Teen Talk for Youth in Alternative Settings: CA’s First Online Sex Ed Course for Foster Youth

Since 2017 when the California Foster Youth Sexual Health Education Act (SB 89) went into effect, child welfare agencies have struggled to connect youth to comprehensive sexual health education courses in the community when they miss this course in school. These challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with limited in-person community education and support.

Teen Talk for Youth in Alternative Settings (Teen Talk YAS), designed by Health Connected is the newest SB 89-compliant curriculum designed for and informed by foster youth. Through collaboration with Planned Parenthood of Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley it has been adapted for virtual delivery and is now available.

Panelists review the curriculum, how to sign up, and ways to support youth in attending and completing the course. Panelists include the curriculum development team, a health educator, a legal expert from the National Center for Youth Law, and a former foster youth who participated in developing and refining the online curriculum.