The New England Sex Ed Conference, presented by Partners in Sex Ed and the Sex Ed Lecture Series, is a one-day conference for sex, health and wellness educators on Wednesday May 27, 2026
The conference provides opportunities to network with other educators, share ideas and learn best practices for teaching skills-based sexual health education.
Last May, attendees had an inspiring lineup of keynote speakers and engaging workshops that deepened their knowledge and equipped them with valuable tools to enhance their teaching and advocacy in the field.
We want to feature you! Submit a workshop designed for K-12 sex educators and health teachers.
Massachusetts teachers are eligible for 30 PDPs for presenting at a professional conference in the field.
Photos from NESEC 2025
2025 Keynote Speakers
Pleasure is the Measure
Applying the science of sex to long-term relationships
Emily Nagoski is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling Come As You Are and Come Together, as well as The Come As You Are Workbook, and coauthor, with her sister, Amelia, of New York Times bestseller Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. Emily "brings the science." As a gifted and engaging speaker, Emily is an expert on women's sexual wellbeing, healthy relationships, and the prevention of sexual violence and harassment. She combines sex education and stress education to teach women to live with confidence and joy inside their bodies. She lives in Massachusetts with two dogs, a cat, and a cartoonist.
How We Produce Hope
Practical strategies for defending and advancing sex ed in a hostile climate
Jaclyn Friedman is the Founder and Executive Director of EducateUS, where she is building a movement to change US public school sex education for good. Friedman’s work has globally popularized the affirmative consent standard of sexual consent. Her first book, Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Top 100 Books of 2009, and has inspired new laws in five U.S. states, as well as policies on countless campuses across the country and the world. She also spearheaded the legendary #FBrape campaign, which forced Facebook to address and exclude content that promotes or trivializes violence against women under their hate speech policy, and is founder and former executive director of Women, Action & the Media (WAM!).
Jack Patrick Lewis is an American state legislator from Framingham, Massachusetts. A Democrat, he was sworn in as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives on January 4, 2017. In addition to his political involvement, Lewis has served as the executive director of OUTMetro West, a nonprofit working with at-risk LGBT youth, and as assistant minister and director of religious education at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills.
2025 Workshops
This workshop will address the swelling tide of anti LGBTQ rhetoric and will provide information needed to combat the disinformation campaigns and policies, while highlighting the importance of supporting LGBTQ youth in this heated moment in our history.
Turn on the TV and you’ll find countless references to sex/relationships. Studies show that nearly ¾ of parents and teens think that tv/movies are good entry points into conversations about sex. This session will examine how to teach media literacy to help folks sift through unhelpful tv messages.
Apple Music, Spotify, TikTok, YouTube! Music is everywhere, shaping how young people think about love, sex, and relationships. Let’s equip teens with the tools to critically analyze the messages they hear. This interactive workshop unpacks how popular songs might be reimagined to deliver key messages about healthy relationships, including honesty, equality, responsibility, and respect. Come ready to sing!
As issues connected to sexual and gender diversity become increasingly politicized, pushback and even direct attacks against schools have mushroomed. Reassuringly, how this pushback plays out within school communities is most often predictable and can be managed successfully. Participants will acquire numerous proactive and responsive strategies for protecting their programs.
Men, Consent and Patriarchy will illuminate the nature of patriarchy, the systemic and interpersonal characteristics of patriarchal oppression and how men sustain, benefit from and participate in it. The class will also discuss how consent is broached and dismissed and the way patriarchy affects interpersonal relationships.
Participants in this workshop will understand the value of engaging young people to critically examine their media diet to prevent dating violence. Through an interactive, online workshop, participants will understand the value of engaging youth as allies in the work; how to engender critical conversations around violence through media literacy; and how to implement activities to promote healthy relationships.
FGM/C impacts half a million women and girls in the U.S., yet remains absent from sex-ed curricula. This workshop equips educators with foundational knowledge and tools to address FGM/C in a culturally responsive, trauma-informed manner, using interactive discussions and case studies
Discover the diverse range of menstrual products, including those made out of bamboo fiber options, in this workshop for educators. We'll explore the efficacy, accessibility, and environmental impacts of pads, tampons, and cups. Participants will gain strategies to empower students in making informed choices about menstrual health and wellness.
Secks ed and a side of misinformation—but is it all bad? Teens are learning about sex on social media, whether we like it or not. This workshop explores the double-edged sword of digital sex ed and gives educators tools to help students tell what’s reel vs real in a scroll-first world.
In this workshop, participants will experience an interactive lesson on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) designed for middle and high school students. They will learn about how STIs are transmitted, protection methods, and the importance of regular testing and developing healthy sexual health habits.
WhatsOK, developed by Stop It Now!, fills a critical gap by providing judgment-free support for youth with concerns about sexual thoughts and behaviors. Jenny Coleman, LMHC, will discuss prevention-focused resources that help professionals guide youth in making safe choices, understanding consent, and accessing help before harm occurs.
In this workshop you will learn about Maine Family Planning’s Puberty Happens curriculum developed for grades 4-6. We will go over the background and development of the curriculum, the core components, and will showcase interactive activities that can be used in the classroom with young people.
Privacy laws for adolescents are complex. This workshop covers minors’ access to birth control, abortion, STI testing, and gender-affirming care while maintaining privacy. We’ll discuss mandatory reporting laws, teachers’ obligations, and confidentiality in sexual health services. Massachusetts-centered, participants will also learn to find state-specific information on adolescent health rights nationwide.
This interactive workshop equips educators and youth workers with strategies to set clear, respectful boundaries when discussing sensitive topics like sex and sexuality. Learn techniques to maintain professionalism, navigate challenging questions, and foster a safe, supportive environment while respecting personal and cultural values.Sign up here to be notified of the New England Sex Education Conference and other resources for educators.
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