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b ILLINOIS CAUCUS FOR ADOLESCENT HEALTH
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OLO A C
RING BOOK
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ANNUA
L REPO R T
O I S N S I M S ' ICAH The Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health is a network of empowered youth and allied adults who transform public consciousness and increase the capacity of family, school and healthcare systems to support the sexual health, rights, and identities of Youth. We educate, advocate, and organize for reproductive justice for youth in Illinois.
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We envision a world in which all young adults in Illinois use their power to achieve health and well being in their own lives and for their communities
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Hello ICAH family! It is my distinct honor to share ICAH's Annual Report & Reproductive Justice Coloring Book with you! In this book, you will find the ways we transformed public consciousness and increased the capacity of Family, School, and Healthcare systems to support the sexual health, rights, and identities of youth over the past year. Through education, advocacy, and organizing, ICAH has shifted thousands of hearts and minds about youth sexual decision-making. During this last year, and in partnership with youth & adult allies alike, ICAH has made significant strides in addressing the needs of youth rooted in their direct experiences. To that end, and in response to the national landscape of violence against black and brown bodies, ICAH has become more explicit about the intersections of racial and reproductive justice. As we near the end of our three year strategic plan, moving forward you can expect to see us continue to question the ways race, class, ability, gender, and sexuality impact sexual decisionmaking for young people. Because storytelling is so critical to evoke change, I invite you to interact with this book and share your experiences on the pages that follow. Please also keep up with us on social media and let us know what you'd like to see ICAH do in the future --- we love to hear from you! Tiffany Pryor Executive Director
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will ed port
b OVERHEARD Th is ye ar...
From ICAH YOUTH:
I would have never known that I could buy condoms if I wanted to. I would have never known that I could go to clinics and get free pregnancy tests or anything like that, if I had not been at ICAH.
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From Ellen SadUr, Board Treasurer:
Coming from a foundation background, I was attracted to ICAH for its focus on collaboration, youth identity and leadership. Since joining the Board, I have been blown away both by the quality/ commitment of staff and youth leaders. I am very proud to say I am a part of ICAH.
EDUCATION ICAH's sexuality education is medically accurate, developmentally &
age appropriate, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, and inclusive of youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Youth^ Programming^ (Peer Education &
1,976 728
Performance-Based Education)
total youth educated across youth education opportunities
72
Adult^ Programming^
total adults educated adult education opportunities across which includes our 10-session Adult Ally Training Certification
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Sexuality is not only physical, but also chemical, emotional, intellectual, social and cultural. Young people in Illinois have the right to sexuality education that reflects their questions and needs throughout all of these dimensions of sexuality. Adults who work with/for youth not only need information and resources on the sexual health of young people, but also guidance on how to best support youth around these issues while honoring the rights and identities that youth have.
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Check out our website
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Zines^
2,704
across the state
for more resources!
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ICAH Youth Leaders learn to organize and educate peers and adults in their communities. They lead ICAH's peer education work in
schools and programs, co-facilitate some of our adult professional development, organize in Family, School, and Healthcare systems,
and implement new media. ICAH Peer Educators provide accessible, interactive, and creative workshops to engage in authentic dialogue about sexual health, rights, and identities.
From A YLC YOUTH:
Youth^ Leadership^ Council^ (Ylc^)
Y LC is a group of young leaders, ages
16-22, that work together to engage in
ongoing education, organizing and advocacy activities.
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youth leaders attended biweekly meetings to engage in ongoing education
I can’t say that I was this comfortable talking about sex a few years ago or confident, because a lot of the times, as a teenager, all our concepts or ideas about what we think sex is and how it happens and all that kind of stuff, it comes from a place of assumption and myth. Like, “I heard this” or “I heard that”. But because of ICAH, I think I can kind of be like, “No. I know for a fact.”
Participatory^
Action^ Research^
ICAH youth created and completed 4 Participatory
Action Research Projects on Parental Notification of Abortion, T itle IX for Pregnant & Parenting Youth, Birth Justice, & Youth-Friendly Healthcare
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total in-person interviews were completed across projects
online surveys reached
238
4
total participants
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Head^, Heart^, Hands^ Institute^ ICAH's annual Head, Heart, Hands Institute gathers all ICAH stakeholders for a day of foundational learning around the sexual health, rights, and
identities of youth. It prepares participants for a full year of education, advocacy, and organizing together!
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69
youth leaders participated in a day follow-up institute to prepare them to be school year peer educators for the
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core youth and adult day ICAH stakeholders attended the Head, Heart, Hands Institute
2015
CULTURAL
WORK
ICAH's cultural work aims to improve the climate for policy
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change in Illinois and change perception of youth sexuality and sexual decision-making among ICAH’s key audiences.
For^ Youth^ Inquiry^ (Fyi^) F Y I offers performance-based education that includes participatory plays and
workshops that open the door to safe & engaging conversations about sexual health & sexual violence with youth audiences. All F Y I programs promote pleasurable enjoyment in sexuality education & opportunities to practice for real life.
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alth
THIS YEAR, FYI cr eate d ...
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new plays:
Out of Silence 40 y Forecast 60
a play about abortion stories created in partnership with Advocates for Youth which was performed for people at the Chicago Home
Theater Festival a play about the intersections between racial & reproductive justice, which was performed people at the Museum of for Contemporary Art in Chicago
Make^ / Art^ / Space^
MAKE/ART/SPACE is ICAH's summer program that focuses on creating public art installations to increase community dialogue around Parental Notification of Abortion
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youth leaders public art built installations the Jane Addams Hull House u & the Hyde Park University Church
O RGANIZING ICAH organizes allied adults and youth leaders in Healthcare, School, and Family systems to improve programs, policies, and procedures that impact the sexual health, rights, and identities of youth.
