Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette (PPCW)

October 27, 2022

Amount Requested$15,000.00

Address

3727 NE MLK, Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97212

(503)484-6781

Grants Officer

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Website

ppcw.org

  • Engender Dignity, Respect and Equality
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Proposal Information

Funds are Being Requested for:

Program Support

Mission Statement

The mission of Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette (PPCW) is to provide, promote, and protect access to sexual and reproductive health care. To this end, we provide a broad range of family planning, sexual, reproductive, and other medical services; provide sex education to young people and their educators to increase access to sexual and reproductive health care and healthy sexuality; and advocate for the protection of reproductive rights and freedom in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Amount Requested

$15,000.00

Program Budget

$150,581.00

Organizational Budget
Relationship to the Olseth Family Foundation

Yes

Summarize Your Request

Access to accurate and unbiased sex education varies greatly across communities. The current assault on reproductive rights comes at a time when many young people are being denied the sex education they deserve. In order to make the best decisions for themselves about sex and relationships, young people need comprehensive information, skills, and access to youth-friendly health care services. PPCW is committed to making sex education more accessible, more equitable, and more inclusive. One important means of doing so is through Teen Council (TC), our peer education and leadership program that provides teen leaders with comprehensive sexual health training, empowering them to educate their peers, families, and communities about human sexuality and healthy decision making. By facilitating both formal presentations and informal social interactions, TC peer educators help increase community awareness, impact positive health outcomes for their peers, and are valuable leaders and resources for their communities.

Teen Council recognizes that sex education is more than just teaching young people how to have safer sex. It is also key to dismantling the systems of power, oppression, and misinformation that allow today's biggest sexual and reproductive health and rights injustices to exist in the first place. Sex education is LGBTQ inclusion and sexual violence prevention. It tackles racial, sexualized stereotypes that put people of color at greater risk of experiencing violence. It debunks harmful gender stereotypes. It defines and promotes enthusiastic consent practices. And it empowers each of us to claim the right to our own bodily autonomy. Sex education supports the development of life skills including critical thinking, communication and negotiation, sense of self; confidence; ability to take responsibility; ability to ask questions and seek help; and empathy. It nurtures positive attitudes and values, including open-mindedness, respect for self and others, sense of responsibility, and the importance of sexual and reproductive health throughout the lifetime.

As an extracurricular experience for young leaders, TC provides valuable training not only on sexual health topics but also on presentation, leadership and advocacy skills. TC members develop education projects for their communities, co-facilitate activities for parents and families, write articles for publications, and advocate for youth sexual health. They participate in and help promote public awareness events, such as World AIDS Day, Get Yourself Tested Month, National Condom Week and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To support anti-racism, TC members participate in regular virtual caucuses created in partnership with other PP affiliates.

Overview of the Grant Request

Population Served

Marginalized young people (primarily grades 6-12) and their families, LGBTQ youth.

Geographic Area Served

Oregon

List Three Measurable Goals That This Funding Will Help You Achieve.

1. Enroll and retain at least 30 Teen Council members (75% retention) for the Teen Council Peer Education program (two groups) from all program service areas.
2. Facilitate peer-led sex education sessions for high school and middle school students in Teen Council member-affiliated schools and community settings with the goal of teaching 2-3 sessions per class/group.
3. Strengthen collaborations with schools and community organizations to increase students' access to peer-led sex education and leadership.

How Will You Accomplish These Goals?

Recruitment of Teen Council members is done via outreach conducted by PPCW staff through schools, community events, social media, and youths' through word of mouth. Following an application and interview process, enrolled Teen Council students begin the 9 month-long program prior to their 10th, 11th, or 12th grade year. Youth can remain on Teen Council through the end of their high school career, taking on additional leadership roles within the program.

As part of the program, students receive 50 hours of training from PPCW educators about leadership skills, health and sex education, presentation skills, advocacy, and diversity. Teen Council members convene for 2½ hour sessions once a week for 30 weeks. The weekly training is conducted virtually, with in-person trainings to support team building and connection; we facilitate an overnight retreat at the beginning of the program and three day-long sessions throughout the year. We have found that the weekly virtual space supports meeting attendance (eliminates the transportation challenges) and supports student engagement with the help of tech tools.

Once trained, Teen Council members facilitate sex education sessions for their classmates; topics include healthy relationships, sexual consent and decision making, accessing health services, unintended pregnancy prevention and birth control, STDs and HIV prevention, and other sexual health topics (with support from PPCW facilitators). They are also available to peers and family members to answer questions, dispel sexual health myths, and refer to sexual and reproductive health resources.

This program is concurrently active in Oregon's Multnomah, Washington Deschutes, and Marion Counties. The Teen Council program has been a highly-sought after program for the last 15 years, with rigorous evaluation proving its impact on peer educators, their families, and communities.

Looking Forward, How Will You Measure These Goals?

Attendance at all Teen Council meetings is tracked closely by PPCW facilitators to ensure members remain engaged, progress with their knowledge and skills, and feel well-supported. We know that things can change over the course of the year, and we also know that retention of members starts with recruitment, interviews, and the selection and continues by maintaining the model of "High Warmth, High Structure, and High Expectations" throughout the year. During their regular weekly meetings, PPCW’s educators assist the Teen Council students in drawing lessons from their service through organized reflection and critical analysis. Students are encouraged and supported to start facilitating sex education sessions after completing their training, and various levels of learning and mentorship are in place with support from 2nd and 3rd-year Teen Council members.

Finally, the strengthening of our collaborations will be evident through the number of schools and partners we work with and the number of people reached through our sex education activities. This data is carefully collected and reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Implementation Plan

Start Date

08/01/2022

End Date

06/30/2023

Describe Most Significant Collaborations With Other Organizations And Efforts.

PPCW has worked for over 50 years to build trust of area schools, stakeholders, and communities through the promotion of health literacy, comprehensive education, youth development, and access to preventative health care. We work closely with school districts and youth serving organizations in the communities surrounding our health centers.

PPCW’s programming intersects with, and thus we have ongoing collaborations with: the Family Violence Coordinating Council, Youth Provider Network, Home Forward, Open School (CAP, Raphael House, SMYRC), the Rosewood Initiative, the Rockwood Community Action Team, East County Caring Community, Ninth Grade Counts, Healthy Birth Initiative Community Action Network, and A6.

All programs are delivered in a culturally relevant, inclusive and trauma informed context using evidence-informed curricula, adapted specifically for different regions in Oregon. Community needs assessments are conducted with regularity in all of our service areas and are part of each of our programs. Our staff engages with numerous coalitions and local working groups, leveraging our expertise in convening groups, engaging participants, and facilitating meetings and projects within the groups. PPCW is also engaged in multi-sector, multi-year partnerships and contracts with government agencies, schools, and culturally specific organizations. PPCW is the most trusted and largest provider of sex education in Oregon, and is a resource to schools and community organizations. Through a comprehensive suite of training and support services, PPCW can assist communities in achieving sex education goals.

What Is The Projected Timeline For The Proposed Activities?

The Teen Council program encompasses the nine months which coincide with the school year of the council youth (with prep time and wrap-up time on either end). Many of the students return to the program and are active throughout the time they are in high school.

Supplemental Information

Board Members
Current Year Organizational Budget
Program Budget For Proposed Funding Period
Audited Financials (if applicable)
Other Entries
Approval Status

Unapproved