This funding would allow YES! to provide three workshops to parents, guardians, caregivers, and families in the Philadelphia area. These workshops would create a safe, inclusive environment for families to develop knowledge and skills in supporting children and youth around three topics: gender, consent, and body image.

Previously, YES! has facilitated workshops for families that focused on sexual health, consent, gender, and sex positivity. The evaluations and lived experiences of those who participated in the workshop made clear the need of ongoing education to caregivers. For example, one mother said: “The (sex) positive language that you address is profound and powerful... Way beyond my expectations; more time needed!”

Each of these topics has been discussed in previous workshops, but due to limited time and funding, the ability to provide a rich, impactful depth has not been achievable for the facilitators. However, even with the limited time and funding, YES! workshops have been some of the most impactful workshops folks have experienced. After one of our parent workshops, one mother realized she wanted to make a major shift in how she parented her daughter: “How wrong I have been. This is a turning point in parenting my daughter. My job is to support her and celebrate her strength.”

Through the funding of YES!, the facilitators will be able to build on this much needed work to provide more depth and give more space for caregivers to safely self-reflect and grow to support their children. Although parents and caregivers do show much more comfort in talking with their children about sexuality, many do not feel they have the knowledge, skills, or resources to accurately and safely have these conversations (Planned Parenthood, 2020). Through this workshop series, YES! aims to address this through equipping caregivers with the needed knowledge, skills, and resources for talking to youth about these topics.