Our Dallas Healthy Teen Conference, held at Dallas College's Mountain View Campus, brought together local youth, parents, guardians, and youth-serving professionals for a day of education and community connection. Our age-appropriate sessions covered essential topics for today’s teens, including internet safety, digital communication, puberty, birth control, mental health, and STIs.

Expert presenters and organizations aligned with our mission enriched the conference with invaluable resources and expertise. Exhibitors included A Sister's Legacy, Teen Writer's Project, Trust Her, Dallas Children's Advocacy Center, Abide Women’s Health Services, the Dallas Police Dept., and Parkland Health’s Victim Intervention Program.

The Women’s Wellness Mobile Clinic, a groundbreaking initiative by Parkland Health in collaboration with Trust Her, offered free on-site health services.

At Healthy Futures of Texas, we believe in the power of collaboration to amplify our impact. By partnering closely with organizations that share our vision, we ensure that both youth and their parents have access to the resources they need to thrive, reinforcing our role as a key provider of information and community engagement.

• Cohort 5 clinics, including Abide Women’s Health Services (Dallas), two Baylor College of Medicine Teen Health Clinics (Houston), two HOPE Clinics (Houston), and Project Vida (El Paso), collaborated with HFTX staff, HFTX Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) members, and Adolescent Health Initiative (AHI) representatives to refine adolescent care practices.
• University of Houston students from the Coogs Rise Up for Sexual Health (CRUSH) project provided key insights on improving clinic experiences, while Askable Adults and Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) trainings were conducted to better equip clinic staff in supporting youth.

This summit underscored our commitment to collaboration and continuous improvement in adolescent care, reinforcing our mission to create inclusive, supportive environments for all young Texans.

The Texas “opt in” law requiring written parent consent for sex education has expired as of August 1, meaning that school districts may choose to go back to an “opt out” format. However, Texas law still requires parent consent for any public school instruction on the prevention of child abuse, family violence, dating violence, or sex trafficking. Since healthy relationships and abuse prevention typically are part of sex education, many Texas schools are planning to continue to use an opt-in format this school year. Research indicates that many parents who fail to return permission slips are not actually opposed to their child receiving instruction, but simply overlook or forget to fill out the paperwork.  

Let’s ensure young Texans have access to sexual health education and resources. Support Healthy Futures of Texas during North Texas Giving Day and The Big Give on September 19.