the alliance believes

One of the best strategies to help students graduate and improve their overall well-being is to ensure that they have access to medically accurate, culturally relevant sexual health education, affordable resources and confidential services. Unintended adolescent pregnancy and STI rates can be reduced through youth and family engagement, evidence-based approaches to comprehensive sex ed, and advocacy for affordable and confidential resources and services. Through collaboration and building on the strengths in our communities, we advocate, educate and inspire sustainable change at the local, state and national levels. Our work is informed by a commitment to collaboration and by positive youth development principles and practice.

Alliance members identified the need to engage families and cultivate champions to help make a lasting impact on youth sexual health in Colorado. Our Family Engagement Initiative helps families and communities find ways to make a difference together, through our members, local and national networks, shared learning, resources and tools.

Sex Ed Snapshot Update

Sex Ed Snapshot Update

After the 2007 state sexuality education law (HB07-1292) was adopted, Colorado Youth Matter conducted an informal statewide assessment of local policies, content, delivery, and professional development related to HIV prevention and sexuality education in Colorado schools to determine if the education and policies met the standards of the law.  Concurrently, a statewide coalition – The Healthy Colorado Youth Alliance – was formed to build statewide collaborations and strengthen advocacy efforts in support of the law.  In 2010, new standards for health education were adopted by the Colorado Board of Education, prompting the need to update the assessment to monitor changes in sexuality education programs and policies implemented in schools across the state.

Expose on CO Ab-Only Programs

westwordGirls' brains are like spaghetti, boys' brains are like waffles... boys tuck schoolbooks under their arms at the waist, girls cradle theirs like a baby...boys were made to pursue girls and girls were made to wait to be pursued by boys...we have an entire generation of girls looking for daddy love...you just have to get that viable sperm close to her vagina and she turns on the little Hoover vacuum, because girls are very, very fertile...

— from a video of a 2009 WAIT Training assembly at Loveland High School

Read the full cover article of the Westword here!