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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.)


Revolutionising Comprehensive Sexuality Education: The Progress and Success Story of Sexdugram
September 6, 2023

Revolutionising Comprehensive Sexuality Education: The Progress and Success Story of Sexdugram

By Dina Chaerani, Elvita Trisnawati and Fatimah Huurin Jannah | September 6, 2023

Comprehensive Sexuality Education has long been a topic of contention, often fraught with misinformation, taboo, and inadequate resources. But amidst these challenges, innovators, youth-led organisations, and even NGOs are stepping up to make a difference. Who expected that one such innovation-making wave came from three Indonesian Youths who established Sexdugram, an Instagram-based initiative that revolutionised how CSE is delivered, discussed, and embraced. 

 

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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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We ARE the Demonstration: Professional Development by and for Transgender Communities
April 23, 2019

We ARE the Demonstration: Professional Development by and for Transgender Communities

By JT Perez, Jahnell Butler, Tatyana Moaton & Camille Lewis | April 23, 2019
ETR Consultants; Prevention Educator, Alianza (JTP); Human Resources Manager for Howard Brown Health (TM); Translluminati Program Manager (CL)

How do we increase the effectiveness of High Impact HIV prevention? How do we reach the individuals and communities most at risk with strategies that work?

One of the most important steps we can take is to identify who those individuals and communities are, then engage their leaders to create and deliver prevention programs. Our group represents one approach to this strategy. 

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Tags: LGBTQ, CISP, Empowerment, Professional development, Leadership, Transgender issues, High impact prevention, HIV prevention, HIV
New Professional Learning Standards for Sex Education: PLSSE
April 15, 2019

New Professional Learning Standards for Sex Education: PLSSE

By Tracy Wright, MAEd | April 15, 2019
Program Manager, ETR

Think about a sexuality educator you know. Think about something brilliant or inspired or compassionate they’ve done in their teaching. Think about the students they serve and what those students need in the classroom. Think about the challenges that educator faces in their school or district, community or state.

If you’re like me, what you get when you think through these things is one highly dedicated, deeply committed individual. 

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Tags: Collaboration, Professional development, Education standards, Sex education
Exemplary Professional Development: What Are the Critical Elements?
January 10, 2019

Exemplary Professional Development: What Are the Critical Elements?

By Tracy Wright, MAED | January 10, 2019
Project Director, ETR

At ETR, we value research and science. We apply those values throughout all of our work and across the entire agency. We encourage other organizations to do the same.

A few years back, ETR conducted a synthesis of current research on professional development (PD) programs. Our goal? To determine the critical elements needed to provide PD that leads to change in learners' practice—that is, PD that has a true impact. 

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Tags: Teachers, Health education, HealthSmart, K12, Distributive learning process, Professional development
Making Information Accessible: New Section 508 Standards
July 26, 2018

Making Information Accessible: New Section 508 Standards

ByTamara Neff, MA | July 26, 2018
E-Learning Curriculum Developer, ETR

One of our core values at ETR states, “We believe everyone should have the same access and opportunities in life.” This resonates with me deeply, as it directly connects to one of my personal tenets as an eLearning specialist and instructional designer: to provide quality learning experiences for everyone and anyone with a desire to learn. At ETR, I want people to easily find the valuable information and training we provide, and to be able to meaningfully apply it.

By Tamara Neff, MA
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Tags: Health equity, Equity, Accessibility
Tips for Supporting Attitudinal Shifts
July 5, 2018

Tips for Supporting Attitudinal Shifts

By Michael Everett, MHS | July 5, 2018
Project Co-Director, ETR

Why do we deliver trainings? To share information, to build new skills—and sometimes, to help people get a whole new attitude. In my previous post, I discussed the ways emotions and feelings can influence attitudes, along with the importance of helping training participants succeed in achieving positive attitude shifts.

When participants can look honestly and thoroughly at the emotions and feelings that shape their attitudes, they’re in a better place to make a shift.

