Elevate Youth Programming: Recent Episodes
Elevate Youth Programming
Elevate Youth Programming is a podcast for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP) programs and other youth-serving agencies. In each episode, we discuss best practices, tips, and strategies to strengthen programming. Each episode will cover a specific topic discussed with experts in the field and will address questions submitted by youth program providers.
The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB). The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB, nor its training and technical assistance contractors, but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming. All of our podcast episodes are available to the public at no cost.
In this episode, we speak with April Kayser from the Multnomah County Health Department, who coordinates Sexual Health Equity for Individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (SHEIDD), or “sheed,” and Nadia Lockheart to elevate a voice of lived experience and learn tips and strategies to advance sexual health equity in working with youth with IDDs. Equity in sexual and reproductive health education and services includes access to comprehensive, high-quality information about sex and sexuality, knowledge about risks and adverse consequences of unprotected sexual activity, access to care, and living in an environment that affirms and promotes sexual health (WHO, n.d.). Youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) are just as likely to be sexually active as their peers who do not have disabilities; however, they are less likely to receive comprehensive sexual education and less likely to report using condoms or prescription contraception at their last sexual encounter (Roden et al., 2020). Youth with IDDs are often at increased risk of (1) high rates of sexual activity at younger ages; (2) teen pregnancy and subsequent early pregnancies; (3) HIV and other sexually transmitted infections; (4) sexual abuse, victimization, or exploitation; and (5) misinformation (Drake et al., 2021). April Kayser has over 15 years of experience working in social services and public health. She is a member of the Multnomah County Health Department Health Education team where she helps promote health equity by facilitating inclusive comprehensive sexuality education opportunities for young people and supporting school and community partners to strengthen capacity to provide culturally responsive and accessible youth sexual health education. Since 2016, she has coordinated the Community & Adolescent Health Program's community capacity building project, (SHEIDD), where she works alongside Community Advisory Group members to advance efforts to support relationship, sexual, and reproductive rights. Nadia Lockheart is a Community Advisory Group member for Multnomah County Health Department’s SHEIDD project where she assists with co-facilitation for their organizational capacity building program, co-facilitating Team Work trainings and as a public speaker in numerous community outreach efforts. The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
In this episode, we speak with Martine Jones and Maria Kelly from Youth Collaboratory to learn tips and strategies to increase program and organizational capacity to support youth at risk for, experiencing, runaway survivors and homelessness. Homelessness is a major social concern in the United States, and youth are most at risk of becoming homeless. Each year, thousands of U.S. youth run away from home, are asked to leave their homes, or become homeless, placing them at risk for becoming involved in the juvenile justice system, engaging in risky behavior, becoming teenage parents, dropping out of school, and falling victim to human trafficking. Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) programming is an opportune place to provide skill building to increase protective factors of youth, increase resiliency, refer youth to resources, and build relationships that foster trust and create a safe space for youth. Martine Jones is a Training and Building Capacity Associate for Youth Justice at the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center (RHYTTAC). She is passionate about holistic practices to approaching the mental health of intersectional youth, inspired by her personal journey through the foster care system. Armed with a profound grasp of child welfare, she channels her expertise to champion the rights and well-being of individuals facing intersecting challenges. As a former foster, her advocacy is a testament to the transformative power of comprehensive mental health support, ensuring that youth not only survive but flourish in their unique journeys. She channels her expertise as technical assistance provider to champion research-informed and evidence-based strategies for prevention, intervention, and aftercare practices for Runaway and Homeless Youth Program grantees. Maria Kelly is a University of Connecticut graduate student earning a Master of Public Policy. Through the University of Connecticut BOLD Women’s Leadership Network, she serves as a Policy Fellow for the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity, and Opportunity and the Office of the Child Advocate. Her passion for child welfare advocacy, policy, and law is fulfilled in her consultant role with Youth Collaboratory Youth Catalyst Team and fellowships with the Jim Casey Foundation and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. She aspires to cultivate her lived expertise and love for learning and community to foster equitable impacts across generations. The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
