Chicago Logan Square Roundtable
Friday, December 5, 9 - 11 AM
Ames Middle School, 1920 N Hamlin Ave, Chicago 60647
RSVP to Rachel
McHenry County Roundtable
Saturday, December 6, 11 AM - 1 PM
Courthouse Grill, 101 N Johnson St, Woodstock
Includes a free buffet lunch
RSVP to Amber by December 5
Chicago Near North Side Roundtable
Saturday, December 6, 12 - 2 PM
Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted St, Chicago 60613
RSVP to Amber by December 5
Chicago Loop Roundtable
Saturday, December 8, from 12 - 2 PM
Access Living, 115 W Chicago Ave, 2nd floor, Chicago 60610
RSVP to Julia by December 6
Maywood Roundtable
Tuesday, December 9, 3:30 - 5:30 PM
Proviso East High School, 807 S 1st Ave, Maywood 60153
RSVP to Josh by December 8
Peoria Roundtable
Thursday, December 11, 6-8 PM
Methodist Medical Center, 221 NE Glen Oak Ave, Peoria 61363
RSVP to Carrie
Jacksonville Roundtable
Saturday, January 10, 12-2 PM
Jacksonville Library, 201 W College Ave, Jacksonville 62650
RSVP to Julia by January 7
For general information, or to host a roundtable in your area, please email Sexual Health Initiatives Coordinator Amber DiMascio or call 312-427-4460 ext. 230.
Sexual Health Education Coalition Meeting
On Monday, December 8, ICAH is hosting a sexual health education coalition meeting in Chicago with agencies from throughout the state. The meeting will involve a strategy session to consider advocacy activities and potential legislative outcomes during the 2009 legislative session. We seek to develop a solid plan with our organizational partners as we work toward creating and maintaining legislative support for comprehensive sexual health education.
Please email Advocacy Coordinator Julia Fedor or call 312-427-4460 ext. 240 to receive more information about the coalition meeting.
NEWS
Welcome New Staff
We are pleased to welcome Rae Wright and Andrew Flechtner to our growing staff
Rae joins us from Citizen Action/Illinois where she worked as a civic engagement organizer. Youth Activist Coordinator Rae will be managing ICAH's statewide Youth Policy Council and assisting with our school board policy change project.
Andrew graduated from The College of Wooster in May 2008 with a degree in history. Previously, Andrew worked as a supervisor for an after-school program and an organizer for a voter registration drive. Andrew, an AmeriCorps VISTA member, will be working with our training department.
Youth Policy Council Travels to Washington D.C.
Last month, the ten-member Illinois Youth Policy Council attended a four-day state youth activist training institute, hosted by Advocates for Youth. Along with youth from Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas, members participated in trainings on grassroots and campus organizing, online advocacy, media outreach, and public speaking. In addition, participants created an action plan around their policy goals and conducted policy maker education visits on Capitol Hill.
IYPC members work to develop and implement grassroots strategies to gain constituent and legislative support for comprehensive sexual health education in their local communities throughout Illinois.
Stay up to date on IYPC's work by visiting the website Amplify, where members will be blogging about sexual and reproductive health and social justice issues.
ICAH Testifies at Education
In October, the Illinois House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and the Illinois State Board of Education Finance and Audit Committee held hearings in Chicago around statewide education funding. ICAH testified at both hearings for increased funding for sexual health education and young parent programs.
Young Parent Alliance member Shakeria Cunningham discussed her experience with inadequate, abstinence-based sex education and how these classes left her and her peers uninformed about pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection prevention and the availability and of health clinics and other resources.
RECOMMENDED READING
Chicago Tribune: Abstinence teachers practice what they preach, kiss for first time at their Chicago wedding
New York Times: Can this be pro-life?
New York Times: HIV scare unnerves a St. Louis high school
Washington Post: Study first to link TV sex to real teen pregnancies
Boston Globe: Abortion moves back in the closet
Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Pledges may do more harm
RH Reality Check: Why won't Illinois turn down abstinence-only money?
