…RISE has been mobilized every day since fall of 2017. RISE provides responsible, inclusive sexuality education for people of all ages, trauma-informed care training, and programming about the wonderful diversity of humanity, and we work with community partners so we all have greater capacity for this work.
You can help either as a volunteer or by donating to fund our work—or both!
Click here to find out more about the work we do, the challenges we face, and the ways you can help.
Read MoreJoin us for Stellar Sex Ed on April 27th at the Johnson City Public Library. Stellar Sex Ed engages adult participants in an expansive exploration of our inner and outer space. Free of judgment, Stellar Sex Ed dismantles stigma and invites honest, compassionate curiosity about bodies, identities, and relationships. Welcome to a new age of sexuality education!
Read MoreSharing our values out loud, RISE collaborated on this Op Ed in the Jan. 19 2022 of the Tennessean newspaper (Nashville).
"Tennesseans need responsible, inclusive, fact-based reproductive health and relationship education. This type of education reduces violence, unintended pregnancy and STI contraction—all of which Tennessee sees at alarmingly high rates."
Read MoreCollective Impact for Emotional and Sexual Health (CIESH) is releasing a survey to examine interactions with service providers after sexual assault to determine how we all can better serve survivors in our community, and how services might be more empowering and trauma-responsive.
Read MoreOver the past 8 weeks Bonnie Sepora, executive director for Friends of Diversty, and Cindi Huss, RISE managing director, have learned from each other about approaches to communication, legislative change, and litigation as they relate to sex ed and LGBTQ+ issues in Botswana and the United States.
Read MoreRISE: Healthy for Life is lucky to have not one, not two, but FIVE students working with us this semester! We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with these passionate, creative, inquisitive students to do meaningful work that will benefit so many folx in our area!
Read MoreAs a result of Sex Ed on the Hill, six additional members of Congress have already announced their co-sponsorship of REAHYA (Real Education and Access to Healthy Youth Act of 2021): Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan, Rep. David Price, Rep. Cynthia Axne, and Rep. Lori Trahan. RISE’s own Cindi Huss led the meeting with Rep. Price’s staffer.
Read More“Assertiveness can help people express themselves effectively and stand up for their point of view—while also respecting the rights and beliefs of others. Being assertive can also help boost one 's self-esteem and earn others' respect.”
Join Bonnie Sepora, U.S. State Department Community Solutions Program Fellow from Gaborone, Botswana, for a free workshop for professionals in all fields who seek positive cultural change and want to be assertive changemakers.
Read MoreRISE is thrilled to host Bonnie Sepora, a Community Solutions Program Fellow, for an 8-week virtual practicum. Bonnie is a lecturer at the Institute of Development Management and a community organizer focusing on LGBTQ+ advocacy in Gaborone, Botswana.
Read MoreWe make the most of your money. To be part of this life-saving work, please make a generous (that’s relative term—no pressure) donation to RISE’s “A Community Thrives” crowdfunding campaign before noon on Friday, Aug. 13.
If you miss the cut-off, no worries. You can make a donation any time through the donate button on our facebook page or on our website.
Read MorePlease support RISE as it continues to privide and promote responsible, inclusive sexuality education as well as create a more compassionate, trauma-informed culture. Donations of any size are wonderful, and please be as generous as you can. And thank you! Open to see all the plates we’re spinning currently!
Read MoreYes, we are shamelessly using an athletic dog to get your attention. RISE: Healthy for Life is striving to raise $5,000 or more during “A Community Thrives,” a fundraising event sponsored by the Gannett Foundation. The event runs from Noon July 19 to Noon August 13, 2021.
Read MoreDue to soggy ground, the Social Innovation Grant presentations for United Way of East Tennessee Highlands have been postponed to Tuesday June 8, still at the Goulding Amphitheater, still 6-8 p.m.
Read MoreRISE applied for a new Social Innovation Fund grant from United Wat of East TN Highlands to support, Collective Impact for Emotional and Sexual Health—and made it to the finals!!! Join us at the live finale at Winged Deer Park and vote for our program!
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