By Michael Everett, MHS
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Tags: CISP, Training design, Professional development, HIV, Attitudes
When the Problem is Not the Problem: Emotions, Feelings and Attitudes
June 26, 2018

When the Problem is Not the Problem: Emotions, Feelings and Attitudes

By Michael Everett, MHS | June 26, 2018
Project Co-Director, ETR

Are you a trainer? If so, you are likely to already know this truism. Changes in knowledge come pretty easily. Changes in skill take a little more effort. But let’s face it—changing attitudes sometimes feels impossible.

By Michael Everett, MHS
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Tags: HIV prevention, Emotions, Attitudes, Professional development, Training
Messing Up: Using Humility to Become a Better Trainer
June 20, 2018

Messing Up: Using Humility to Become a Better Trainer

By Sarah Axelson, MSW | June 20, 2018
Director of Training, ETR

It’s 10:30 on a Thursday night, and I’m somewhere over the Midwest, flying home. I’ve spent the last few days training a group of professionals who, for the most part, I haven’t worked with before. The training as a whole was fantastic. Well-planned, intentional, engaging, and the list goes on. I couldn’t be more proud of our team for putting it together. 

What I wasn’t proud of was my own section, or more specifically one activity within the day-long session that I delivered.

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Tags: Facilitation, Training, Professional development
Multiply the Good Through Your Leadership
June 4, 2018

Multiply the Good Through Your Leadership

By JT Perez | June 4, 2018
Transgender Advocate & Prevention Educator, Alianza of New Mexico

For some reason, I am seen as a leader. This isn’t something that comes naturally to me, but it’s a role I’ve done my best to step up to. I’ve received help in this effort from mentors, friends, community and family, and it’s made a world of difference to me.

Leadership is transformative. I’ve seen it change individuals, organizations and communities. It can save lives. It can lead the charge for social justice.

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Tags: LGBTQ, LGBTQ youth, Transgender issues, CISP, Leadership
Putting Intentional Advocacy Into Practice: Two Examples
May 29, 2018

Putting Intentional Advocacy Into Practice: Two Examples

By Michael Everett, MHS | May 29, 2018
Project Director, ETR

I believe in the power of advocacy. It fits nicely within my belief system. But more than that, I’ve seen the power of advocacy at work. This is a strategy that can transform and empower organizations.

Today, I’m pleased to share two stories with you from organizations that participated in the Intentional Advocacy project.

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Tags: CISP, HIV, HIV prevention, Intentional advocacy, Advocacy
Intentional Advocacy in the South: Success Starts with Trust and Community
May 22, 2018

Intentional Advocacy in the South: Success Starts with Trust and Community

By Michael Everett, MHS | May 22, 2018
Project Director, ETR

Advocacy is an extraordinary and powerful tool. This is a strategy that can tailor itself to the unique needs and culture of any service-related organization. It’s also genuinely exciting to offer technical assistance to organizations interested in putting advocacy to work.

These are just some of the reasons ETR’s team embraces any opportunity we are given to support organizations in building advocacy skills and practices.

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Tags: Capacity building, HIV-AIDS, HIV, CISP, Advocacy
Currently Reading: Keeping the Magic in Facilitation
May 15, 2018

Currently Reading: Keeping the Magic in Facilitation

By Sarah Axelson, MSW | May 15, 2018
Director of Training, ETR

I’m a training and facilitation nerd. Anyone who knows me knows I embrace that label and use it lovingly. I’m constantly trying to think of new, more engaging ways to help people learn.

I’m so entrenched in this work that at a recent dinner with friends, as we were settling our tab, I found myself digging through my purse searching for my wallet. It finally turned up under a copy of one of the books I’m currently reading.

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Tags: Currently reading, Facilitation, Professional development
Facilitation Quick Tips: 3 Tips to Enhance PowerPoint Slides
May 10, 2018

Facilitation Quick Tips: 3 Tips to Enhance PowerPoint Slides

By Lia Cassanego | May 10, 2018
Professional Learning Services Specialist, ETR

Here’s a different type of quick tip: a set of tips to help any trainer deliver more effective PowerPoint presentations. If you’re newer in the PowerPoint world, or you’ve never had a chance to learn about best practices in slide development for trainings, these tips can help.

