About the Center

Richelle Frabotta class

SESC's Role

The Sexuality Education Studies Center (SESC) at Miami University is unique: It marks us as the first institution in the region to provide critical, service-oriented, scholarly programs in sexual education, supporting students, faculty, staff and the community. SESC uniquely prepares students training for careers in P-12 education, public health, family life education, social work, educational leadership, disability studies, and school psychology in an unparalleled manner. This center collaborates with folks engaged in personal development and adds to contemporary conversations that are happening at national levels. Fostering connections with organizations that value sexual health, wellness, informed decision making, prepared citizens, and equity within our larger communities is a priority.

 EHS Core Values. Embracing Diversity, building community, cultivating, collaboration, thinking critically, advancing social change that encourages social justice, fostering global perspective, creating knowledge, promoting well-being. National Community Local Professional Community, EHS community, MU Community, SESC, teach train mentor research scholarship advocate support collaborate consult connect. Innovation & engagement, critical pedagogy and praxis, prevention and risk reduction

Why SESC Is Important

Americans want Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) instituted in public schools. According to Advocates for Youth, “The public supports a broad sex education curriculum that stresses abstinence as the best way to avoid unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, but that also conveys complete and medically accurate information about contraception and condoms”.

Numerous rigorous studies have determined that Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage (AOUM) programs are ineffective, wasteful, misleading and dangerous. The question seems to be: why are AOUM programs still fiscally sustained by multiple levels of government monies and continually implemented in public schools? Multi-tiered, complex answers sprinkled with politics, patriarchy, and capitalism is the beginning of the conversation.

But perhaps more importantly, SESC asks the questions:  What are we doing about...

  1. boosting Comprehensive Sexuality Education as the informed approach to preparing young folks for a lifespan of sexual health, wellness, and pleasure and
  2. preparing those who want to teach and/or incorporate principles into their work?

What SESC Is Doing

visible and resilient

Visible and Resilient in Community and Self
V&R is a youth informed SOGIE inclusive educational services program working to increase health equity for LGBTQ+ youth who are historically and systemically marginalized. Our multi-generational Prevention Education crew provides evidence-informed:

  • Curricula taught in schools and community (virtual & in-person)
  • Weekly drop-in gatherings for youth (virtual & in-person)
  • Collaborative programs with community partners
  • Workshops and training (virtual & in-person)

We believe in youth-informed and youth-lead efforts. With this principle in mind, V&R has Prevention Education Participants (PEPs) that co-develop and work with us in the weekly drop-in gatherings, collaborative programs with community partners, and workshops and training. Our PEPs are from several high schools, have varying intersectional identities, and offer great perspectives about their experiences in the education system and beyond. We support their voices and value their unique lived experiences.

V&R can be found https://visibleandresilient.org/ and on several social media platforms:
★ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amanda.northcutt.7547
★ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/visibleandresilient/
★ Twitter https://twitter.com/vryouthdayton
★ Tumblr https://visible-and-resilient.tumblr.com/

More Information