Health Connected

Health Connected’s mission is to help young people feel confident and supported to make informed decisions about their own sexual health. We provide comprehensive, effective sexual health education to more than 7,000 adolescents, families, and teachers on the Peninsula and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area each year.

 

Health Connected began in 1988 at the height of the teen pregnancy epidemic as a coalition of schools, educators, community residents, and health and human service providers to support pregnant and parenting teens. In an effort to have a greater impact on the lives of young people, we have since shifted our focus to pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection prevention by providing comprehensive adolescent sexual health education.

 

We believe that all youth need access to sexual health education. This is not the sex ed of years past when students sit uncomfortably watching a movie about reproductive anatomy and conception. A true understanding of lifelong sexual health requires consistent messages about a wide range of topics - anatomy, conception, communication, gender, personal safety, and decision-making, just to name a few. That's why we work with school districts to ensure that young people receive sexual health education multiple times throughout their adolescent development and provide support to their parents as they too are navigating the complex adolescent experience. 

 

Our programs empower young people with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the complex decisions surrounding sexual health. We aim to reduce negative sexual health outcomes (teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections) and sexual violence (sexual harassment, sexual assault, adolescent relationship abuse), while also helping young people develop an understanding of lifelong sexual health.

 

But we can't do it alone. We need your help to ensure that all students have access to our valuable sexual health education programs. Your gift makes a difference!