Dr. Elizabeth Schroeder
became executive director of Answer, sex ed honestly based out of Rutgers University, in September 2008, after a ten-year relationship with the organization. An internationally recognized trainer, she has trained thousands of youth-serving professionals, adolescents and parents in the United States and overseas, has presented at numerous national conferences and written extensively about sexuality and relationship issues. Dr. Schroeder has an extensive knowledge of sexuality education programs, policies and politics; national and international connections with key organizations and individuals; and a passion for Answer’s work in comprehensive sexuality education.

 

2009 FutureNet Conference
Gender Matters in
Adolescent Sexual Health

October 15, 2009 •  8:00AM - 4:00PM
Olmsted Center at Drake University
Second Floor - Des Moines, Iowa

DOWNLOAD CONFERENCE
SCHEDULE AND DETAILS HERE>>

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2009 Conference Registration

$70 - Early Bird Registration by September 25.
$80 - Registration after Friday, September 25.
$25 - Student Price, must present a Student ID.


REGISTER ONLINE NOW >>
Register online with a Visa, MasterCard,
Discover, and American Express:

To register through the mail with a check:
DOWNLOAD PDF FORM HERE >>

Exhibitor Registration

The exhibitor fee is $70.00
Which includes one complimentary registration, one 6 ft. table and lunch at the conference. If an additional person will assist in staffing the exhibit, please submit a separate conference registration for their attendance.

Please return the exhibitor registration form with payment no later than Friday, September 18.

DOWNLOAD EXHIBITOR INFORMATION & REGISTRATION FORM HERE>>

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Keynote

Brave New World: Teaching about Love, Dating and Communication to 21st Century Teens
With Dr. Elizabeth Schroeder

One of the key questions adolescents need to answer for themselves during this volatile time in their lives is, “Who Am I?” The answer is formed by a combination of factors, including their brain development, the input of their peer group, and the process of sorting through the values they’ve learned from family and others and determining what they will embrace moving forward. Accompanying the question, “Who Am I?”, is “Am I ready to be in a relationship?” and, if yes, “What do I want from that relationship?” Adolescents and teens are still learning how to navigate friendships while now needing to translate those skills into managing romantic and, eventually for some youth, sexual relationships. And all of this is being done in the digital age where interpersonal interactions are being replaced by technology. We must change the way we teach relationship skills to young people if we want them to establish and maintain healthy relationships, both now and in the future.

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Plenary Session

Straightlaced — How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up
takes a powerful and intimate look at how popular pressures around gender and sexuality are shaping the lives of American teens. The film proudly showcases the diverse and unscripted voices of more than 50 youth from a wide range of high schools, who speak with breathtaking honesty, insight, and humor about gender roles and their struggles to be who they really are. From girls confronting popular messages about culture and body image to boys who are sexually active just to prove they aren’t gay, the students in Straightlaced illustrate the toll that deeply held stereotypes and rigid gender policing have on all of our lives. Their courageous stories also model the possibility of dialogue and action, offering both teens and adults a way out of anxiety, fear, and violence and toward a more inclusive, empowering society.

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Accommodations

Holiday Inn Express at Drake
1140 24th Street
Des Moines, IA 50311


The block of rooms is held under FutureNet.The special rate is $84.00 a night plus 12% tax if booked before September 22, 2009.

To make a reservation or if you any questions, feel free to contact the Holiday Inn Express at Drake at 515-255-4000 or email dsmiahiexp@aol.com

Please make your reservations as soon as possible. The rate will be valid as long as the hotel has rooms available, up to and including September 22, 2009.

Book Your Room Here!

 


   
 

 

Morning Workshops

Using "Partner" is Not Enough: Teaching About Sexual Orientation Accurately and Effectively
Dr. Elizabeth Schroeder
Executive Director, Answer

This workshop will teach participants about the fundamentals of sexual orientation and how to be more inclusive in any educational environment. The first part of the workshop will provide basic information about sexual orientation and dispel common myths. The second part of the workshop will provide concrete methods for teaching about sexual orientation directly with young people.

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Redefining Fatherhood in the New Millennium
Clarence Jones - Community Outreach Director, Southside Community Health Services/Q Health Connections, Minneapolis, MN and Sam Simmons - Simmons Consulting, Minneapolis, MN

Engaging fathers in a meaningful way continues to be a challenge for practitioners working with young parents. This workshop examines emerging strategies and tools necessary to support fathers that add value to the social and economic resources that currently exist.
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Sistas, Informing, Healing, Living, Empowering (SiHLE) in Iowa: Making it Work
Jean Gallmeyer - Health Educator, Together for Youth, Waterloo and Marcia Sisk - SiHLE Program Facilitator, Together for Youth, Waterloo

SiHLE is a comprehensive curriculum that has proven to be fun, effective and a bit difficult to launch, but we are off! And you can be too. This workshop considers the trials and tribulations of tailoring a big-city program to meet the needs of Iowa youth. If your agency has ever wrestled with concerns about trying to replicate a curriculum with fidelity, this workshop is for you!

Afternoon Workshops

What about the Boys? Teaching about Sexuality Accurately and Effectively with Teen Boys
Dr. Elizabeth Schroeder - Executive Director, Answer

The vast majority of sexuality education curricula and programs are created with the needs of girls in mind. Even if we don't believe it ourselves, the saying “boys will be boys” pervades sexuality education programming. Girls are set up as the sexual gatekeepers and decision-makers. Boys are either set up to be feared or widely ignored. This training will provide the most up-to-date information available about how boys learn, how co-ed sexuality education programming has failed boys and what educators can do to be sure to reach all students and workshop participants.

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Deconstructing Sexual Assault
and the Lifetime Television Movie

Jennifer Morton - Outreach Coordinator, Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa and Stacie O’Connor - Regional Educator, Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa

How can we educate and discuss issues of sexual assault with young women in ways that are not fear based or focused on victim blaming? Can it be done in a way that is fun and empowering? Through the lens of the ever popular and seemingly ubiquitous “Lifetime Movie”, this presentation will provide a fresh way to begin the discussion of sexual assault and help dispel many of the myths surrounding sexual assault and young women.

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Understanding the Differences Between Gender Identity and Expression Among Youth
Ryan K. Sallans - MA, Community Educator, Planned Parenthood of Nebraska and Council Bluffs

This workshop will look at the continuum of sex and gender with particular focus on the youth culture today. Some questions that will be explored are: What does transgender and transsexual mean and how do youth identify? Is sexual orientation related to gender identity? Are youth just going through a phase during their development? The workshop is set up to allow time for a Q & A.