Healthcare^ Network^
T he Healthcare Network is advocating to increase the standard of training &
competency of medical professionals to ensure youth-friendliness in clinics, hospitals, and residency programs.
youth & 10 adults created
healthcare 7 youth-friendly training modules & sold 45 youth-friendly flashcard decks
School^ Network^
T he School Network is advocating for T itle IX compliance to ensure the academic
success of all youth, regardless of sex, gender identity, pregnancy, or parenting status.
youth & adults created School 10 Rights flashcards & distributed of them across 100 the state town halls in the Southern & 2 Western Suburbs with 75 people in attendance
atus.
Family^ Network^
T he Family Network organizes young parents and is advocating to ensure that
ALL families have the rights, resources, and recognition they deserve to thrive throughout the lifespan of birth and parenthood.
young 8 parents, aged 16-24, created a Birth Justice definition focus 3 groups with 20 youth about Birth justice were held across the Chicagoland area
Birth Justice exists when people of all ages & genders and their partners (if applicable) are empowered during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum to make healthy decisions for themselves, their babies, and their families.
“M We My Co
ADVOCACY ICAH's mobilization and advocacy work aims to build our capacity to move stakeholders within Family, School, and Healthcare
systems to take action. We focus our attention on issues that affect the sexual health, rights, and identities of youth.
AdvOcacy^ Day^
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youth traveled to Springfield for ICAH’s annual Advocacy Day to repeal Parental Notification of Abortion & ban Conversion Therapy
performance in the Capitol Building using youth-written song & messaging
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In^-District^ Meetings^
is your legisla tor ? Who
Meeting with your legislators is a
powerful advocacy tool!
Do you know who your legislators are?
State Representative: State Senator: US Congressional District and Representative: If you don’t know, you can find out here: http://tiny.cc/icahadvocacy
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youth completed in-district meetings with their legislators
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acy apy
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“My youth leaders can't you see? “Legislators can't you see? We deserve to be happy PNA is bad for me My voice, my choice, my family Give us a choice with our bodies Come along and sing with me” We need to have our privacy”
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“Legislators can't you see? I need support to be free I'll make the choice that's best for me Be safe, affirmed, and healthy”
In May of 2015, the Illinois General Assembly passed “The Youth Mental Health Protection Act” which banned Conversion Therapy in Illinois. Governor Rauner signed the bill into law in August 2015! This dangerous practice is now banned in Illinois, protecting our LGBTQQIA young people!
RACIAL JUSTICE/
E C I T S U J E IV T C U D O R P E R When we ask youth about the challenges they face on a daily basis, their first response is usually "violence." We have all witnessed how violence,
brutality, and incarceration are driven by centuries of racial inequality. Together, we have mourned the deaths of youth of color around this nation, even as we recognize that many, many more deaths and injustices have gone unnoticed.
After years of working in partnership with youth, ICAH is in a crucial position to hold conversations at the intersections of racial and reproductive justice. We've started internally and can't wait to grow this piece of our work!
COM MUNICATIONS Website^
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We launched a new Wordpress site this year!
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38,807 67% Pageviews
Facebook^
38.4% 302k 48k 12,068 T^witter^
27.4% 8451 3x
ED TRANSITION
NEW BOARD MEMBERS & ADULT ALLIES ICAH relies on a strong network of support to sustain our work. We do so by engaging adult allies across the state to amplify the sexual health, rights, and identities of youth.
FRom Nzinga West, Board Chair:
In 2011, I was introduced to ICAH while working at the Springfield Urban League, Inc. and our agencies had the opportunity to partner. As the chair of ICAH’s Board of Directors, I am proud to be part of an agency whose key focus is ensuring that youth and young adults’ are acknowledged and nurtured in a way that allows, sometimes forces, their voices to heard and valued in conversations, movements, and legislation that would dictate their rights, their identities, their health, and ultimately, their happiness.
FY15 FINANCIALS
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Expenses: $1,009,581 10.44% - Advocacy 53.64% - Education & Youth Development 15.34% - Organizing 8.77% - General Operating 11.84% - Fundraising
Income: $1,192,435 57% - Foundations 36% - Government 2% - Individuals 4% - Earned Income 1% - Other
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Gaylon Alcaraz Beth Catlett Tigee Hill
Barbara Kaplan Samantha Loo Josephine Nakhla
Twinet Parmer Ellen Sadur Karen Scott
FRom KAMI Woods, An ICAH Alum:
What I value most from the experience was the feeling of learning together. The young people at ICAH are constantly engaging with new and old information in a space where they are encouraged to grow individually and as a unit. ICAH recognizes that not everyone comes into the space with the same background knowledge--even if I felt lost, I never felt left behind. ICAH cultivates a space where questions and growth are celebrated, not shamed.
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Brinson Foundation Chicago Foundation for Women The Crown Family The Ford Foundation Irving Harris Foundation Polk Bros Foundation Groundswell/ Tides Chicago Public Schools The Woods Fund Target
University of Chicago Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health
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VIDUAL DONORS ( >$ 250)
Gaylon Alcaraz Beth Catlett Alice Cottingham Melissa Gilliam Catherine Kallal Barbara Kaplan George Lehner Christine Riddiough Janice Rodgers Ellen Sadur Karen Scott Gail Stern Craig Zaleski
YOU CAN DONATE NOW AT WWW.ICAH.ORG/DONATE/
llinois Caucus for Adolescent Health Email: info@icah.org Website: www.icah.org
Phone: (312) 427-4460 Fax: (312) 427-0757
Facebook: Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health Twitter: @ICAH Instagram: @icahgram