Resource Guide For Sex Educators

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Introduction

Young people today have many questions about sex and sexual health. Many of these questions are the same as the ones their parents and grandparents had at their age: Am I “normal?” Is my body developing at the right pace? How do I know if I’m in love? Parents too have questions: What do I say when my toddler asks where babies come from? When do I tell my teen about birth control? How do I help my pre-teen understand puberty? What about sexual orientation?

It is important that young people and their parents can research and obtain accurate, age appropriate, sexual health materials to find answers to these questions and the thousands more they may have.

Think back to when you were a teenager. What questions did you have? Where did you get your information? Schools today provide varying levels of sex education. Some schools provide comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education. Others provide information only about HIV prevention. Many schools today provide abstinence-only education—education that censors information about the health benefits of condoms and contraception for sexually active youth.

Regardless of the type of education young people receive in school, many continue to have unanswered questions. In a study of students who received sexuality education in school, participants indicated that they needed more information about: rape and sexual assault (55 percent); coping with the emotional consequences of being sexually active (46 percent); talking with a partner about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases (46 percent); and where to obtain contraception (40 percent). ^[1] In another study, teens reported the need for information regarding: the prevention of HIV/ AIDS and other STDs (56 percent); available methods of birth control (57 percent); how to talk to a doctor about sexual health issues (43 percent); and how to deal with pressure to have sex (35 percent). ^[2]

Parents also need more information. Many parents say that teaching children about sex and sexuality is one of the most difficult and uncomfortable tasks they face. They want to provide their children with correct information, but often they feel ill-equipped. Many don’t know at what age they should approach various topics with their children; others feel unsure about the message that they want to provide.

Others in the community also need help discussing topics of sexuality with youth. Educators and other youth-serving professionals often have the responsibility of providing young people with sex education in the classroom and/or after-school programs. Many are in need of updated materials and age appropriate resources. Others are unsure exactly how much information they should provide, or if they should provide any information at all.

Research clearly indicates that information about sex and sexuality does not increase sexual activity or reduce the age of sexual initiation among young people. ^[3,4,5,6] In fact, young people who receive age appropriate, medically accurate sexual health information which includes lessons about abstinence, contraception, sexual development, communication, and healthy relationships, are more likely than those that learn only about abstinence to delay sexual initiation and to use contraception when they do have sex. ^{[3,4,5,6,7,8]}

Regardless of your title and role in sexuality education – parent, teacher, community educator – you have a unique responsibility to provide age-appropriate, medically accurate and culturally relevant information to those you serve who need to be informed about sexual health. The environment you create can help young people and their parents feel comfortable asking questions and finding resources. Having a collection of resources can help you provide young people the information they need to make informed decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. It can also allow you to be a resource for other youth-serving professionals.

You may already provide sexuality information to the youth you serve. You may want to talk to your own children, but feel uneasy or embarrassed about these sensitive topics. This guide details numerous resources to be used in various settings to assist you in obtaining and providing information related to sexual health. With accurate information and a positive attitude, you can help promote a healthy literacy about sexuality in your community. These are a few ideas that can help get you started:

• Be open to discussing reproductive and sexual health with your children and/or the youth you serve. Your feelings will likely be reflected in the conversations you have and can impact young people’s feelings about sexuality.
• Find out what is going on in your own community regarding matters of sexual health. Become knowledgeable about current policies in schools regarding sex education, contraceptive access and other relevant topics.
• Get involved with sexual and reproductive health organizations by attending meetings and joining groups at the community, state or national level. Your involvement with such groups may open further opportunities in the field.

Whether you are someone new to the field of sex education, trying to start a library or resource center on adolescent sexual health, or an old pro, the following guide should give you a basic orientation to what’s available to support your work. These resources are important to advancing positive attitudes toward adolescent sexual health and I hope they will be useful to you. The guide is by no means a total listing, but the resources are those that I most frequently use or give to others. Please let me know about resources you would recommend for a future edition.

Barbara Huberman, RN BSN, MEd
August 2011

References

1. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Sex Education in America: A View from Inside the Nation’s Classroom, Chart Pack. Menlo Park, CA: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2000.
2. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. National Survey of Adolescents and Young Adults: Sexual Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Experiences. Menlo Park, CA: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2003.
3. Baldo M et al. Does Sex Education Lead to Earlier or Increased Sexual Activity in Youth? Presented at the Ninth International Conference on AIDS, Berlin, 6-10 June, 1993. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1993.
4. United Nations Joint Programme on HIV and AIDS. Impact of HIV and Sexual Health Education on the Sexual Behavior of Young People. [UNAIDS Best Practice Collection] Geneva: UNAIDS, 1997.
5. Institute of Medicine, Committee on HIV Prevention Strategies in the United States. No Time to Lose: Getting More from HIV Prevention. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2001.
6. Kirby D. Emerging Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy. Washington. DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2001.
7. Miller KS et al. Patterns of condom use among adolescents: the impact of mother-adolescent communication. American Journal of Public Health 1998: 1542-44. 8. Shoop DM, Davidson PM. AIDS and adolescents: the relation of parent and partner communication to adolescent condom use. Journal of Adolescence 1994; 17: 137-148

How is This Guide Organized?

This guide is organized both by type of media and by intended audience. The resources are divided into five sections according to type of media: video, audio, computer-based, print, and web-based; some of these sections are divided into more specific categories. Within each of these sections, resources are divided by appropriate audience (based on subject matter, not reading level). The three main audience categories are youth, parents, and youth-serving professionals (such as educators, health care providers, and others who work directly with youth). The youth and parents sections are divided by the age of youth: young children (ages 0-8), preteens (ages 9-13), and teens (ages 14 and up).

Each entry in the guide includes the title, author, publication date and length of the resource (providing that all of this information is available). When appropriate, the specific age range and gender of the intended audience is included in the entry. Additionally, a detailed description is provided for each resource. Contact and ordering information is listed for the publishing source, however, individuals are encouraged to search online retailers, such as www.amazon. com, where products may be found used or at discounted prices. Outside sources will also be helpful for items that are no longer distributed by the publisher, which is noted, as applicable. Products with an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) provided can be searched using that universal number to ensure the correct product is ordered. If materials are ordered from an alternate site, please respect publishers’ rules regarding institutional versus personal price rates and usage.

If a resource is available in Spanish, this is indicated following the resource description in bold font, with the Spanish title and associated ISBN as available.