Sexuality education often fails LGBTQIA2S+ students*, few of whom report ever receiving inclusive education at school. Yet sexuality education classrooms have the potential to be safe, affirming, and inclusive spaces if educators receive training to develop inclusion skills.
Enter SkillFlix for Educators, a streaming video training platform created to improve educators’ skills in facilitating sexuality education to youth, regardless of the curriculum. Developed by social science R&D firm dfusion inc. (Scotts Valley, CA), Skillflix for Educators offers short training videos filmed on a simulated classroom set using professional actors and film crew.
In a newly published article for Health Promotion Practice, the dfusion research team notes that the goal of inclusivity informed all aspects of the video shoot, from drafting of scripts, scenes and characters to the actors hired and the props used on set. The article explores several lessons learned about inclusivity during their formative research and video production efforts. Important insights came from both LGBTQIA2S+ expert advisors to the project as well as LGBTQIA2S+ actors and production staff hired for the videos. Three key lessons are described:
SkillFlix for Educators is currently being evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. The Skillflix for Educators project (9/30/2020 to 08/31/2023) is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Grant Number: 1R44HD102288-01A1.
For more information about this article, see: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15248399221139300
*LGBTQIA2S+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit with the + indicating other identities not listed.
Citation:
Barrett M, Laris BA, Firpo-Triplett R, Kuhn T. Using LGBTQIA2S+ Inclusive Practices When Filming Sex Education Training Videos: Lessons Learned. Health Promotion Practice. 2022;0(0). doi:10.1177/15248399221139300b.
About the authors:
Mia Barrett, M.Ed. is a Project Director at dfusion Inc in Scotts Valley, CA
B.A. Laris, MPH is a Senior Project Manager at dfusion Inc in Scotts Valley, CA
Regina Firpo-Triplett, MPH, MCHES is the Chief Executive Officer at dfusion Inc in Scotts Valley, CA
Tamara Kuhn, MA is the Vice President at dfusion Inc in Scotts Valley, CA
Health Promotion Practice
Randomized controlled/clinical trial
People
Using LGBTQIA2S+ Inclusive Practices When Filming Sex Education Training Videos: Lessons Learned.
29-Nov-2022