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ETR Blog

Check out what our people and partners are researching, thinking, reading, writing, watching and doing! (Note: The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ETR as an agency.)


2020: Lessons in Unlearning and Learning
December 21, 2020

2020: Lessons in Unlearning and Learning

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | December 21, 2020
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

In the before time, ETR’s end of year message was usually focused on positive reflections about the year. Well, 2020 has not been a normal year. So it’s fitting that we’ve spent most of this year focused on unlearning. We’ve devoted time and energy into assessing what behaviors and patterns are not useful during a year of constant and unexpected change. We have focused on actively working to unlearn those patterns and behaviors and learn some new ones around scheduling, connection, sustaining racial justice efforts, and prioritizing wellness.

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World AIDS Day Resilience and Impact: Health Equity at the Core
December 1, 2020

World AIDS Day Resilience and Impact: Health Equity at the Core

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | December 1, 2020
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

December 1st marks Worlds AIDS Day and this year’s theme is Resilience and Impact. In ETR’s nearly 40-year history addressing HIV/AIDS, we have been committed partners in the fight to end the epidemic. We have witnessed the resilience of people living with HIV as well as the impact of the work to end HIV — particularly the work that centers the voices of communities most impacted.

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Honoring Contemporary Native Art and Culture for Native American Heritage Month 2020
November 30, 2020

Honoring Contemporary Native Art and Culture for Native American Heritage Month 2020

By Calvin Hedrick, MA | November 30, 2020
TCCC Project Coordinator, ETR

Each November marks the annual Native American Heritage Month — celebrating rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories as well as acknowledging the important contributions of Native people. In honor of this year's Native American Heritage Month, Calvin Hedrick shares a few of his recommendations for significant pieces of contemporary culture and art from Native artists and creatives.

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Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020
November 20, 2020

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020

By Tatyana Moaton, MBA-HRM | November 20, 2020
Consultant/Subject Matter Expert, ETR

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is recognized each year on November 20th. This year, Tatyana Moaton shares her reflections on the purpose of TDOR and the critical importance of uplifting trans voices, leadership, and communities.

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3 Ways to Recharge Your Birth Control Lesson
November 11, 2020

3 Ways to Recharge Your Birth Control Lesson

By Mia Barrett, MEd | November 11, 2020
Project Coordinator, ETR

Talking about birth control options is the bread and butter for many sex educators—handing out charts that list each method, pointing out failure rates, busting myths.  Whether you are new to the field or have been at this for a while, your "Birth Control 101” lesson might need a fresh spark.  Here are three ways to help young people get the most out of your class.  

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STEM Education + Health Education = Creative Solutions
October 20, 2020

STEM Education + Health Education = Creative Solutions

By Jill Denner, PhD | October 20, 2020
Senior Research Scientist II, ETR

I am often asked how my work in STEM education fits at an organization that focuses on health education and health equity. This blog post is my attempt to answer that question. I believe that it is at the intersection of STEM and Health education that we will find creative solutions to the social injustice and COVID-19-related problems we are facing right now.

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ETR and LGBTQ+ History Month
October 7, 2020

ETR and LGBTQ+ History Month

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | October 7, 2020
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

October is one of my favorite months—it brings us Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Halloween and all things spooky, my favorite season—Fall (boots weather!), and LGBTQ+ History month!

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Support During the California Wildfires
August 25, 2020

Support During the California Wildfires

By Spencer Spotts | August 25, 2020
ETR Marketing and Communications, ETR

Over the past few months, summer wildfires have once again ignited across the country, especially hitting areas of California with high intensity during a time with already stretched and limited resources. As a California-based organization, we are acutely aware of how deeply this impact is felt by individuals and communities across the state.

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In Support of Racial Justice
June 2, 2020

In Support of Racial Justice

By The ETR Team | June 2, 2020

Our hearts are heavy as we have watched these recent tragic events unfold. The violent, senseless, preventable deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tony McDade are an all too familiar reminder of the issues that systematically and disproportionately impact Black and under-served communities across the nation.

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Mental Health Month: ETR Well-Being Model
May 26, 2020

Mental Health Month: ETR Well-Being Model

By Debra Christopher, MSM | May 26, 2020
Ambassador for Health and Learning, ETR

In the spirit of ETR’s health equity mission, we have recently embarked on a journey to develop research-based guidance on steps an individual can take to achieve well-being and build resilience. We learned that, while self-care is an important component, our sense of purpose, our reliance on social connectedness, and our understanding and managing of the context in which we live (environmental, social and political pressures) are also as critical to our well-being.

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May the 4th: What Star Wars Taught Me About the Struggle and the Power of Physical Distancing
May 4, 2020

May the 4th: What Star Wars Taught Me About the Struggle and the Power of Physical Distancing

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | May 4, 2020
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

What a year to be recognizing Star Wars Day, am I right? With so much grief in the world, it feels a little challenging to celebrate anything, including May the 4th.

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A Growth Mindset Approach to Healthy Adolescent Relationships
January 8, 2020

A Growth Mindset Approach to Healthy Adolescent Relationships

By Gillian Silver, MPH, CHES | January 8, 2020
Research Dissemination Specialist, ETR

My very first day working at ETR fell on our organization’s All Staff Retreat. It was an energizing day that allowed our growing staff to share priorities and interests, and to embrace a growth mindset in how we approach our work. An idea explored by Carol S. Dweck, adopting a growth mindset helps us move through challenges by identifying the opportunity within them. Inspired by my introduction to the organization, I wondered how the field of sexuality education can apply a #growthmindset to the topic of adolescent romantic relationships.