In this episode we speak with Dr. Stacey Cutbush and Leanne Desselle from RTI International to learn tips and strategies to recognize signs of youth who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing sexual exploitation (SE) or human trafficking (HT) and ways to support youth. Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) providers are in a unique position to build relationships that foster trust and create a safe space for youth to share their life experiences, which may include self-disclosures or signs of SE and HT. PREP programming presents an opportunity to prevent risky situations proactively by providing information and resources to build youths’ life skills (i.e., decision-making, help-seeking behaviors), discussing tactics used by traffickers, emphasizing the importance of seeking help when needed, and reporting suspected instances of SE and HT. Stacey Cutbush, PhD, is social scientist and the director of the Violence Prevention and Harm Reduction Research Program in RTI International’s Justice Practice Area. She has 20 years of experience conducting research and evaluation and providing training and technical assistance. Her expertise spans the fields of violence and victimization, including human trafficking, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, teen dating violence, school-based violence, and mental health. She served as the Principal Investigator for the following National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-funded Trafficking in Persons grants, Measuring Outcomes in Services to Domestic Victims of Human Trafficking: Instrument Development and Testing and Identify, Respond, Prevent: Addressing Human Trafficking among Juvenile Justice– and Child Welfare–Involved Youth. Dr. Cutbush currently serves as the project director for the NIJ-funded Trafficking in Persons grant, Evaluation of the California Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Grant Program and the Office for Victims of Crime–funded Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance project. Dr. Cutbush provides HT training and technical assistance to federal, state, and local agencies. She has also worked in direct service provision as a victim advocate in crisis response, emergency departments, and criminal courts. Leanne McCallum Desselle, MA, is a Research Analyst & Training and Technical Assistance Provider in RTI International’s Justice Practice Area whose work is informed by her experience as a former practitioner, where she managed and implemented multi-disciplinary victim service programs. Her previous roles include acting as a Strategic Projects Manager for the Louisiana Alliance of Children’s Advocacy Centers. She has been a featured expert speaker, trainer, and technical assistance consultant for national organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, the U.S. Office for Victims of Crime, Freedom Network USA, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center, and the HEAL Network. The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
In this episode, Teen Dating Violence and Risky Sexual Behavior, we speak with Dr. Marni Kan from RTI International to learn tips and strategies to increase knowledge of TDV, best practices in addressing TDV in programming, and ways to support youth. Teaching adolescents how to form safe and healthy relationships is a key part of helping them refrain from engaging in risk-taking behaviors and improving their reproductive health outcomes and emotional and social well-being. Teen dating violence, a form of intimate partner violence, affects millions of youth and can set the stage for future unhealthy relationships and impacts that last a lifetime. Personal Responsibility Education Programs (PREP) programming is primed to address teen dating violence through Adulthood Preparation Subjects addressing healthy relationships by helping adolescents recognize characteristics of unhealthy and healthy relationships, establish beliefs that healthy relationships are important and attainable, and develop the skills and knowledge necessary to form healthy relationships, including skills needed to avoid being a perpetrator of violence. PREP programming also builds youth communication, negotiation, and refusal skills and coping skills related to well-being and self-regulation. Dr. Kan is a research psychologist with over 20 years of experience conducting research on promoting healthy relationships and behaviors among adolescents, young adults, and families. Her work focuses on preventing risks within relationships, including violence and risky sexual behavior. Dr. Kan adapts and evaluates teen dating violence prevention programs, sexual violence prevention programs, and programs that promote strong family relationships. Her recent work has involved special populations, including teens who are pregnant or parenting and military service members. Dr. Kan has led and worked on several projects for the Office of Population Affairs, Administration for Children and Families, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Defense. Dr. Kan is the author of numerous articles, presentations, and technical reports on topics including teen dating violence, intimate partner violence, adolescent reproductive health, program evaluation, parent–child relationships, and co-parenting. The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
In this episode, Approaching Youth Mental Health Holistically, we speak with Cherry Yamane and Hannah Rackers from Child Trends to discuss mental health challenges youth face, the landscape of mental health care services, and strengths-based approaches to support youth resilience by creating spaces where youth can thrive. Mental health challenges are increasing in youth, with 1 in 6 youth under the age of 18 experiencing a mental health condition (Whitney & Peterons, 2019). According to Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance data, one in three high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and one in six reported making a suicide plan in the past year (CDC, 2023). The recent U.S. Surgeon General’s report on Protecting Youth Mental Health emphasizes that youth should understand that mental health and well-being are essential components of overall health and that they should learn to recognize, manage, and learn from emotions (Murthy, 2021). Covering factors that may affect mental health outcomes is essential for youth-serving programs because mental health challenges often lead to increased risk-taking behaviors, including sexual risk behaviors. Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) programming provides an opportunity to arm youth with tools that may reduce the potential impact of a mental health condition, including tools to identify changes in well-being and resources to restore well-being such as self-care practices and support across a spectrum of services. Cherry Y.E.W. Yamane, MPH, is a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) scholar-practitioner with over 9 years of experience working with Indigenous communities. Their experience is grounded in land-based, cultural practices, and drawing on ancestral wisdom as a source of healing and thriving. Their scope of public health practice includes mental and behavioral health, substance use, harm-reduction, trauma-informed care, and positive youth development. They are dedicated to the creation of a community-based, culturally driven intervention aimed at addressing mental and behavioral health concerns among Hawaiian youth, adolescents, and families. Hannah Rackers, M.P.H., is a Research Scientist whose work focuses on maternal and youth mental health and well-being. She has experience in psychiatric research, working directly with youth and adults with severe mental illness in case management and care coordination, and supporting program implementation for behavioral health promotion and treatment programs. She uses her skills and experience to support projects and provide training and technical assistance around program implementation, monitoring and evaluation data capacity building, data collection, and quantitative analysis. Her research interests include youth development, reproductive health, mental health, health equity, community health improvement, and systems transformation. The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
In this episode, Youth Substance Use in the Digital Age, we speak with Drs. Andra Wilkinson and Asari Offiong from Child Trends to discuss current trends around availability and access to substances and opportunities to address these concerns within programming. During adolescence, risk-taking is a normative part of development. However, when youth engage in unhealthy risks, it presents challenges for their overall health and well-being. Substance use is a topic of great concern and is connected to sexual health, mental health, and even academic success for youth. It is important for trusted adults to be aware of current trends, perceptions, and realities of how substance use is woven into youth culture today. Dr. Andra Wilkinson has over 15 years of experience in behavioral health research and has advised members of Congress, federal agencies, and two national expert panels on the relationship between substance use and mental health during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. For the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Dr. Wilkinson studied the relationship between childhood maltreatment and later delinquent behaviors, including substance use, and potential protective factors at the personal, family, school, and neighborhood levels. In partnership with various states and districts, Dr. Wilkinson has done a great deal of work on school-based behavioral health care as a potential equitably accessible source of care for adolescents. Dr. Asari Offiong is a Sexual and Reproductive Health Senior Research Scientist with expertise in community-engaged research focused on adolescent health, particularly preventing risky behaviors and promoting well-being among youth from marginalized communities. Dr. Offiong has both research and practice experience that informs her work focused on youth. She served as the project research coordinator for 5 years on a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) study focused on reducing risky behaviors (sexual health and substance use) among Black youth affected by parental substance use in Baltimore. Dr. Offiong is also well-versed in several evidence-based programs, was an inaugural member of the Safe in Harlem coalition funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Drug-Free Community grant, and served as the Youth Advisor for the Safe in Harlem Teen Committee. The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
In this episode, “Sustainability,”, Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Drs. Asari Offiong and Mindy Scott from Child Trends to discuss steps program staff can take to plan for sustainability. Although there is no uniform definition of sustainability, discussions of sustainability often focus on the ability to maintain an intervention or its outcomes after some initial period. Defining sustainability for your program at an early stage is important, so appropriate structures and procedures can be developed to achieve your sustainability goals. These goals should extend beyond continued funding and could focus on other components such as implementation partners, staff training, and community support. In this episode, we discussed components of sustainability and provided examples of frameworks and tools to support sustainability planning. Dr. Offiong is an adolescent health researcher with nearly a decade of experience leading youth development programs and conducting mixed-methods, community-based research in various metropolitan areas across the United States with non-profits, school districts and government agencies. Dr. Scott is an expert on fatherhood and healthy relationships, who leads research and evaluation projects aimed at building the knowledge base around healthy-relationship programming for young people The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
