Dr. Katie Clonan-Roy, Assistant Professor in the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education (Levin) Department of Curriculum and Foundations, together with Dr. Elizabeth Goncy, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, received a 2-year $49,904 grant from the Spencer Foundation for their project titled "Examining Intersections of Educational and Health Equity: A Youth Participatory Action Research Study of LGBTQ+ Experiences with Sex Education." This award will be utilized to continue supporting important community-based work undertaken by the THRiVE Research Collaborative in partnership with the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland (‘The Center’).  

For two years, the research team has worked with The Center to develop an affirming sex education curriculum for sexual and gender-diverse youth. The YPAR study will fund youth-designed research projects that investigate themes relevant to how we learn about gender, sexuality, and sexual health. Spencer Foundation funds will also allow youth to develop action plans that promote equitable changes in their schools and communities, related to what the youth find through their research. These findings will be institutionalized into The Center’s programming and the affirming sex education curriculum.