Innovation Development Teams Awarded $380,000 in Funding by ETR's RYSE Innovation Hub to Advance Adolescent Sexual Health
In partnership with HHS, ETR continues to lead in youth health equity and innovation with large investment into adolescent sexual and reproductive health
Scotts Valley, CA - The Reimagining Young People’s Sexual Health Equity (RYSE) Innovation Hub, a project of Education, Training, and Research Associates (ETR), is proud to announce the allocation of $380,000 in funding to four Innovation Development Teams (IDTs) across the country who are dedicated to advancing solutions in different areas of adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
The awarded IDTs will each receive $95,000 in project funding, in addition to robust training, development, and support from ETR experts and youth innovation advisors, aiming to address gaps and emerging issues occurring within the field.
“The IDTs selected represent a diverse range of proposed innovations within sexual and reproductive health, including producing a youth driven video podcast, trainings for healthcare professionals, supporting system-involved youth, and empowering survivors of sexual assault with a text messaging service,” said Dr. Vignetta Charles, CEO of ETR. “Our team of experts on the RYSE Hub are committed to providing these IDTs with individualized training and coaching sessions, collaborative opportunities with youth innovation advisors, and tangible tools and strategies to support their work. By making this substantial investment, IDTs participating in the RYSE Hub are developing and producing more sexual and reproductive health solutions for youth, educators, clinicians, and other youth-serving professionals.”
Innovation Development Teams:
- Dream Youth Clinic; Oakland, CA
Dream Youth Clinic was established in 2017 to provide no-cost medical services and youth programs centering reproductive justice principles and youth agency for the most vulnerable youth in the Bay Area between the ages of 12-25. Their proposed innovation is a youth-driven video podcast that will educate, dispel myths, and answer questions about sexual health and beyond from their trusted medical team. The podcast will be available on Spotify and YouTube, with clips on Instagram and TikTok.
- Sankofa Knowledge Exchange; Georgia
This project features multigenerational-led trainings for service providers and youth that focuses on the unique experiences, challenges, and strengths of Black youth and families within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Current and former system dependent youth have the opportunity to learn about Black history and its intersections with child serving systems, the impact of systemic oppression on Black communities, and how family surveillance has impacted authentic engagement strategies for families in need. They will also gain skills in curriculum development as well as facilitation and training techniques.
- Text-SAFE; Texas A&M School of Nursing
Text-SAFE is a secure digital health solution offering personalized care pathways for sexual assault survivors, aiming to empower them and improve their physical, mental, and social well-being, mitigating trauma symptoms, and improving sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Through a 31-day patient navigation system, Text-SAFE delivers timely, semi-automated, bidirectional text messages addressing key health concerns like pregnancy, STIs, vaccinations, mental health, law enforcement reporting, and survivor advocacy.
- YouthCHAT; University of Minnesota Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Health
YouthCHAT (Youth Council for Health and Training) is a youth-engaged training program for healthcare professionals aimed at creating safe and supportive conversations in clinical settings. YouthCHAT Educators work with medical faculty to develop a character that is a teen or young adult patient with a health concern and provide feedback directly to the trainees to help them improve their communication and interviewing skills. Educators participate in these simulated clinical interviews with pediatric medical assistants, nursing students, and other interdisciplinary healthcare professionals to enhance and broaden their skillset on feeling comfortable working with adolescent patients and providing more compassionate care with young people.
Staff and youth innovation advisors on the RYSE Innovation Hub work with IDTs through an annual cohort-based model, providing funding and technical assistance to develop, refine, and test their proposed innovations. To learn more about our innovations and opportunities with the RYSE Innovation Hub, check out the website at etr.org/ryse.
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Education, Training and Research Associates (ETR) is the largest non-profit health publisher in the nation committed to improving health and wellbeing for youth and communities by championing science. For over 40 years, ETR has been at the forefront of developing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating science-based resources and curriculum to advance health and opportunities for young people, adults, and communities across the country. To learn more information about ETR, check out etr.org.
