This year, our conference theme focuses on standing strong and keeping youth at the center. But what does that mean when it comes to sexuality education (“sex ed”) in schools? In a perfect world, students would be full partners in the development and delivery of sex ed, but in reality, schools are not there yet—politically or logistically. While we work toward developing these partnerships, there are things that instructors can do right now without a full overhaul of sex ed. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Set a youth-friendly tone. When you introduce topics related to sex ed, review any ground rules you already have, and ask students what might be important to add or change. Classes often end up adding rules about not disclosing personal information and the need to respect diversity.
2. Check your assumptions. Are you assuming that no one in your class is sexually active? Or that sex they might be having is consensual? Or that none of your students is questioning their gender or sexual identity? Students will pick up on this and might disengage. One way teachers handle this is to explicitly state at the outset what assumptions they will NOT make, and invite students to let them know if topics or discussions seem to be excluding some groups.
3. Help youth explore their own values, not yours. Avoid sharing your personal values during discussions or while answering questions. Instead, ask students to share what they know about different values people might hold, and help them identify trusted adults with whom they can have personal discussions about value-laden topics.
4. Spend more time on the topics that are going to help students the most in the long run. What is more important—that students know the difference between gonorrhea and chlamydia, or that they develop skills to communicate with a partner? One way that teachers have managed to find more time is to assign homework covering basic knowledge, and reserve class time for skill practice.
5. Limit the lecture time and allocate more time to student-led activities such as small group discussions with reporting to the large group, and short individual presentations. Although this takes more time, most teachers will tell you that it’s where the real learning happens.
6. Take every opportunity to ask students how the topics you are covering relate to something that’s happening in their world or in the news. Some teachers use the first and last few minutes of each class session to discuss these connections, keeping their students engaged in learning and learning more about the needs of their students in the process.

There are so many more ways you can make sex ed more youth-centered. What else have you seen work well?