Addressing Controversy in Communities

Youth Engagement

Addressing Controversy in Communities

In this episode, “Addressing Controversy in Communities,” Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Lashantynia Clayton (dhs.ga.gov | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram), Ginger Harris (tn.gov/dcs | Facebook | Twitter), and Zoa P. Schescke (CoSHI) to discuss youth engagement and community misinformation. Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP) provides youth with timely, evidenced-based information proven to delay sexual activity, increase condom and contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reduce pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among youth. Despite data suggesting evidence-based sexual health is a key, effective strategy used to address pregnancy prevention, community controversy and misinformation have impacted APP implementation across the nation. Many programs have experienced disruptions in implementation because of community backlash ranging from reduced access to youth needing services to suspended instructional delivery. In this episode, we spoke with current APP grantees about challenges and successes preventing and addressing misinformation in communities.

Ms. Clayton is a certified health education specialist who serves as the Georgia PREP Program Specialist in the Prevention and Community Support Section at the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. She has over 5 years of experience in sexual health education and pregnancy prevention. Ms. Harris is the Tennessee PREP Program Youth Engagement Coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services Office of Independent Living. She oversees PREP sub-awardees and coordinates the Tennessee Young Adult Advisory Council, which is a group of young adults who have aged out of foster care who do foster care advocacy work. Ms. Schescke serves as the Colorado Sexual Health Initiative Manager for the Colorado State Department of Human Services PREP program.

The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.