THE BIG QUESTION

WHY SEX ED for teens?

Healthy teens are essential to the well-being of every community. While sensitive and often difficult to discuss, sexual health is an important part of the overall health and well-being of young people.

Educating young people about age-appropriate sexual health topics is critical because such education helps ensure that they are able to prevent unintended teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) today. It also prepares youth for a lifetime of reproductive health and family planning, the avoidance of STIs, and healthy relationships, including consent and boundary setting.

In fact, the opposite is true: numerous federally-funded studies have shown that, as compared to peers who participate in abstinence-only programs, students who receive comprehensive sex education are more likely to delay sexual activity and to use condoms and have fewer partners when they do become sexually active.

THE BIG QUESTION

WHY SEX ED for Older Adults?

Healthy adults are also essential to the well-being of every community.

With medical and overall health advancements, people are living longer and more sexually active lives. Much has changed, however, since older adults may have received sexual health education (if they did at all).

Sexuality is very often overlooked as a topic of conversation with older adults especially when preventing pregnancy is no longer a concern. Now that adults are living longer and have other various factors such as divorces, and sexual enhancement drugs, the likelihood is increased for a longer sex life that occurs well into the later years of the lifespan. And yet, older adults are experiencing high rates of STDs and HIV, and are less likely to know about ways to prevent and recognize disease. Visit here to see what research is showing about the sexual health of older adults.

It is crucial, in fact, life-changing, for persons who work with, live with, and care for older adults to become comfortable with discussing sexual health with them as well as help provide a space for healthy, consensual relationships to occur.

Sex education is essential across the lifespan. EOI has long recognized the need for this type of education and is excited to be working closely with retirement communities to educate and support staff in learning how to be comfortable in discussing older adult sexuality. For more information, visit here.

NEW

ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Join EOI as a member today! As a part of our dynamic community of sexual health educators, you’ll get exclusive access to all of EOI’s unique resources for youth-serving professionals, including our online and in-person trainings, on-demand one-on-one consultation with our expert staff, regular networking opportunities, and more!

NEW

EYES OPEN ACADEMY

Welcome to the Eyes Open Academy, our new online training school that provides you with on-demand access to EOI’s curricula and skills-building trainings. The Academy is intended to help you become the most effective, knowledgeable sexual health educator you can be!

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Your donation to EyesOpenIowa today will help give young people the information and skills they need to make healthy and informed choices by delaying sex until they are ready, using protection when they do engage in sexual activity, and preventing sexual assault and abuse. We would welcome your support!

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