Sex::Tech 2011 is a two-day annual conference hosted by ISIS, Inc. that brings health and technology professionals together with youth, parents and community leaders to advance the sexual health of youth in the U.S. and abroad. Sex::Tech is the only conference event that showcases high-tech educational content (mobile, social media, Internet) developed by professionals, highlights national and local program successes, and puts youth leadership at the forefront.

Watch the live stream of the Sex::Tech conference here, the conference’s schedule is below.

Plenary #1 Friday 8:30-10 (All times Pacific)

Youth Reflect: Masculinity, Film and Social Media

 

 This live brainstorming session features three incredible young women, Treviny, Angelica, and Angileece, who each won a Scenarios USA screenwriting contest with a script about the meaning of masculinity today. The diverse screenplays cover difficult topics such as family, sexual orientation, and aspirations as they affect young men of color coming of age. Each young woman will have 10 minutes to pitch her film, after which a roundtable of youth experts will give ideas and advice on how to use social media to advance each film’s social cause. [NOTE: The format was this panel is based on BBC’s The Good Pitch, which brings together filmmakers and organizations to further coalitions and social causes all over the world.]

The Films

The Man in the Mirror

Written by Treviny Marie Colon

Directed by Joel Schumacher, Shot by Lee Daniel, Produced by Jonathan Schumacher The film is about Jason Gutierrez, a Puerto Rican from New York City and the quintessential all-American guy. Status comes at a price as rumors spread that Jason is gay. With his identity questioned, Jason is pushed to understand who he is and prove how far he will go to prove that he’s just “one of the boys.”

Life’s Poison

Written by Angileece Williams

Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, Shot by Noel Maitland, Produced by Debbie Stratis

The film is about Eliyah Howard, an 18-year-old who thinks he knows what it means to be a real man. He learned nearly everything from his abusive father. But family, love, and tragedy test the lessons he inherited. Eliyah tries to re-define what a man really is.

A Man Made Early

Written by Angelica Hernandez

Directed by Cruz Angeles, Shot by Naiti Gámez, Produced by Megan Gilbride

A Man Made Early is about a high school senior, Tony Rodriguez, who struggles with the decision of attending a college close to home or accepting a scholarship from a university in another state. Tony confronts peer pressure, cultural limitations, and family expectations to make his own decision.

Roundtable Participants

Moderator: Anastasia Goodstein, YPulse Founder, Author Totally Wired

Youth Experts:

Rachel Allen, National Alliance for Media, Arts and Culture (NAMAC)

Angelica Arreola, New America Media

Jimmy “Swift” Chen, California Chapter, DoSomething!

Amanze Emenike, New America Media

Anders Jones, Teens4Tech

Valerie Klinker, New America Media

Shelby Knox, Change.org

Bernadette Montez, TILT, Ninth Street Independent Film Center

Chantal Renous, Conscious Youth Media Crew

Jason Wyman, Youth Workers Collaborative

TECHsex USA: Friday 10:00-10:30

Deb Levine, Executive Director and Founder, ISIS

ISIS, Inc. received funding in 2010 from the Ford Foundation to begin a dialogue and better understand the environment at the intersection of youth, technology/social media, and sexual health. We wanted to dive deep… learning how youth and young adults, especially urban youth of color, use technology for their sexual and reproductive health and to figure out where the interest lies in new digital programming. ISIS, Inc. produced a white paper, now available for download at www.isis-inc.org. Deb will give an 18-minute TECHSExSF talk with highlights of this work for the first time to the audience at 2011 Sex::Tech.

Plenary #2  Friday, 2:15-3:15

mHealth: Text Messaging and Beyond

Moderator, Miles Orkin, American Cancer Society

Yin Ling Leung, Applied Research Works

Jen McCabe, Contagion Health

Amanda Mills, AOL Mobile

Jody Ranck, mHealth Alliance/ UN Foundation

Robin Whittaker, Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow

Caught wind of mHealth? It seems to be the hot new topic these days. [mHealth is the delivery of healthcare services via mobile devices.] While some of us have been integrating mHealth into our programs and services for a few years now, all of us are in need of a primer on the field and where it’s headed for the future. Listen to the mHealth experts talk about trends, devices, and best practices for mHealth, then consider how to apply what you’ve learned to advancing the field of youth sexual health.

Plenary #3 Saturday, 8:30-10

Behind the Scenes: 16 and Pregnant

Moderator: Dr. Jeff Livingston, MacArthur Ob/Gyn

Morgan J. Freeman, MTV

Dia Sokol Savage, MTV

Amy R. Kramer, The National Campaign

Katherine Suellentrop, The National Campaign

The MTV sensation “16 and Pregnant” had over 2 million viewers for its second season finale. The sister series of “16 and Pregnant”, “Teen Mom” and “Teen Mom 2,” rank as some of the most watched primetime cable programs for young people aged 12-34.  There’s no question these shows have stoked a national conversation on teen pregnancy.  Yet, many professionals and lay people criticize them for glamorizing teen pregnancy, perpetuating abstinence-only messaging, and class stereotypes and judgment.

This panel will take the audience at Sex::Tech 2011 on a journey of understanding the core values of “16 and Pregnant,” the depth of the partnerships developed for production of the show, and the proven research and educational value of cutting edge programming for youth around sexual health.