Keynotes

This year’s conference will feature exciting keynote addresses by an array of leading voices in the field of sexuality education:  Robie Harris, Christian Thrasher, Amy Kramer, and Peggy Brick.  Ms. Harris is the author of some of the best loved, award-winning children’s reference books on sexuality. Mr. Thrasher is leading national initiatives on promoting sexual health. Ms. Kramer is responsible for developing the lesson plans that accompany MTV’s hit shows “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom”.  And Ms. Brick is leading new initiatives on sexuality education for older adults.

 

 

ROBIE H. HARRIS
It’s STILL Perfectly Normal
Wednesday Evening, December 7

It’s 2011. And many STILL have questions about talking with kids about sexual health such as: What do our young children, kids, and teens STILL need to know about staying healthy? Can a book help? Does today’s cultural and political climate make our task even more difficult?

Robie H. Harris. Photo by Susan Kuklin.

Robie H. Harris is the author of the award-winning and internationally acclaimed books: It’s Perfectly Normal for children 10 and up, It’s So Amazing! for children 7 and up, and It’s Not the Stork for children 4 and up, all illustrated by Michael Emberley. Who Has What? A Book About Girl’s Bodies and Boys’ Bodies for children 2 and 1/2 and up, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Wescott, will be published in September.

 

Christian J. Thrasher

CHRISTIAN J. THRASHER
A Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health Throughout the Lifespan
Thursday Morning, December 8
In 2001, the 16th U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, released A Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior.  This report made three major recommendations: increasing dialogue, promoting effective interventions, and expanding the research base. What has happened since the release of this report? This keynote will examine the history leading up to the Surgeon General’s Call, and what has happened in the 10 years since its release.

Christian J. Thrasher serves as the Associate Director of Operations in the Satcher Health Leadership Institute as well as the Director of the Center of Excellence for Sexual Health at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

   

Amy Kramer

AMY KRAMER
Not Your Mother’s Sex Ed:  Using MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” as a Teaching Tool
Thursday afternoon, December 8
MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” weren’t supposed to be anything more than good entertainment but they have succeeded in ways many public health efforts have not.  This keynote will explore how MTV’s reality TV shows have been successful in getting young people to stop, pay attention, consider, and discuss what happens when someone becomes a parent before they are ready.

 
Amy Kramer is the director of entertainment media and audience strategy at The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. She came to the Campaign in 2007 after more than 15 years as a network news producer and communications and research consultant. 
 
 

Peggy Brick

  PEGGY BRICK

Older, Wiser, Sexually Smarter:  From Ageist Stereotypes to New Expectations
Friday Afternoon, December 9

Ageist stereotypes start early and negatively impact our sexual health and happiness as we grow older. This keynote will challenge the myths and advocate new ways of thinking about sex: from performance to pleasure; from diminished to different; from problems to possibilities.

Peggy Brick, M.Ed., CSE, taught sex ed in high school for 15 years before becoming Director of The Center for Family Life Education at Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey from 1986-1998. Today, she is the President of the Consortium on Sexuality and Aging at Widener University. She has trained thousands of professionals nationwide and her popular manuals promoting a life-span approach include Bodies, Birth and Babies; Positive Images: A New Approach to Contraception Education; and Older, Wiser, Sexually Smarter.