About

Keeping It Real Together (KIR-T) is a multi-agency collaborative that works to to reduce and prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among Los Angeles County youth. Our goal is to change the landscape of sexual health in Los Angeles County through school-based sexual health education, parent workshops, improved access to health services, and community mobilization and partnership. Our programmatic efforts include:

• Evidence-based sexual health education in middle schools and high schools
• Evidence-based parent education workshops in English and Spanish
• Creation and dissemination of youth-friendly clinic guides, including an online provider website
• Condom Availability Program technical assistance and support
• Teacher training on creating LGBTQ-inclusive, trauma-informed classrooms
• Community mobilization and youth engagement through outreach and social media

KIR-T is one of 81 Teen Pregnancy Prevention program grantees nationwide funded by the Office of Adolescent Health in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Partners

Our Partners and Advisory Committee include:

• The University of Southern California, Department of Preventative Medicine
• LA County Department of Public Health, Division of HIV & STD Programs
• Los Angeles Unified School District
• Compton Unified School District
• Planned Parenthood Los Angeles
• Visión y Compromiso
• Cardea Services
• The L.A. Trust for Children’s Health
• WeCanStopSTDsLA
• DASH Collaboration
• Essential Access Health
• Los Angeles County Office of Education, Comprehensive Sex Education Network

History & Successes

KIR-T has over 17 years of experience providing support to health service providers in Los Angeles County schools and communities.

Project Connect (2002-2010)

Funded through the Centers for Disease Control, this eight-year project was a school-based intervention that targeted parents, schools, communities and healthcare providers. KIR-T continues to promote the two most successful programs under Project Connect: the Condom Availability Program and the Provider Guide.

• Condom Availability Program – Supports free condom distribution at high schools in CUSD and LAUSD through program enhancement and operational support.
• Provider Guide – Enables school nurses and staff to link students to reproductive health care at adolescent-appropriate clinics.

Keeping It Real LAC (2010-2015)

Funded through the Office of Adolescent Health, Keeping It Real LAC (KIR) trained 7^th and 8^th grade teachers in 24 CUSD and LAUSD middle schools in the evidence-based, abstinence-plus curriculum It’s Your Game…Keep It Real!^© (IYG). KIR demonstrated that, with appropriate training and support, middle school teachers are capable of delivering evidence-based sexual health education that impacts student risk behaviors. The success of KIR and the growing demand for the IYG curriculum provided powerful evidence of its fit in Los Angeles, and paved the way for KIR-T.

Additional projects and collaborations that KIR-T supports:

• The Pocket Guide – A referral tool that helps youth seek out sexual health services in South Los Angeles. This guide was designed in collaboration with the community coalition, WeCanStopSTDsLA and guided by the Community Advisory Coalition. This youth-friendly guide identifies:
  • Where to access adolescent-appropriate reproductive health services.
  • How to make an appointment.
  • What to expect at an appointment.
•  DASH Collaboration – A five-year initiative with the California Department of Education to improve adolescent health through strengthening school-based HIV/STD and pregnancy prevention education. Activities include reviewing school policies, coordinating the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and developing school health advisory councils.