What's Happening

By Fulton Breen | April 27, 2015
Candidate for MBA and MA in Educational Leadership & Policy, University of Michigan Ross School of Business

The president of my university, Mark Schlissel, summarized his commitment to social justice and equitable youth development with a simple but powerful observation: Talent is ubiquitous, but opportunity is not.

So what are we to do with this gap between abilities and access?

This question drew me to the interesting work being done at ETR. It’s also what brought me to graduate school to study the intersections of business and education.

By Pamela Anderson, PhD | April 23, 2015
Senior Research Associate, ETR

Hi everyone! My colleagues and I are excited about the upcoming conference YTH Live: Igniting Youth Tech Health Innovation. It’s taking place this Sunday through Tuesday (April 26–28) at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco, and we’ve got some thought-provoking presentations on the schedule.

Ever wondered who youth are texting and what they are saying?

By Tracy Wright, MAED, & Annika Shore, MPH | April 20, 2015
Project Director, ETR, & Professional Development Consultant, ETR

One of the essential hallmarks of a successful training is participant engagement through planned activities. Trainers know how to do this well in in-person trainings. But, for many of us, designing and delivering activities in the virtual environment can feel less certain—even intimidating.

Here are 5 guiding questions that will help you design successful virtual training activities.

By Annika Shore, MPH | April 16, 2015
Professional Development Consultant, ETR

This upbeat activity has some of the best elements for any training—movement, music and conversation. It engages brains, energizes participants and helps them personalize the learning.

By Rebekah Saul Butler, MBA, MPH | April 13, 2015
Co-Executive Director/The Grove Foundation

My business school marketing professor once said, “The airlines need to think more like a taxi.” Get people where they need to go when they want to go, and make it easy to get there.

As a frequent business traveler, I’ve often thought of those words while stranded in an airport or waiting for everyone in front of me to get their bags down and exit the aircraft. Air travel feels impersonal—like it’s designed to be convenient for the airlines, not the flier. And the industry hasn’t made much progress in 15 years.

I can’t say I’m any more enamored with the taxi industry. I’ve recently started using a ridesharing app and can understand perfectly why the sector is growing exponentially. And what’s this got to do with sexuality education?

I’d like to see sexuality education teacher training become more like a modern ridesharing business: technology based, customer centric and widely accessible.

By John Henry Ledwith | April 9, 2015
National Sales Manager, ETR

I never cease to be amazed at the skill and art of fine teaching. Here’s a story I heard last week from a high school teacher I know.

Students were coming into her classroom at the beginning of the period. Two young men started talking about a fight that occurred the night before between a couple of their peers. They took different sides on the fight.

Their talk was assertive, then challenging, then trash. Racial epithets were tossed back and forth. Other students started joining in and the entire situation was escalating.

By Robin Mills, MA | April 6, 2015
Sexual Health Education Coordinator, U.C. Berkeley University Health Services Tang Center

While the term “affirmative consent” is fairly new, the concept most certainly is not.

Back in 2005, I was working at Planned Parenthood. I went to a health fair where a group called Coalition for Positive Sexuality was distributing purple mini-booklets called “Just Say Yes.” I thought, “Wow. That’s awesome. What a super positive way of thinking. I like it.”

I took a quick peek inside the booklet (since I was supposed to be working) and was hooked immediately. There it was, printed in black and white for all the world to read: messaging to young adults encouraging them to say “yes” to the sex they want, and “no” to the sex they don’t want! It was amazing!

By Marcia Quackenbush, MS, MFT, MCHES | April 2, 2015
Senior Editor, ETR

What inspires you in your work? I often ask this about our tribe—this group of people making the front-line effort in the world of health education and promotion.

I think most of us love working for a mission. And I also think that for most people, the work sometimes gets tedious or challenging.

That’s why I totally LOVE this video by ETR’s Digital Solutions Manager, Kieren Jameson. 

By Debra Christopher, MSM | March 31, 2015
Director, Professional Learning Systems, ETR

Are you a learning specialist? A teacher, trainer or technical assistance provider? In other words, are you charged with teaching people to do something they have never done before? Or do something differently? Or do something better? If so, I hope you will read on.

Understanding the What, Why and WOW of effective professional development is going to help you do better in your work.

By Marcia Quackenbush, MS, MFT, MCHES | March 27, 2015
Senior Editor, ETR

ETR is thrilled to be offering our new “Yes Means Yes!” poster. This upbeat, positive product tells the big-picture story of affirmative consent in a remarkably brief 51 words. The image is eye-catching, the poster is clear and the whole package really works. It gets the message out.

As a health education writer myself, I can attest to the care, time and skill that goes into this kind of work. It’s easier to write a 10,000-word book chapter than an effective 800-word pamphlet. Health education posters are even more demanding. They’re like the haiku of the field. I applaud our Product Development team for their extraordinary skill in choosing exactly the right 51 words.