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Tags: Research to practice, Condoms, Research, Sexual and reproductive health, Health education
Acknowledging Pleasure in Sexuality Education
December 19, 2019

Acknowledging Pleasure in Sexuality Education

By Mia Barrett, MEd | December 19, 2019
Research Associate, ETR

Cheers erupted from the audience at the 24th Congress of the World Association of Sexual Health (WAS) in Mexico City when Anne Philpott of The Pleasure Project urged sexuality educators to “Stop preaching and start having fun!  Learn to say YES to good, safe sex!” Later, WAS released an official Pleasure Declaration, stating that sexual pleasure is a fundamental human right. In a world where public health is so often focused on preventing negative outcomes and managing ill-health, this declaration and the conference’s focus on pleasure was revolutionary.

 

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Tags: Research to practice, Condoms, Research, Sexual and reproductive health, Health education
Title IX Regulation Changes on the Horizon
December 16, 2019

Title IX Regulation Changes on the Horizon

By John Shields, PhD, MSW | December 13, 2019
Senior Research Scientist, ETR

The US Department of Education’s proposed regulations on Title IX recently took an important step forward in the adoption process and the regulations may become official policy in the next few weeks. From our perspective as consultants and researchers in the K-12 space, our analysis of the regulations yields several significant implications on Title IX infrastructure, practices, and compliance.

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Tags: Research to practice, Condoms, Research, Sexual and reproductive health, Health education
ZonaSegura Project to Prevent Teen Dating Violence Demonstrates the Power of Partnership
December 9, 2019

ZonaSegura Project to Prevent Teen Dating Violence Demonstrates the Power of Partnership

By Emma Schlamm | December 9, 2019
Program Coordinator, YTH Initiative at ETR

First published on the blog of the Sexual Violence Research Initiative

The YTH Initiative of ETR, in partnership with the Public Health Institute (PHI) and GoJoven Honduras, is implementing and evaluating ZonaSegura. ZonaSegura is a multi-faceted tech-based intervention that uses a website, native mobile app, and a WhatsApp messaging campaign to prevent teen dating violence among Honduran youth. The evaluation has demonstrated that the power of partnership and human effort is an essential and irreplaceable component of a digital solution’s success.

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Tags: Research to practice, Condoms, Research, Sexual and reproductive health, Health education
Reflecting on World AIDS Day and ETR's Commitment to Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
December 2, 2019

Reflecting on World AIDS Day and ETR's Commitment to Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | December 2, 2019
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

Sunday, December 1, 2019, marked the 31st observance of World AIDS Day. The theme for 2019 is “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Community by Community.” This feels especially appropriate since we have been developing community-driven responses from the beginning. While reflecting on the nearly four decades of the HIV pandemic, ETR started looking back at our response since the earliest reported cases. Check out this retrospective of ETR’s history developing some of the nation's leading HIV education, training and research.

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Tags: Research to practice, Condoms, Research, Sexual and reproductive health, Health education
Gratitude for Centering Racial Equity
November 26, 2019

Gratitude for Centering Racial Equity

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | November 26, 2019
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

I’m grateful every year for the opportunity to share ETR’s science-based practice of expressing gratitude. This year, I’m especially thankful for living our values of centering equity. This includes the continued efforts of aligning our work with the Health Equity Framework. It also includes our internal work to center racial equity in our lives and our workplace.

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Tags: Research to practice, Condoms, Research, Sexual and reproductive health, Health education
Get to Know ETR: Angela Cesaro, Director of Product Development
November 22, 2019

Get to Know ETR: Angela Cesaro, Director of Product Development

By ETR | November 22, 2019
 

Angela Cesaro likes problem-solving. “I’m a puzzle person. I like to take things apart, see how they work, put them back together.” But with product management, “there’s no picture on the box that tells you what you’re supposed to do—it’s a lot of hard, creative work to figure it all out.” As the Director of Product Development at ETR, Angela regularly works on puzzles large and small.   

 

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Slips Happen: Going from Concept to Scale on Condom Education
October 23, 2019

Slips Happen: Going from Concept to Scale on Condom Education

By Laura Perkins, MLS | October 23, 2019
Project Editor, ETR

What happens when you have a problem with a condom? Are there some ways to prevent condoms from slipping or breaking in the first place? Is there anything you can do if you’re worried about getting pregnant or getting an STD? Where are the instructions for that?

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LGBTQ+ Inclusive Sex Ed: What is Needed Beyond the Call for Inclusion
October 16, 2019

LGBTQ+ Inclusive Sex Ed: What is Needed Beyond the Call for Inclusion

By Elizabeth Jarpe-Ratner, PhD, MPH, MST | October 16, 2019
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health

Many prominent sex education advocates and organizations, including Advocates for Youth and ETR, have called for sex education that is inclusive of LGBTQ+ identities. We know that LGBTQ+ students in schools with inclusive curricula are more likely to report a greater sense of belonging in school as well as a lower risk of depression.  

A recent study in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) aimed to examine how a program designed to be inclusive was being experienced by young people, what additional supports are needed by teachers, and what steps can be taken to ensure all students experience sexual health education as inclusive of LGBTQ+ identities.

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