Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Advocates for Youth is delighted to offer a comprehensive training menu to support teachers and community-based educators in developing the comfort, knowledge and core skills needed to implement the 3Rs curriculum effectively. You will also find skills-based trainings that will help to build more confident and prepared sexual health educators no matter what curriculum they chose to use. Our goal is to help prepare educators to provide consistent high quality sex education that young people deserve.
Training Opportunities
Click on the tiles below to register for a training!
*Full descriptions of each training and the dates they are being offered are listed below!
Virtual Professional Development
Virtual Avatar PD is a simulated environment where health education professionals, including school nurses, can practice with youth avatars using short scenarios and support from an instructional coach, so they can quickly learn and master the skills they need to be effective. With upper and lower elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, an office setting to meet with a concerned parent, and a school nurse’s office, Virtual PD offers 1-hour scenarios for health professionals in school settings across a wide range of topics. Sessions are currently available from now until the end of June 2026!
Description of Trainings
*denotes PREP Priority Topic
*Puberty & Anatomy, March 3 @ 3:30-5:00 PM EST
All students have questions about puberty, how their bodies work, and growing up. This workshop will help school professionals master the content expectations in the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (CHPE) Framework addressing puberty and reproductive anatomy and learn new skills and strategies to make their lessons engaging and student-centered. Participants will practice responding to sample questions from students across a range of grade levels.
*Healthy Decision-Making about STIs and Testing, March 17 @ 3:30-5:00 PM EST
Most high school students in MA have not had physically intimate relationships, yet helping them make healthy decisions now and into their futures is a priority. This workshop will help school professionals understand how to best support students in making decisions about safeguarding their health including delaying intercourse and learning the landscape of contraception. Since Opill, a birth control pill, is now available over-the-counter, this workshop will ensure educators have mastery of the latest information to best prepare their students.
*Consent: Understanding Massachusetts State Laws, March 24 @ 3:30-5:00 PM EST
This workshop will help school professionals understand the laws in MA that protect students against sexual exploitation, particularly as it relates to the age of consent, sexting, and sexploitation. By providing information about the legal landscape, practice answering student questions and sample activities, this workshop will equip educators with the knowledge and skills they need to help keep students safe.
3Rs Scope & Sequencing Training, April 7-9 @ 3:30-5:00 PM EST Daily
Rights, Respect, Responsibility(3Rs) is a free K-12, LGBTQ-affirming sex education curriculum created by Advocates for Youth. In 2024, Advocates created a version specifically tailored to meet the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (CHPE) Framework. This workshop series will familiarize school professionals with the 3Rs curriculum, its philosophical underpinnings, lesson architecture, and recommendations for sequencing lessons across grade levels.
Partnering with Families on Conversations about Gender Identity in Schools, April 14 @ 3:30-5:00 PM EST
According to the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (CHPE) Framework passed in 2023, MA schools are expected to “discuss how to foster empathy, inclusiveness, and respect around issues related to sexuality, gender expression, and gender identity.” Since all students deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and attend safe schools where their identities can be affirmed, this workshop will help school professionals increase their understanding of the concepts related to gender identity and learn specific strategies to partner with families to help all students thrive.
*Understanding Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation, April 28 @ 3:30-5:00 PM EST
The expectation in the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (CHPE) Framework is to define gender identity and sexual orientation and teach students how to treat others with dignity and respect. This workshop will concretize these distinct, yet related concepts and help school professionals learn ways to both address them in their lessons and weave them throughout their materials to ensure all students feel safe and supported at school.
*Healthy Relationships, May 7 @ 3:30-5:00 PM EST
All young people deserve to have healthy relationships with their families, friends, and romantic partners. This workshop will ensure school professionals have the tools and resources to provide effective instruction on these topics. Aligned with the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (CHPE) Framework, this engaging workshop will showcase a variety of lesson ideas to enable students to think critically and adopt new strategies around communication, trust, and respect in all of their relationships.
*Healthy Decision-Making about Unintended Pregnancy and Prevention, May 12 @ 3:30-5:00 PM EST
While rates of unintended pregnancy are at a record-low, unfortunately rates of sexually transmitted infections continue to climb. In order for students to make healthy decisions, they need school professionals to provide instruction based on the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (CHPE) Framework that will enable them to access critical knowledge and skills to safeguard their health. This workshop will help educators understand the latest medical landscape about STI trends, testing, and treatment for the betterment of student health and well-being.