Juvenile Justice Sex Educator

Overview

Juvenile Justice Sex Educator

The Juvenile Justice Sex Educator (JJSE) will deliver sex education to youth in the carceral system, embedded in Hennepin and Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Centers 2-3 days per week. The JJSE will deliver evidence-informed curriculum with small groups and meet with students 1:1 for additional education and support. The other half of the week, the educator will visit other settings (schools and community organizations) as a sex education guest speaker, working with youth 4th grade and up, as well as parents and other adults, and will also answer calls and chats on the MN Sexual Health Hotline.

The JJSE will join a large team of sex educators who work in various settings and come together for shared learning and support.

Family Tree Clinic is a leader in sexual and reproductive health care in the Twin Cities and Minnesota. Founded by community activists and volunteers in 1971, our vision is to eliminate health disparities through innovative, personalized sexual health care and education for diverse needs. We work to achieve this vision through providing patient-centered health care services, community education and outreach, and through developing alliances across the state to promote sexual health and freedom in our communities.

The staff at Family Tree is a team of committed, passionate, and smart individuals who work hard and are eager to learn and grow together as we provide services and education to our community.

Commitment to furthering social and reproductive justice: striving for and demonstrating a conscious awareness of cultural markers and lenses related to race, ethnicity, country of origin, religion, family narrative, gender identity, immigration status, gender presentation and expression, sexual orientation and expression, mental and physical ability, size, class, and age; sex positive; striving to center justice lenses in our daily work and long-term goals.

Mission-focused: conveying passion for our mission with an understanding that our work evolves over time and that there are many ways we accomplish our collective goals; supporting a workplace environment that serves our mission.

Collaborative and accountable: being mindful of our differences and striving for self-awareness; accountable to colleagues, patients, clients and community members; acknowledging one’s own mistakes and striving to learn from them; supportive of ongoing learning.

Direct and respectful: being honest and candid in a way that acknowledges the power of our words; assuming the best intentions in difficult conversations; conveying respect for each other and our clients; upholding workplace standards and Family Tree’s mission in all interactions.

Shared responsibilities

• Juvenile Detention Center:
  • Facilitate sex ed programming in the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center (JDC), including small group lessons and 1:1 conversations about relationship skills, communication, pregnancy and pregnancy options, sexual violence, STIs, birth control, gender and sexual orientation. (2-3 days per week)
  • Conduct some cannabis-related education with a non-directive, harm-reduction approach.
  • Help youth access sexual and reproductive health care services and work toward self-defined sexual health goals.
  • Communicate frequently with Lead JJSE to share and strategize about experiences with JDC youth.
  • Design sessions with the lead JJSE to engage youth in creative, nontraditional learning and adapt curricula for students with IEPs. (sometimes)
  • Maintain strong relationships with key staff in correctional facilities and other locations where we meet youth affected by corrections.
  • Involve youth voices at JDC to inform programming choices.
  • Work to support positive changes in the JDC to increase youth wellbeing.

• Classroom and Community Sex
  
  Education:
  
  
  • Facilitate sex ed presentations in schools, primarily puberty education in elementary schools, with middle and high school visits less frequently. (weekly)
  • Facilitate sex ed presentations in other community spaces, such as recovery programs, shelters and transitional housing programs, parent groups, and LGBTQ-specific youth…