In 15-20 minutes, you can learn to give your slides a whole new attitude!

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Tags: PowerPoint, Graphics, Training design, Facilitation Quick Tips, Training design
May the Fourth Be With You: Did You Feel Resistance to Change When Star Wars Changed the Resistance?
May 3, 2018

May the Fourth Be With You: Did You Feel Resistance to Change When Star Wars Changed the Resistance?

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | May 3, 2018
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

Star Wars fans—this post is for you. And anyone exploring new partnerships—this post is also for you!

When the first teaser trailers for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens hit the internet in 2015, I was gleeful. More Star Wars! Yes, please.

But I must admit that I didn’t know how I’d feel about the new characters in the Star Wars movies.

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Tags: Community partnerships, Star Wars, Organizational development, Healthy organization
Facilitation Quick Tips: Group Haiku
May 2, 2018

Facilitation Quick Tips: Group Haiku

By Debra Christopher, MSM & Marcia Quackenbush, MS, MFT, MCHES | May 2, 2018
Ambassador for Health and Learning (DC) & Senior Editor (MQ), ETR

Sometimes, you want training participants to spend some moments in reflection to distill the essence of a message. This Group Haiku activity does exactly that! Groups work together to synthesize an essential point of information. In the process, they are likely to connect to each other with a shared understanding and vision as well.

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Tags: Training design, Facilitation Quick Tips
Workplace Wellness? Step 1: Deal with Stress!
April 19, 2018

Workplace Wellness? Step 1: Deal with Stress!

By Shawn Moore, MBA | April 19, 2018
Senior Vice President for Product Management at ActiveHealth/ETR Board Member

Everyone wants a healthy workplace, right? In a healthy workplace, workers are more productive. Missions are supported. It’s a more pleasant environment for everybody.

So why are there so many challenges to establishing a healthy workplace? Especially workplaces like health organizations, service organizations and non-profits. What’s holding us back?

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Tags: Stress, Worksite wellness
Facilitation Quick Tip: The De-Escalation Line Dance
April 17, 2018

Facilitation Quick Tip: The De-Escalation Line Dance

By BA Laris, MPH | April 17, 2018
Program Manager, ETR

In a recent training on Crisis De-Escalation, the simplest activity we did turned out to be the most effective at helping participants think about how to “take it down a notch.” The De-escalation Line Dance is a quick, fun and powerful activity that gets participants talking about the obvious and subtle messages we send—and receive—in crisis situations.

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Tags: Crisis, Crisis de-escalation, Training design, Facilitation Quick tips
De-Escalation Techniques: Coping with Students & Clients, Coping with Our Lives
April 10, 2018

De-Escalation Techniques: Coping with Students & Clients, Coping with Our Lives

By BA Laris, MPH | April 10, 2018
Program Manager, ETR

The news and my social media feed keep screaming at me. FINANCIAL CRISIS! POLITICAL CRISIS! ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS! PERSONAL CRISIS!

It feels like everyone is facing a catastrophe. This barrage of uncertainty is highly distressing (especially for this “the glass is always half-full” ETRian).

By B.A. Laris, MPH
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Tags: CISP, HIV, Crisis, Professional development, Crisis de-escalation
Growing the Organization: Choosing a Distributed Workforce
April 3, 2018

Growing the Organization: Choosing a Distributed Workforce

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | April 3, 2018
CEO, ETR

ETR is a national organization—one with global aspirations. You might not have guessed this if you’d peeked in on one of our all-staff meetings a few years back. These were held in a single conference room, with a minority of our team joining from two smaller rooms at “satellite offices,” along with a few team members joining from home offices.

No longer!

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Tags: Organizational development, Distributed workforce

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