If you are a stakeholder who supports youth in foster care,

this virtual conference is for you!

No matter what sector you come from - education, workforce, housing, transportation, child welfare, health, or advocacy - knowing how to support the healthy sexual development of young people is important in supporting them. Sexual and reproductive health intersects with and influences all aspects of the life of a young person in foster care, including their overall social-emotional wellbeing.

As in prior conferences, the 2021 Reproductive Health Equity Project (RHEP) conference will include sessions in three areas: Head, Heart, and Hands. The Head, Heart and Hands framework was developed by Just Communities for talking about and taking action on equity.

“Head” Sessions: Attendees will learn the current data, law, and policy behind sexual and reproductive health for youth in foster care.

“Hands” Sessions: Attendees will hear about exciting new sexual health education and health services that are tailored to youth in foster care and get concrete tools to support the healthy sexual development, bodily autonomy, and decision-making of the young people with whom they work.

“Heart” Sessions: Attendees will be offered the opportunity to think about and re-envision traditional narratives about what it means to support young people’s healthy sexual development and family construction. The expert perspectives of young people with lived experience in the foster care system will be centered and highlighted throughout.

And for 2021, we introduce “Hope”: This year, RHEP will take the Head, Heart, and Hands framework one step further and highlight throughout the day how ‘Hope’ plays a crucial role in young people’s resilience and aspirational healing journeys. Concepts, practices, and opportunities for healing will be interwoven throughout the day.

Join us virtually on August 5th to understand and receive tools to empower youth in foster care to make informed decisions about their bodies, relationships, and reproductive lives and futures.

Certificates of completion provided.

This conference is organized by the Reproductive Health Equity Project for Foster Youth (RHEP). RHEP brings together foster youth and the agencies that serve them to promote evidence-informed strategies that dismantle systemic barriers to sexual and reproductive health education and service access for youth in foster care and reduce the disproportionately poor health outcomes youth in foster care often face, such as higher rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection. Our goal is a future in which youth who touch foster care feel empowered and supported in their healthy sexual development and know how and are able to realize their sexual and reproductive wellness goals. You can find out more about RHEP at our website, www.fosterreprohealth.org.

The conference was made possible in part by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation as well as Grant Number 1 TP2AH000066-01-00 from the HHS Office of Population Affairs.

The presentations are solely the responsibility of the speakers involved and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Hilton Foundation, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the Office of Population Affairs.

What’s Sex Got to Do with Hope, Healing, and Resilience?