ABOUT SIECUS
ABOUT SIECUS | |
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SIECUS-the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States-has served as the national voice for sexuality education, sexual health, and sexual rights for over 40 years. In 1964, a physician, a lawyer, a sociologist, a family life educator, a clergyman, and a public health educator came together to form a new organization dedicated to assuring that all people had access to information about sexuality. In the four decades that have followed, SIECUS has been at the forefront of efforts to promote sexuality education for people of all ages, protect sexual rights, and expand access to sexual health services. SIECUS believes that sexuality is a natural and healthy part of life and that all people have the right to the information, skills, and services they need to make responsible sexual decisions. What Does SIECUS Do? Since our founding, SIECUS has helped millions of people understand, embrace, and respect their sexuality through our work with educators, health-care providers, parents, journalists, policymakers, religious leaders, community members, and young people. This tradition continues today:
What does SIECUS believe? SIECUS believes that comprehensive school-based sexuality education that is appropriate to students' age, developmental level, and cultural background should be an important part of the education program at every grade. A comprehensive sexuality education program will respect the diversity of values and beliefs represented in the community and will complement and augment the sexuality education children receive from their families, religious and community groups, and health care professionals. Because child development involves sexuality, all pre-kindergarten through twelfth-grade teachers should complete at least one course in human sexuality. Since its inception, SIECUS has examined many major sexuality issues confronting society. SIECUS has adopted position statements on the topics such as sexuality and religion, sexuality and the media, sexual orientation, gender equality and equity, sexuality of persons with disabilities, and HIV/AIDS. You can view these position statements on our website at http://www.siecus.org/about/abou0001.html or call 212/819-9770 to request a copy. How Can SIECUS Help Advocates? SIECUS' creates numerous resources that can help advocates learn more about issues related to sexuality and sexuality education. The following list contains just a few of the many resources SIECUS has to offer. Visit our website at www.siecus.org for a more complete explanation of SIECUS' resources and services. WEBSITE: WWW.SIECUS.ORG SIECUS' website contains more than 1,000 pages of information on sexuality-related issues. This includes information for families, health-care providers, school health professionals, state and local advocates, journalists, policymakers, and international colleagues. The website also includes links to hundreds of other informative sites. MARY S. CALDERONE LIBRARY SIECUS' Mary S. Calderone Library, housed in our New York offices, is one of few sexuality-specific collections of materials and resources in the United States. The library contains more than 20,000 books, journals, and curricula, and is open to the public. Call 212/819-9770 for an appointment or email your questions to siecus@siecus.org. THE GUIDELINES SIECUS first published Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Kindergarten - 12th Grade in 1991. Developed by a national task force of leading education, medical, and youth professionals, the Guidelines provide a framework to help professionals create a new sexuality education program or evaluate and improve existing programs. The Third Edition of the Guidelines was recently published and is available for download from our website at http://www.siecus.org/pubs/guidelines/guidelines.pdf. SIECUS published Guia Para Una Educacion Sexual Integral Para la Juventud Hispana/Latina: Kindergarten - Grado 12, a Spanish adaptation of SIECUS' Guidelines, in 1995. Developed by the Hispanic/Latino Adaptation Task Force, the Guia was translated and adapted to reflect the cultural values and heritage of Hispanic/Latino individuals in the United States. This publication can be downloaded free of charge in Spanish and English from our website at http://www.siecus.org/pubs/Hispanic-Latino_Guidelines_spanish.pdf and http://www.siecus.org/pubs/Hispanic-Latino_Guidelines.pdf. FAMILIES ARE TALKING SIECUS' Family Project is designed to encourage families to talk about sexuality issues. As part of the project, SIECUS created http://www.familiesaretalking.org, a website with information for parents/caregivers and their children. STATE AND COMMUNITY ADVOCACY PROJECT SIECUS' State and Community Advocacy Project is dedicated to helping individuals, organizations, and coalitions advance comprehensive sexuality education in their state or community. Project staff are available by phone or e-mail to help you start your advocacy efforts, build community support, or respond to a brewing controversy. We are happy to provide information, expertise, guidance, and advice. Please call us at 212/819-9770 or e-mail us at siecus@siecus.org. How Can I Contact SIECUS?
SIECUS is supported by individual contributions, foundation grants, and a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). |
copyright © 2005, SIECUS