Population Council Research that makes a difference

what people are saying

"It’s All One Curriculum is unique in its ability to focus attention on the real world in which young people live their lives. Without doubt It's All One will come as an inspirational guideline for us . . . as we use a participatory approach to address sensitive issues such as condom use, early marriage, and gender-based violence."

—Deborah Nandja, UNFPA/Mozambique

"I was fortunate and honored to have an opportunity to present a series of courses to a unique group of older teens. All of the teens' families are part of a fundamentalist religious community that practices polygamy (a more respectful term is "plural marriages"), and I was asked to discuss healthy relationships with them . . . With It's All One Curriculum, I was able to approach the subject with greater sensitivity and cultural competency. Specifically, we were able to look at a range of behaviors and assess the level of coercion in each scenario (an activity I adapted directly from IAO); the youth became very engaged in the process of unpacking coercion. Ultimately, the youth began a discussion of faith-based coercion and gender roles; I believe that discussion was possible because the format of the lesson allowed for a diversity of cultural experiences and backgrounds, but still provided necessary information and training to empower individuals to examine their lives and choices."

—Nicole Lee, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah

"Your curriculum has been a fantastic resource [for] curriculum development . . . in my sexual health program for young men."

—Blake Spence, Calgary Sexual Health Center, Canada

"Students have enjoyed the stories and we have used the anecdotes to spring board into larger discussions about gender, gender roles, human rights, and empowerment.  I knew that my female students would enjoy these discussions. What surprised me was that my male students were equally as interested!"

—Darlene Haezaert-Caraveo, a teacher from Marina del Rey Middle School, Los Angeles, California

"We have [used It's All One] . . . with the Ministry of Education in reviewing the national curriculum with the purpose of adapting CSE into it. We are proud of this publication."

—Dr. Var Chivorn, The Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia (RHAC)

"I love the international settings (names and places) for some of the lessons. It helps young people to know that the same issues affect their peers in Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, etc. The gender activities drive home the notion that inequality begins with their own thinking and references and that these attitudes will not change unless their own thinking changes.  It is helpful to have activities that involve thinking about future lifestyle choices."

—Taba Aleem, Planned Parenthood Northeast Ohio

"Beautiful design."

—Tinatin Japaridze, Women's Initiatives Supporting Group (WISG) in Republic of Georgia

"No other existing material in sex ed addresses gender roles correctly and effectively as It's All One."

—Magaly Marques, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles

"So clearly written . . . love how in-depth gender and sexuality units are."

—Pam Blackman, The Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society (ARCSHS)

"We provided a training last fall for about 20 teachers and gave them all a copy. The feedback has been great. [Our] teachers like it, they say that it engages students and starts great conversations."

—Rosalia Lopez, San Francisco Unified School District

"The activities that are included and the "think about" sessions enhance the critical thinking skills and are user friendly . . . Thank you for the development of such tools."

—Musoke Noah, Volunteers for Development Association in Uganda (VODA Uganda)

"Specifically, the MAP curriculum utilizes lessons and activities adapted from It's All One. One example is the 'power, privilege, & equality' lesson from Unit 1 of the It's All One curriculum. MAP implemented a slight adaptation of this lesson to create the groundwork for further conversations on justice issues. The youth reported the lesson to be very engaging. Staff report that the lesson was successful in giving youth a framework and language for their own experiences, and helped them to verbalize issues of power dynamics throughout the course of the program."

—Jennifer Glick, Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies, Media Advocates for Prevention

"[It’s All One] covers all issues under one umbrella. It is very vital for every school to have it."

—Mantombi Nala-Preusker, The University of South Africa

"The Introduction to Human Rights, and Power, Privilege and Equality (pg. 22–31) was . . . implemented . . . in a teen-parenting group as a way of introducing the deep-rooted relationship between social power and how it directly relates to discrimination and oppression."

"Talking about gender with the teen mothers, and how what a significant role in every part of a young women's life is such an eye-opening experience for all of us in the room. It lays the foundation to talk about the sexuality part of it from a broader standpoint."

"We will continue to use the lesson plans to support our programs and . . . are adding questions to our pre/post surveys on human rights and gender to evaluate the behavioral and attitudinal changes."

—Staff comments, Planned Parenthood of Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties

"The range of themes and topics and the presentation in simple language is consistent with the best practices of popular education. Terms and concepts are clearly explained and the layout is designed for easy accessibility, which should appeal to practitioners who have heavy workloads and limited preparation time.

"Activities relating to sexual consent are also particularly useful and timely and present a nuanced view of sexual coercion, including acknowledging that men and boys can be coerced.

"It’s All One Curriculum takes us in the direction that sexuality and HIV education should go. At a time when many policymakers and health planners think that biomedical approaches alone (testing, treatment, male circumcision, and so forth) can effectively reduce HIV, this book keeps the focus on the social side of the issue."

—Gary Barker, book review from Studies in Family Planning

"We enjoyed seeing how sessions could be adapted to a specific group we were working with."

—Barbara Michel, The Centre for the Support of Peer Education

 

"The San Francisco Unified School District formally reviewed and approved It's All One Curriculum . . . The activities are engaging and invite students to actively participate in their own learning . . . SFUSD teachers have enjoyed using It's All One in their classrooms and suggest it to others."

—Rosalia Lopez, San Francisco Unified School District

RH Reality Check named the editors of It's All One Curriculum among its 2010 "Fighting for Justice" heroines and heroes, for providing educators with guidelines and activities for a unified approach to sexuality, gender, and human rights education. (offsite link)

 

"A beautifully organized, user-friendly resource chock full of activities that help young people see how gender norms affect their sexual health and relationships."

—Judy Norsigian, Executive Director of Our Bodies Ourselves

 

"It would be almost impossible not to persuade decisionmakers to get engaged in this endeavor."

—Rafael Mazin, Regional Advisor on HIV/STI Prevention, Pan American Health Organization

 

"What a masterpiece! It's All One Curriculum is gorgeous. But more important, in helping young people think in new ways about gender issues, it is so smart!"

—Erica Gollub, PhD, STI/HIV prevention researcher

 

"Addresses the issues in a friendly and meaningful way that is adaptable to any country context. Useful both for education and for youth advocacy, while also addressing the MDGs."

—Iren Sargsyan, Save the Children/Armenia

 

"It's All One Curriculum aims to create a generation of thoughtful, empathetic people who respect their own and others' rights and will be informed and motivated to campaign for change and to take on the challenges presented by the global HIV pandemic."

—Lisa Hallgarten, Reproductive Health Matters

 

"A welcome and much-needed resource."

—Radhika Chandiramani, Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues

 

"Clear and concise text, with gorgeous design and photos!"

—Angela Heimburger, International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs

 

"It’s All One Curriculum is fantastic, because it is one of the most comprehensive sexuality education curricula I have seen yet. I'm excited to see this curriculum being used across the country. Programs like these are so needed in the United States."

—Mary Vance, Community Programs Manager,
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina

 

"A unified and inclusive approach to sexuality, human rights, and gender education . . . fully fleshed-out sexuality, gender, and human rights package."

—Ruth Dixon-Mueller, Studies in Family Planning