Can I Trust You or Will You Judge Me?

Join young parent leaders Arvoni Johnson, Sando Zou-Capuzzi, and Emma Johnson in a conversation about creating brave, non-judgemental spaces for young people to discuss sexual and reproductive health. In this episode, guests explore how those who support young people can foster an environment of trust and openness where young people feel comfortable asking questions and sharing concerns related to their sexual and reproductive health.

Arvoni Johnson is a dedicated young parent leader from Nebraska with over 15 years of lived experience advocating for the rights of youth in care. Through her advocacy, Arvoni hopes to reduce the harm and injustice systems can create and have more safe, thriving communities where children and youth can truly flourish. She serves as a peer mentor with the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation and believes social connections are important for youth well-being. 

Emma Johnson is a young parent leader from Nebraska dedicated to expanding resources and support for youth and young parents in—and transitioning out of—the foster care system. She works with the Southeast Nebraska Collaborative, an organization focused on building a strong, community-based prevention system. Emma has also partnered with the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation on initiatives that support young people in foster care.

Sando Zou-Capuzzi is a young parent leader from Georgia. Sando is a co-founder of The Metamorphosis Initiative, a peer mentoring program founded by youth with lived experience in foster care in support of youth in care. Sando is passionate about the rights of young fathers in foster care and advocates for the inclusivity of fathers when rallying for systems-level change so that all children, youth, and families can thrive. In addition, Sando believes it is crucial to create education and job opportunities for young parents to help them explore careers and gain financial security to care for themselves and their families.  Sando is an alumnus of Year Up, a job training program, and he is currently earning his associate’s degree in Cybersecurity.

Resources:

1. Activate: A resource for youth-supporting professionals on sexual and reproductive health. 
2. Healthy Teen Network: A nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults. They provide resources, training, and support to promote healthy relationships, and sexual health education, for youth.
3. Ohama Teen Generation (OTG): A group of teen peer adolescent health educators in Ohama, Nebraska.
4. Teen Talk Foster Youth: Teen Talk Foster Youth is a free, virtual, community-based sex ed series specifically for youth in California foster care, coordinated by the Reproductive Health Equity Project.