Introducing The New Sex Ed: Empowered Youth Strengthening Communities!

EMERJ is excited to introduce The New Sex Ed, a brand-new multi-media resource on a NEW way of organizing for sexuality education that's grounded in grassroots communities! EMERJ is a national movement building initiative of ACRJ.

Why do we need it?

The growing awareness that abstinence-only education is a failed strategy creates an opportunity for us to demand the kind of sexuality education that will provide young people in all communities the information, skills and support they need to thrive. Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is useful, but we can do more to include the experiences and needs of communities of color, immigrant communities, LGBTQ communities, and others who have traditionally been left out of CSE programs and policies.

In many schools districts, CSE doesn't guarantee linguistically and culturally appropriate information for English language learners. It offers little to no information specific to LGBTQ youth. And, for many young people of color, CSE does not give students the support and resources they need to navigate their sexual health and development in the context of a broader culture that continues to view youth of color through a lens of racist myths and stereotypes.

What does it provide?

The New Sex Ed has lots of tools and strategies that are holistic, grounded in our communities, and engages those whose experiences and realities are often overlooked. It is a resource for building a new movement for sexuality education in this country that is relevant to all people in all communities. Imagine that!

What can you do with it?

Use it, share it with your allies, and please let us know what worked and didn't work for you and your communities. Together we can work toward making sure that all of our communities have the support and resources they need to thrive!

The New Sex Ed is a collaborative creation of the SexEd! Strategic Cohort, a movement building vehicle of EMERJ (Expanding the Movement for Empowerment and Reproductive Justice). The five groups in SexEd! are all doing cutting-edge work on sexuality education in diverse communities across the country: Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, and SPARK Reproductive Justice Now.