and 2nd, 2011, 9am-4pm 

Where: Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Ortega Building, 2350 El Camino Real, Mountain View, Ca 94040 

What: Ideal for middle school and high school teachers, and community/health educators. This workshop will cover: California Education Code, healthy relationships, values clarification in sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), abstinence/not having sex, birth control updates, encouraging parent/child communication, pregnancy options, decision-making skills, sexual identity & gender, sex and the media, how to answer tough questions from teens, and more. Participants will receive a hard copy of our bilingual Teen Talk curriculum. Discount if registered by January 15th. Register here     

Leading for Equity Institute

When: February 9-12, 2012 

Where: Sonoma, CA 

What: The Leading For Equity (LFE) Institute is a residential experience where individuals and teams from schools, districts, and community organizations receive expert, caring guidance and facilitation to work together to address the personal and technical challenges they face in their educational equity efforts. At The National Equity Project, we define "leader" as anyone who takes responsibility for what mat­ters to them. We work with leaders to develop their capacity to foster positive change on behalf of historically under-served students and families. This experiential institute provides ample opportunities for sharing, reflection, and planning to inform your current work. Leading for Equity develops individual and collective leadership at every level of schools, districts, or nonprofit organizations. Teams will deepen their commitment, relationships, and efficacy while developing strategies toward equity goals. Register here

4th Annual Know Justice Conference

When: Wednesday February 15, 2012, 9am-4pm

Where: San Francisco Public Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 

What: This is a FREE conference. It is an opportunity for youth to learn about their rights in a positive environment and among their peers. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet other young people interested in the same types of issues coming from similar backgrounds and neighborhoods. There will be opportunities to join groups who are doing youth organizing and youth development. Every attendee will be connected to organizations that provide them with resources and opportunities. For questions about the conference contact: LeaJay Harper 415-703-8800 #212 leajay@cywd.org