By Marcia Quackenbush, MS, MFT, MCHES | March 25, 2015
Senior Editor, ETR

ETR's got a great video collection. In brief, lively clips, our staff and partners talk about the work we do—products, services and research findings. You can watch them on the "Videos" tab or at the ETR YouTube channel. One of my current favorites describes ETR's Program Success Framework.

By David Yeung, MBA | March 23, 2015
Manager of Strategy & Business Development, ETR

At ETR, we tackle challenges that are increasingly complex and interconnected, transcending traditionally defined boundaries. We are passionate about solving issues that are difficult and sometimes deep rooted. We want to discover solutions that have meaningful impact for individuals and communities.

In order for us to deliver on that mission, we must embrace different backgrounds, perspectives and disciplines. This is why I am proud to welcome to ETR a diverse and talented team of fulltime MBA students from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

They are going to help us discover solutions to some very complex issues!

By Kathy Plomer, MPH | March 19, 2015
DASH Professional Learning Collaborative, ETR

This is a great activity to kick off a session. It gets people talking, laughing and sharing experiences related to the training topic. It’s fast and fun.
 

By Karen L. Parker-Simons | March 17, 2015
Health Education Coordinator, Florida Department of Health

I began working in HIV/AIDS Prevention in February 2007. At the time I had never heard of World AIDS Day, never mind National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. That first year it slipped by me without my catching it.

But, by 2008, I finally knew about it. National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is something very special. This wasn’t just another awareness day for which I would have to think up events. No, this day spoke TO me—it was ABOUT me! I am an American Indian from the Dumna/Kechayi Yokuts Tribe of California. Not only could I loudly proclaim to everyone in my Department, “Hey! Know what? There is an American Indian working in this section!” I could also take a very important message to the communities I knew and loved. 

By Debra Christopher, MSM | March 16, 2015
Director, Professional Learning Systems, ETR

What’s all the buzz about the brain?

The brain is our personal 3-pound universe. This small but powerful mass of neurons in your head allows you to read these words, comprehend their meaning, and, if you choose, integrate the meaning into long-term memory.

You may even decide to take some kind of action based on the content. Or, at any point in time, you may choose to scroll past this segment, even this entire column, if there is no cognitive “hook” for you.

All this in a matter of seconds. Astounding!

By Annika Shore, MPH, & Amy Peterson, MSc | March 16, 2015
Professional Development Consultant, ETR & Project Coordinator, ETR

A well-designed professional development (PD) plan (training, technical assistance, ongoing support) provides the foundation for program tranformation and impact! In fact, our organization, founded 35 years ago, began with a training grant for teen pregnancy prevention programs.

While we have expanded into other areas since then, PD remains a fundamental component of ETR’s work. It’s one of the most important ways we support our clients and maintain our own culture of continuous learning. Our professional learning services are rooted in the belief that learning takes place over time. We view PD not as a one-time training event, but a process that occurs before and throughout the implementation stage.

By BA Laris, MPH | March 12, 2015
Research Associate, ETR

In recent years, there has been a major shift in the way we approach HIV treatment and prevention. Research has shown (for example, see Gardner’s 2011 report here; and the AIDS.gov background here) that we will have our greatest impact when we focus on two major steps.

1. Locate individuals at greatest risk for HIV and motivate them to get tested.
2. Connect with individuals who have HIV and provide support for them to start and stay in HIV-related medical treatment.

These are deceptively simple prescriptions. But if you work in HIV care and treatment settings, you know there are a myriad of physical, social and emotional issues that can make it difficult for people to stay engaged in continuous treatment. This challenge is one that our Community Impact Solutions team addresses in our work providing capacity building for community-based organizations. We develop strategies and deliver coaching and support to strengthen HIV programs. Our approaches are both research proven and real-world practical.

By Jessica Lawrence, MS | March 9, 2015
Director, Cairn Guidance

“Young lady, let me tell you something. There are people who take life by the reins and forge full speed ahead, and people who sit back and wait for things to happen to them. I think I know which category you fit into.”

—Citizen in Dayville, OR, June 2013

Two years ago this month I prepared for a goal I had daydreamed about since I was a teen. I completed a bicycle ride across the United States, cycling 4,197 miles solo from the Oregon coast to the Rhode Island shore.

My goal wasn’t only to make it safely to the east coast. I was raising funds for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and I intended to enjoy the ride. I also wanted to model that balance of work and play we all strive for on a daily basis. I scrambled to leave town while sustaining school health contracts, hoping to maintain communication with my clients while on the journey.

And did it work? Yes! This was the most amazing adventure of my life so far.