Join the Women and Gender Resource Center, Safe Zone, and Tri-FACETS to explore how neurodivergence, gender identity, and society influence who we are and how we see the world. People 18+ of all genders and orientations are welcome to attend this free workshop. Refreshments and notetaking materials will be supplied.
Miss the in-person event? Healthy and Free TN are hosting an online Pregnancy Decriminalization!
When we say "pregnancy criminalization" we are talking about the ways in which people face punishment for the outcomes of their pregnancies, including abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, or live birth.
The goals for the teach-in include:
Define how reproductive justice and abolition work are intertwined
Articulate the danger and harms of pregnancy criminalization
Assess resource availability and gaps for the Tri Cities
Talk about resisting pregnancy criminalization
Build resource hubs for Tri Cities in communities that are typically on the front lines of pregnancy criminalization and are more likely to experience state surveillance during (and after) their pregnancies
When we say "pregnancy criminalization" we are talking about the ways in which people face punishment for the outcomes of their pregnancies, including abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, or live birth.
The goals for the teach-in include:
Define how reproductive justice and abolition work are intertwined
Articulate the danger and harms of pregnancy criminalization
Assess resource availability and gaps for the Tri Cities
Talk about resisting pregnancy criminalization
Build resource hubs for Tri Cities in communities that are typically on the front lines of pregnancy criminalization and are more likely to experience state surveillance during (and after) their pregnancies
The “CSE International Online Forum 2024” focuses on the theme of “Designing Sex Ed for Children” and will feature professional sex educators from Taiwan, the United States, Japan, and Hong Kong, who will share their methods and outcomes in the design of CSE curriculum.
The day after the presidential election can often be full of big emotions. RISE wants to hold space for people to celebrate, cry, take action, and find community. Feeling ready to take action? Come find out how you can get involved in making change for your community’s future! Wanting space to relax after a stressful period? Another room will be dedicated to winding down and crafting!
Have you been struggling to navigate this new world of changing pronouns, new gender identities, and orientation? Or have you struggled to explain these things to family and friends? RISE has got you!!!
Join RISE and the ETSU Women and Gender Resource Center for a program that debunks myths and offers great tools for navigating gender and orientation with kindness and humility.
Join RISE staff members Andrew Lazarov and Cindi Huss for “Facilitating Cultural Humility and Critical Thinking in the Classroom” at East Tennessee State University’s Equity and Inclusion Conference. The session will take place Friday, Sept 27 at 1:15 p.m. in DP Culp Center room 219.
Join shOUT Coalition members Cindi Huss (RISE: Healthy for Life), Caitlin Talley and Mandy Boy (YWCA of NETN/SWVA). and Jess Harmon (Ballad Health’s Department of Population Health) for an interactive presentation titled, “If only I had known…” The session, scheduled on Thursday Sept. 5 from 10-11:15 a.m., takes place in Ballroom A at the Meadowview Conference Center in Kingsport.
This discussion-based program allows participants to explore how we can improve access to sexual and reproductive health education and care for youth in the Appalachian Highlands of NE Tennessee and SW Virginia. Facilitators will set the scene with the state of sex ed in VA and TN and what approaches have been shown to improve public health. Participants will reflect on how access (or lack of access) to accurate information affected them as children, young adults, askable adults, and professionals. Finally, the group will consider how cross-sector efforts (including collective impact) can positively affect public health in our region.
RISE: Healthy for Life transforms culture around bodies and beings from fear-based to fact based, oppression to affirmation. RISE champions and provides resonsibole, inclusive, trauma-responsive sexualtiy education in the greater Tri-Cities area of Northeast Tennessee.
The YWCA of Northeast TN/Southwet VA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Their key areas of focus Include affordable childcare and after-school enrichment, racial justice, support for teen parents, and strengthening family bonds.
Ballad’s Department of Population Health implements and evaluates health improvement programming throughout the Ballad Health service area.
The shOUT Coalition is a collective impact initiative that centers youth needs around sexual and reproductive health and education in the Appalachian Highlands of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. shOUT centers youth voices and best practices and envisions a future where young people in Appalachia are heard, respected, and have all the information and support they need to lead whole, healthy lives. The shOUT Coalition holds virtual roundtables, speaks in the region, and holds an annual cross-sector summit. These efforts are all aimed at creating systems-level change in our region
Join Matthew Gardenhour at the Pride Community Center to explore how neurodivergence, gender identity, and society influence who we are and how we see the world. People 18+ of all genders and orientations are welcome to attend this free workshop. Refreshments and notetaking materials supplied.
Relationships come in many varieties: family, partner, coworker, classmate, teammate, faith community, roommate, etc. And any of these relationships can be more or less healthy. Join us to consider how to nurture healthy relationships and address unhealthy behaviors.
Join us on Aug 3 (8 a.m. to Noon) to make pizza collages and learn about consent at the Kingsport Farmers Market. It is FREE, and there will be SNACKS!!!
This training will prepare facilitators to provide Stellar Sex Ed to high-school youth and adults AND to "stellarize" other curricula so it is more affirming, accessible, and trauma-informed while adhering to local and state restrictions.
Facilitator training will cover curriculum content as well as facilitation best practices and tips for making any sex ed more accessible to all neurotypes. Electronic access to the curriculum for each organization whose trainees effectively complete the course is included. Register Here.
Drag shows, food trucks, resources, & more!!
The greater Tri-Cities TN area has two great Pride events every year and RISE will be at both!
First up is the Pride Education and Community Center’s Rainbow Festival. Let’s celebrate the glorious diversity of humanity and break down barriers to love and happiness!
