2026 Professional Development
for Sexual Health Education

This training equips health teachers to address the complex issues of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and digital safety with their students. Educators will learn to teach how traffickers exploit vulnerabilities and use recruitment tactics, as well as strategies for recognizing and reducing risks in both physical and online settings. The training also provides tools for guiding students in understanding personal responsibility around sexting and digital behaviors, and for building skills to ask for help or support peers in unsafe situations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain human trafficking and sexual exploitation to students and help them recognize recruitment tactics that target youth.

2. Teach strategies for risk reduction, safety, and responsible digital citizenship in both online and offline contexts.

3. Guide students in developing help-seeking and peer-support skills to address unsafe or exploitative situations.

This training equips health teachers to effectively teach core sexual health standards related to identity, influence, and inclusion. Educators will learn strategies to help students analyze how peers, family, media, and culture shape beliefs and behaviors around sexuality and identity. The training also explores how personal views on gender and sexual health influence choices, fostering classroom discussions that are thoughtful and respectful. Participants will practice methods to cultivate empathy, inclusiveness, and respect when addressing topics such as sexual orientation, gender identity, and sexual expression. In addition, the training highlights ways to identify and support school and community programs and policies that ensure dignity, safety, and belonging for all students.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify strategies to help students analyze how internal and external influences shape attitudes and behaviors about sexual health and identity.
   
2. Apply inclusive teaching practices that promote empathy, respect, and understanding across diverse genders, sexual orientations, and identities.
3. Evaluate and support school and community policies and programs that foster safety, dignity, and belonging for all students.

This training prepares health teachers to lead lessons that strengthen students’ ability to make informed, respectful, and safe decisions about sexual activity and sexual health. Teachers will explore strategies to teach decision-making processes, consent, and refusal skills, while also addressing risk factors for pregnancy, HIV, and other STIs. The training emphasizes guiding students to understand the importance of STI testing, healthy communication with partners, and evaluating readiness and options for sexual activity. Participants will also gain tools to discuss the role of personal and collective values in preventing harassment, abuse, and gender-based violence, fostering a culture of respect and safety in their classrooms and communities.

Learning Objectives:

1. Apply instructional strategies that help students practice decision-making skills, consent, and communication in situations related to sexual health. 
2. Teach students how to evaluate risks, prevention strategies, and health resources related to pregnancy, HIV, and STIs, including testing and counseling. 
3. Build classroom practices that promote a culture of respect and equity, equipping students to recognize and reject coercion, harassment, and gender-based violence.

This training equips health teachers with the tools to teach students about building and maintaining healthy, respectful, and safe relationships. Participants will explore strategies for guiding students in analyzing characteristics of healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, understanding consent and age-of-consent laws, and recognizing and responding to abuse, violence, or exploitation. The training emphasizes teaching effective communication, boundary-setting, conflict resolution, and empathy as essential skills for promoting positive peer, family, and romantic relationships. Educators will also learn approaches to support students in making thoughtful decisions about leaving unsafe relationships, accessing resources, and fostering a culture of respect for individual differences in identity, values, and perspectives.

Learning Objectives:

1. Strengthen teaching practices that help students recognize healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics, practice effective communication, and set and respect boundaries.

2. Apply instructional strategies to guide students in understanding consent, preventing abuse, and developing safety plans for unhealthy or unsafe relationships.

3. Support students in building empathy, resolving conflict, and respecting individual differences, while fostering inclusive and respectful classroom dialogue about relationships and sexual health.

Teaching Anatomy, Physiology, Pregnancy, and Reproductive Health can feel challenging for health educators who want to be medically accurate, inclusive, and responsive to student questions. This practical workshop will provide strategies, lesson structures, and teaching tools to help educators confidently teach reproductive anatomy, fertilization, pregnancy, and prenatal health. Participants will explore ways to present complex biological concepts clearly, address common misconceptions, and create a classroom environment that supports respectful discussion and student curiosity while meeting curriculum standards.

Participants will be able to:

1. Explain effective strategies for teaching reproductive anatomy, physiology, fertilization, and pregnancy using medically accurate and age-appropriate language.
2. Identify common student misconceptions about reproduction and pregnancy and practice strategies for addressing them in the classroom.
3. Apply instructional approaches that support inclusive, respectful discussions about reproductive health while meeting health education standards.

The online “manosphere” has become a powerful influence on many young people, shaping ideas about gender, relationships, power, and identity through social media, gaming spaces, and influencers. Health educators are increasingly encountering students repeating messages rooted in misogyny, rigid masculinity, and misinformation about relationships. This workshop will help teachers understand what the manosphere is, how students encounter it, and how it impacts attitudes toward gender and relationships. Participants will explore practical strategies for addressing harmful narratives, promoting media literacy, and fostering respectful, healthy conversations about masculinity, consent, and relationships in the classroom.

Participants will be able to:

1. Identify key themes, influencers, and messages commonly found in the online manosphere and how students encounter them.
2. Recognize how manosphere content can influence students’ beliefs about gender, relationships, consent, and power.
3. Apply classroom strategies that promote media literacy, critical thinking, and healthy, respectful models of masculinity and relationships.

Today’s health classrooms include students with a wide range of gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations. Health educators play a key role in creating learning environments where all students feel seen, respected, and safe. This practical workshop will help teachers build confidence teaching about gender, sexual orientation, and inclusive language in age-appropriate and medically accurate ways. Participants will explore clear definitions, classroom strategies, and communication approaches that reduce confusion, address common student questions, and promote respect and belonging while meeting health education standards.

Participants will be able to:

1. Define key terms related to gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and inclusive language using clear, age-appropriate explanations for students.
2. Demonstrate strategies for introducing and reinforcing inclusive language in health classrooms.
3. Apply teaching approaches that foster respectful discussion and support LGBTQ+ inclusion while maintaining a safe and productive learning environment.