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Week of Oct. 31 - Take Action on Comprehensive Sex Ed bill, IL HB 3027! The Illinois House will be considering a bill on comprehensive sex education this week and we need you to make your voice heard -- via Planned Parenthood of Illinois online contact form -- while there's still time. Comprehensive sexual health education has been proven time and time again to be effective at delaying and reducing sexual activity and reducing rates of teen pregnancy and STI transmission. However, Illinois does not currently require comprehensive sexual health education to be taught in public schools. This means that not all Illinois youth are receiving accurate, honest information about their sexual health and Illinois public schools do not have any guidelines on what to teach when it comes to sexual health education. Comprehensive sexual education works to reduce rates of teen pregnancy and STI transmission. Illinois ranks 18th out of all states for teen birth rates, 3rd for the highest rates of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea infections, and 6th for the highest rates of HIV transmission. It's time to take action. We need to ensure that our young people have the information and tools to make healthy, responsible decisions and protect themselves from infection. That's why we need to urge our state representatives to support HB 3027, a bill that requires that if a public school offers sexual health education in grades 6 – 12, then the curriculum must be medically-accurate and developmentally and age-appropriate. Take action today! Tell your representative to VOTE YES on the motion to concur with Senate Amendments #1 & #3 to HB 3027! For more information about HB 3027, please look up the bill on www.ilga.gov or contact Anita Banerji, Director of Legislative Affairs at anita@icah.org. |
Organizing for Policy Change Toolkit // We created a new step-by-step guide for changing local school board policy on sex education, including tactics, strategies, and different models that have been successful in passing comprehensive policies with youth at the center of the organizing. The toolkit is part of The New Sex Ed: Empowered Youth Strengthening Communities, a multimedia tool on a new way of organizing for sexuality education justice that is relevant to all people and grounded in grassroots communities. Training Department // The department is a resource for adolescent service providers throughout Illinois working to integrate sexual heath issues into their organizational programs. Within the training department website, you will find curricula resources, lesson plans, an area to ask us questions, upcoming training opportunities, and access to our Adolescent Sexual Health Toolkit.
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Save the Date! 9th Annual School Health Center Conference To learn how you can submit a presentation please click here. The Illinois Coalition for School Health Centers (ICSHC), a project of the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition, is excited to partner with the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH) for the 9th Annual School Health Center Conference focused on sexual health. The conference, Sexual Health: Prevention Strategies from Childhood through Adulthood will be held May 8-9, 2012 in Peoria, Illinois at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel. We encourage your participation to help ensure another successful conference. ICSHC strives to improve the physical and mental health of children and adolescents in Illinois by fostering the development, stabilization and expansion of school health centers (SHCs). Partnering this year with ICAH, the conference will address the urgent health needs of Illinois youth by promoting a positive approach to sexual health issues. As experts in the field of adolescent health advocacy, ICAH will contribute a unique approach to this year’s theme, with the understanding that SHC’s offer one of the best environments for supporting the health of our youth and implementing meaningful change. If you are interested in exhibiting at this event, the vendor charge is $375 and the non-profit vendor charge is $125. Sponsorship is available at higher rates with a guarantee to have your organization promoted in programs and other materials during the conference. Space is limited and the deadline is January 30, 2012. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Vivian Barrett at 312-427-4460 x228 or vivian@icah.org. |
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