IN·clued Overview

A Dual Approach: IN·clued workshops use a dual approach to reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection rates among LGBTQ young people age 14-19. IN·clued is an exciting new educational program from Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands that addresses the sexual health disparities affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth across the United States. Currently, IN·clued is one of the only evidence-based sexual health education programs designed specifically to meet the needs of LGBTQ youth.

Description

IN·clued is a program that aims to lower teen pregnancy rates and STD rates among LGBTQ youth ages 14-19. The IN·clued Program takes a dual approach to address the unjust sexual health outcomes for LGBTQ young people: (1) a three-hour workshop for LGBTQ youth on sexual health and accessing healthcare, and (2) two 90-minute, youth-led workshops for healthcare providers and clinic staff on best practices for providing care to LGBTQ young people. This combination has the outcome of youth seeking and receiving sexual health services on a more consistent basis.

The program is grounded in the Health Belief Model theory of change and several evidence-based best practices in adolescent sexual health prevention education. It uses an established theoretical foundation, sound educational pedagogy, and the use of peer educators for program delivery.

Population Served & Setting

IN·clued is a program designed specifically for LGBTQ young people. Unlike sex education programs that are simply “inclusive of” LGBTQ learners, this program speaks directly to them and centers their experiences and needs.

IN·clued is made up of two workshops that serve two different populations: The youth workshop is for youth ages 14-19 who identify as LGBTQ in some way. The Health Center workshop is for all Health Center staff and providers.

The Youth Workshop works when facilitated with groups of youth who are already members of an established group, (e.g. a Queer-Straight Alliance, an LGBTQ community youth activism group, etc.), as well as with groups of youth recruited just for the purpose of this program.

The ideal group size for the IN·clued Youth Workshop is 12–15 participants per workshop. However, the workshop has been successfully facilitated with up to 35 participants in the space, and with as few as four participants. For especially large or small group sizes, adaptations will need to be made to the activities, and space, accommodations, and facilitators will need to be prepared to make these adaptations.

A Note on Trauma: Because the workshop covers sexual health content and includes discussions of sexual behaviors, safer sex practices, and sexual health services, young people who’ve experienced sexual trauma or trauma at the hands of healthcare systems may experience undue discomfort or a lack of safety in the workshop. It is up to the discretion of the facilitators to review the curriculum and decide on the appropriateness of the content for their participant group. Similarly, facilitators who have trauma related to the content of this workshop may experience discomfort or lack of safety themselves. Again, it is up to the discretion of the facilitators, their supports (supervisors, etc.) to decide who is the best fit to facilitate this program.