Our 2021 Webinar Series is in full bloom! We will continue to add topics in this series so stay tuned for future sessions. 

Webinars are $25 each. Continuing education units are offered in multiple disciplines for each session. Scholarship support is also available via the link at the bottom of this email. 

To tackle the reproductive health needs and challenges of Texas’ young people, we need strategies that engage young people in public policy advocacy. This webinar features presenters from Jane’s Due Process, Fort Bend SURF, and Young Invincibles and will cover how to equip young leaders with the personal and organizational tools they need to build and sustain social movements. Come learn how to create a fun, thoughtful, grounding, safe, politicizing space for young people. 

Presenters: Ann Phan, Co-President of Fort Bend SURF and student at Dulles High School; Malcolm Sullivan, Southern Organizing Manager, Young Invincibles; and Eleanor Grano, Program Manager, Jane’s Due Process

April 14: Racism and Repro Health & Justice Part 1 - History, Strategy & Best Practices -- Presented by Cherisse Scott, Founder and CEO, SisterReach

This session will cover the history and origins of reproductive justice and reproductive oppression, and dive into the core reproductive justice principals and standards of accountability. Participants will leave understanding the necessity for and contextualization of reproductive justice and how to use this framework in relation to their own work. Participants will also learn about the intersection of reproductive justice and racial justice in service to patient-centered care.

April 21: Racism and Repro Health & Justice Part 2 - Moving Beyond LARC to Center People and Equity in Contraceptive Access Efforts            -- Presented by Kelsey Holt, ScD, Assistant Professor, Family Community Medicine, University of California San Francisco

In this session, we will describe how social and structural determinants of health impact access to high quality contraceptive information and services and create inequities that should be the focus of contraceptive access efforts. We will present the Person-Centered Contraceptive Care (PCCC) Framework, a tool for considering potential solutions to promote equitable contraceptive access and care, and will discuss real examples of efforts to move beyond a narrow focus on long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) uptake towards a focus on equity and people in contraceptive access work.

April 28: Racism and Repro Health & Justice Part 3 - Teen Parents of Color and the Birthing Space -- Presented by Jessica 'JR' Chester, CHW, Owner Begin with A’kis, professional birthing services

In this session, we will explore the history of birth and the evolution of the traditional birthing space in the USA. It will focus on the experiences of teen parents of color in these spaces today: their rights, the intersection of culture and coercion, and factors that contribute to positive and negative birthing experiences. Finally, this session will touch on ways to bring agency to teen parents in birthing spaces.  

Inclusive sexual health education is critical for LGBTQIA+ youth, but it’s more than just changing “boyfriend” to “partner” – it’s providing room for the wide diversity of experiences and identities young people hold, designing curriculum from the ground up with LGBTQIA+ stakeholders, and demanding more equitable systems. In this webinar panel, participants will learn why inclusive sex education is necessary, how the policies across the U.S. and in Texas restrict effective sex education, and the health impacts of these restrictions. Participants will leave with resources and best practices to improve sex education for LGBTQIA+ students, including affirming language, inclusive practices, and additional resources for reproductive and sexual health education that can support all students as they seek healthy, happy lives.

Presenters: Anthony Betori, Program Director, Healthy Futures of Texas (moderator); Robert Salcido, Jr., Executive Director, Pride Center San Antonio; and Youth Panelists Carlos Arguello, Carlie Patrick, and Sydney Mood