In this episode, “Navigating Staff Turnover,” Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP) grantees Melissa Ballard and Jill Gwilt from Mission West Virginia’s Teaching Health Instead of Nagging Kids (THINK) program to discuss program management and staff retention. Building a team of strong, consistent, youth-centered staff is essential to program implementation. The pandemic has increased challenges in staff recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction with employee turnover organizations have not experienced previously. The issue is compounded by taking longer to fill roles than pre-pandemic because of an expensive and competitive market, lack of clear career progression opportunities, unclear roles and responsibilities, lack of work/life balance, and a perceived lack of support from managers (Harvard Business Review, 2022, July). In this episode we speak with grantee Mission West Virginia to learn tips and strategies to increase staff retention, build organizational capacity, and deliver youth-centered programming. Ms. Ballard is a licensed social worker and serves as Program Manager for THINK. She has more than a decade of experience implementing and managing youth programs, including healthy relationship education, positive youth development, and APP. She manages 11 educators through 2 federal grants and 2 state grants that serve over 13,000 youth a year with full evidence-based curricula. Ms. Gwilt serves as the THINK Director. She is an innovative leader with 14 years of experience implementing and managing youth programs, including healthy relationship education, positive youth development, and APP. She oversees 2 federal grants and 2 state grants that serve over 13,000 youth a year with full evidence-based curricula. The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
In this episode, “Trauma-informed care: Resilience,” Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Drs. Vicki Johnson-Lawrence and Lissette Saavedra from RTI International to discuss the impact of internal and external factors on trauma-informed approaches and youth resilience. APP programs provide youth with timely, evidenced-based information sexual health education and Adulthood Preparation Subjects (APS), delivered using a Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework to enhance program engagement and effectiveness and support and build youth skills and strengths. By incorporating PYD practices across APS, grantees can enhance program recruitment, retention, and youth engagement and improve pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and other risk behavior prevention outcomes for participating youth. In this episode, we discussed steps programmatic staff can take to support youth resilience. Dr. Johnson-Lawrence has led community-engaged, behavioral public health initiatives using evidence-based and trauma-informed practices. Her experience is in the areas of community violence prevention; equity, bias, and trauma as context for community violence and mental health problems; and promotion of healthy relationships and safe environments among youth in community settings. Dr. Saavedra has more than 20 years of experience in delivering trauma-informed care to ethnically diverse adolescents. For over 5 years, she provided technical assistance to schools and communities around recruitment and retention of minoritized youth and infusing trauma informed programming in teen pregnancy prevention. The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB, nor its training and technical assistance contractors, but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
In episode 5, “Community and Interpersonal Violence,” Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Drs. Stacy Sechrist and Stefany Ramos from RTI International to discuss the impact of community and interpersonal violence on youth and APP programming. Creating safe and supportive trauma-informed spaces for all young people is essential in providing youth-centered programming. It is especially important for organizations to think about how to be trauma-informed before they are faced with a situation of supporting young people. When trauma-informed care is a priority, it can help program staff navigate behavioral issues, support youth in positive and developmentally appropriate ways, and allow youth to set a pace for growth that works for them. In this episode, we discussed steps programmatic staff can take to integrate a trauma-informed approach that addresses community and interpersonal violence into implementation, policies, and procedures. Dr. Sechrist specializes in capacity-building assistance to help communities better identify and provide services to marginalized populations, including LGBTQIA2S+ and Black, Indigenous, People of Color victims/survivors of partner violence and human trafficking victims/survivors. She also has expertise in the implementation and evaluation of focused deterrence and other violent crime reduction efforts. Dr. Ramos specializes in school-based mental health, school emergency management, violence prevention programs, resilience after adverse community experiences. Her expertise is safety assessments and response systems, especially in rural school districts and community organizations. The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
In this episode, “Addressing Controversy in Communities,” Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Lashantynia Clayton, Ginger Harris, and Zoe P. Schescke to discuss youth engagement and community misinformation. Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP) provides youth with timely, evidenced-based information proven to delay sexual activity, increase condom and contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reduce pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among youth. Despite data suggesting evidence-based sexual health is a key, effective strategy used to address pregnancy prevention, community controversy and misinformation have impacted APP implementation across the nation. Many programs have experienced disruptions in implementation because of community backlash ranging from reduced access to youth needing services to suspended instructional delivery. In this episode, we spoke with current APP grantees about challenges and successes preventing and addressing misinformation in communities.
