The Adolescent Sexual Health Work Group promotes and protects the sexual and reproductive health of youth in California.

A collaborative of governmental and non-governmental organizations, ASHWG is comprised of program managers from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Department of Education (CDE), and key non-governmental organizations (NGO).

  • Values

    Human rights and youth rights

    Positive youth development

    Decreasing disparities/increasing equity

    Engaging those most impacted

    Inclusive of populations and partners

    Data driven decisions

    Respect and dignity for people impacted

    Removing stigma

    Connectivity of ASRH to broader health

  • Goals

    Identify and articulate the gaps, needs, and opportunities in adolescent sexual health education and services.

    Improve the quality and effectiveness of providers of sexual health education and services.

    Raise awareness about adolescent sexual health needs and services to a broad range of stakeholders.

  • Objectives

    Identify and amplify the youth voice (opportunities for engagement) to reflect current sexual health needs, especially among youth of color and youth who are LGBTQ, out of school, homeless, or in the foster care system.

    Share info on gaps and best practices on sexual health education and services to provide to partners and policymakers.

    Provide policy updates and issue briefs to inform membership and key stakeholders about priority adolescent sexual health topics and issues.

    Establish a clearinghouse of research and data on the value of investing in comprehensive sexual health education.

    Establish and promote standards for the provision of sexual health education and services such as, core competencies, toolkits, and standards of practice.

    Provide a central place for well-vetted training and content resources for providers implementing comprehensive sexual health education in California schools.

    Review sexual health curricula for adherence to legal requirements on a regular basis in collaboration with state agency partners and disseminate results.

    Establish systems to ensure members are informed about ASHWG resources and messages

    Establish an external communications strategy to promote and share the work of ASHWG

Subcommittees

Data & Evaluation

  • Develop and disseminate data products that include ASRH outcomes and key related indicator data (e.g., resiliency, assets, behavioral risk data, school drop-out rates) at the statewide and local health jurisdiction level.

  • Develop and disseminate resource guides for surveillance and evaluation that includes core ASRH indicators (one set for population-based surveillance and one set for program evaluation) and information on CA surveys.

  • Develop and implement an outreach plan to engage key stakeholders in the use of ASRH and related data.

  • Use available data sources to evaluate the use of data products and resources.

Policy

  • Strategic use of data to advance ASHWG goals.

  • Act as ambassadors within the agencies to educate about how policies do/don’t meet ASHWG priorities, and inform bill analyses.

  • Create internal program policies with input of broader ASHWG group and stakeholders.

  • Educate policy makers and other decision makers about ASHWG priorities.

Communications

  • Develop an external communications plan that incorporates platforms, key messages, and appropriate strategies for communicating with members and stakeholders.

  • Update and maintain the ASHWG website to ensure that content and resources are accurate, updated, and helpful for priority audiences.

  • Support the Steering Committee with internal and external communications including membership engagement and media responses.

Partners