Statistics show that trauma is an incredibly common experience. For example, nearly 3 out of 5 Americans have experienced childhood trauma; 1 in 5 Utah kids will be sexually abused; and 1 in 3 women will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. Yet, often our sexual health education does not consider these lived experiences, and instead, sends conflicting, fear-based, or unhelpful messages to our students. In order to do better, we have to be willing to shift our thinking and engage in "brave conversations" among ourselves and with our young people. This session will provide an opportunity to examine the diverse needs of students in Utah, identify stigmatizing and potentially re-traumatizing messages, become familiar with trauma-informed best practices for sexual health education, and practice “brave conversations.” The goal of the session is to provide educators with strategies they can use to make their sex ed unit and classroom more effective, relevant, inclusive, and trauma aware.
Resources:
Conference Presentation
Trauma Informed Presentation Activity Cards
Presenter:
Elizabeth Gerke
Elizabeth Gerke currently works as the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs Coordinator at the Utah Department of Health. She received her bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Communication Disorders. Following graduation, Elizabeth worked for an early intervention government program in inner city Washington, DC. Interacting with preschoolers and their families in this community opened her eyes to the issues of teen pregnancy and intergenerational poverty. In 2009, she moved to Salt Lake City to work in speech and language special services for Granite School District. After working in education and seeing the great need for public health programs, Elizabeth decided to go back to school and received her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Utah in 2013. She has worked in the public health field for the last five years and has expertise in maternal and infant health, adolescent development, and sexual health education. Elizabeth has experience teaching, training, and conducting research and quality improvement projects in a variety of settings, including India.
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