In this episode, “Adolescent Health and Sexually Transmitted Infections,” Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Christy Altidor and Jerrica Davis from the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) to discuss sexually transmitted infection (STI)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) trends and tools and resources to advance adolescent sexual health. Despite significant declines in teen pregnancies in the United States, STI rates are increasing, with almost half of new STIs occurring among youth aged 15-24. Disparities exist among youth of color, lower socioeconomic status, and who identify as LGBTQIA2S+ and are exacerbated by discrimination and lack of quality access to care. Comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, evidence-based sexual health education is the best method to increase consistent and correct use of barrier methods and decrease STIs. In this episode, we covered strategies and resources youth serving agencies can use to develop a referral system for adolescent health services and advance adolescent sexual health.
In episode four, "This is a Safe Space: Trauma-Informed Care," Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Drs. Hannah Lantos and Brandon Stratford from Child Trend to discuss creating trauma-informed spaces that are safe and supportive for all young people. It is especially important for practitioners to think about how their organization and program implementation can be trauma-informed. A trauma-informed organizational or programmatic culture can have wide-ranging impacts, even ones that go unrecognized. When trauma-informed care is a priority, it can help program staff navigate behavioral issues; support youth in positive, developmentally appropriate ways; and allow youth to thrive. Listen to learn best practices in creating safe, inclusive, and trauma-informed spaces.
In episode three, "Health Equity," Elevate Youth Programming, sat down with Dr. Asari Offiong and Catherine Schaefer from Child Trend to discuss integrating a health equity perspective into Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP) and other youth-centered programs.
In episode two, “Navigating the New Norm,” Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Kelly Gainor from ETR to discuss engaging students, implementing adaptations with fidelity, and maximizing time with participants in a virtual setting. Although pandemic restrictions are lifting, many organizations find themselves continuing to navigate fully remote or hybrid learning environments. Some have even begun to use virtual programming to expand their reach to youth who might not access programming through traditional formats. However, offering virtual implementation is still challenging, even with 2 years of “the new normal” under our belts. Delivering Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP) programming virtually might bring up challenges in student engagement, concerns about maintaining fidelity, and maximizing time with participants. Although there are many challenges to delivering APP programming virtually, there are also a lot of great resources available to help make the virtual classroom feel a little more like home. Listen to learn techniques and instructional technology that can take your programming to a new level.
In episode one, "Building and Strengthening Partnerships," Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Debbie Herget and Edna Wallace with RTI International's Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Division to discuss strengthening partnerships with schools. Partnering with schools is a practical approach to reaching a large number of youth with quality programming. In fact, schools are the most common implementation setting among Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP) grantees. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional school–community partnerships, which may make it more difficult to implement outside programming in schools. At the same time, schools are being tasked with supporting students at a new level while navigating many requests from external partners eager to serve youth. How can your organization or program stand out? This podcast will cover strategies and concepts for how youth serving organizations can more effectively partner with schools to deliver APP programming. The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB, nor its training and technical assistance contractors, but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.
The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB). The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB, nor its training and technical assistance contractors, but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming. All of our podcast episodes are available to the public at no cost. Please contact us at apptta@rti.org for any questions.