June 7 is National Donut Day, and doing good never tasted so good!
Now through july 6, when you buy a dozen donuts at this link , RISE receives half!
Just make your purchase online, then pick up your donuts at your local store!
We will watch Under G-d, a short documentary about an interfaith response to the Dobbs Decision, together, then facilitators from RISE: Healthy for Life will lead a discussion on the film and what actions we can take together in our community/state/country.
EXCITING THINGS have happened in the last month, and we will talk about that as well!.
Join the shOUT Coaliton for a conversation among young adults as we explore the needs youth have compared to the education and access they get to sexual and reproductive health education, care, and resources. Registration is required.
Join facilitator Yanik Lazarov for RISE’s third and final workshop in the Identity Outlaw series: “Navigating Trans-ness” When you received your transgender acceptance card in the mail, they didn’t include Transgender for Dummies to explain how to actually navigate hospitals, families, partners, work, coming out, HRT, deadnames, legal rights, health insurance, culture wars. Yanik has you covered, though! sAll that plus free food and a free book when you attend this workshop!
In this class, we will learn about the muscles and structures that make up the pelvic floor for all genders. Participants will learn what the pelvic floor is, why it’s important, and how to support pelvic floor health.
Join facilitator Yanik Lazarov for RISE’s second workshop in the Identity Outlaw series: “Queer Sex Safety.” “Don’t have sex or you will get pregnant and die!” Is a quote you might have heard in a sex education class, or maybe you haven’t had any sex education at all! If you’re curious, want to stay safe, or have no idea what is going on outside of “penis + vagina = sex” then this is the workshop for you.
This series is an 8-week relationship, healthy bodies, and human development education program for Kindergarten-2nd graders.
A mandatory orientation for families and kids will take place Saturday March 2 from 1-3. Classes for kids begin Saturday March 9 and run from 1-3 p.m. Youth will get the most out of the class if they attend all sessions.
The final class, April 27, will involve children AND their adults exploring what the kids have learned and celebrating their participation in the class.
Spots are limited; registration closes Feb. 29 at midnight.
“Coexisting,” a curriculum developed by Mattie Raza, gives survivors access to support and resources they need to connect with others, build resilience, create effective safety plans, and seek the mental and medical healthcare they need to thrive.
Join us for a free facilitator training by Raza and Marissa Kluk that is especially effective for certified peer recovery specialists and others who work with clients at the intersection of domestic violence and substance use disorder.
Preregistration is required.
Sensuality plays an important role in how we feel in our bodies each day! Discover Your Senses is a workshop that is intended to enhance control of your senses through mindfulness practices, such as meditation and journaling.
We are calling a general membership meeting on Wednesday, Feb 7 from 10-11:30 a.m. This will be a Zoom meeting—register to receive the link.
The Appalachian Highlands shOUT Coalition works to transform community systems to better serve the sexual health needs of youth in the Appalachian Highlands of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. The shOUT Coalition centers youth voices and best practices.
If you or your organization serve youth of any age and want to ensure a healthy future free of shame and stigma around relationships, bodies, health, and sexuality, please join us as we work to change culture in our region. Change from within is the most powerful change of all!
Join facilitator Yanik Lazarov for RISE’s first workshop in the Identity Outlaw series: “Gender 101.” Are you feeling unsure of how to navigate all this gender stuff? Why isn’t pink for girls and blue for boys anymore? What’s the deal with folx changing their pronouns every other day? And how do I help others understand this? All that plus free food and a free book when you attend this workshop.
This training will prepare facilitators to provide Stellar Sex Ed to high-school youth and adults AND to "stellarize" other curricula so it is more affirming, accessible, and trauma-informed while adhering to local and state restrictions.
Facilitator training will cover curriculum content as well as facilitation best practices and tips for making any sex ed more accessible to all neurotypes. Electronic access to the curriculum for each organization whose trainees effectively complete the course is included. Register Here.
Youth will learn about the power of language, anatomy, puberty, body image, gender, attraction, bias, consent, relationship dynamics, porn (it is adult entertainment, not youth education), media literacy, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, STIs, and prevention.
Join Jess and Cindi to make vulva ornaments. This is a gift that keeps on giving: Vulvas are great all year round, and each one has a clitoris so the uninitiated have a road map!
This fundraising event is open to people of all genders and for ages 16 and older.
Suggested donation, but pay what you can:
$20 general
$5 student
Can’t come but want to support us anyway? Donate here!
Join facilitator Yanik Lazarov for RISE’s third and final workshop in the Identity Outlaw series: “Navigating Trans-ness” When you received your transgender acceptance card in the mail, they didn’t include Transgender for Dummies to explain how to actually navigate hospitals, families, partners, work, coming out, HRT, deadnames, legal rights, health insurance, culture wars. Yanik has you covered, though! sAll that plus free food and a free book when you attend this workshop!
Have you been struggling to navigate this new world of changing pronouns, new gender identities, and orientation? Or have you struggled to explain these things to family and friends? We’ve got you!!!
Supper provided; childcare provided with preregistration by 5 p.m. on Nov. 9.
There will be no Dress-up Story Time on Sat. Oct. 28—we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause AND we look forward to seeing you at our remaining Story Time events Nov. 4, 11, and 18!
Do you struggle to know how to approach “the talk”? Do you wonder what is the right age to begin talking with your child about sex and sexuality? Are you worried about sharing information that is not age appropriate? We can help calm your anxiety and empower you to be your child’s primary sexuality educator.
