Student representatives from 15 California colleges, including Cal State Long Beach, assembled on campus for a weekend of training in the latest information on reproductive health and rights.
The training, hosted by Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute, focused on topics such as contraception, comprehensive sex education and the economic, social, political and cultural barriers young people face when accessing reproductive health care.
The weekend was coordinated through a combined effort from the national associates of pro-choice organization, Choice USA, and student members of the Choice USA CSULB chapter.
The event began Friday at noon with a workshop that acted as an introduction to reproductive justice.
“Reproductive justice is making sure that everyone, no matter their race, class, gender or sexuality, has the resources and education they need to make informed decisions about their bodies,” said Sara Castledine, a senior women’s, gender and sexuality studies major and the organizational director of Choice USA chapter.
Several field associates from Choice USA’s national headquarters in Washington D.C. conducted the training, including CSULB alumnus Andrew Jenkins.
Jenkins founded the Choice USA campus chapter in 2010 and has been working at the national level since January 2012.
According to Jenkins, this is the second Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute in the nation.
“We really want to make an impact in California, and one of the reasons why we chose to host the institute at CSULB is because we have such strong student leaders here,” he said.
Castledine took over as director of the chapter when Jenkins graduated in 2011. A lot of the work the chapter does focuses on comprehensive sex education – making sure students have access to accurate information on campus.
“During Halloween, we distributed goodie bags that included condoms with instructions on how to use them properly,” said Vanessa Durand, a senior women’s, gender and sexuality studies major and Choice USA chapter leader.
In addition to its work in comprehensive sex education, the chapter supports local organizations and advocates for policies that uniquely impact young people.
During the 2010 midterm elections, the chapter conducted a campaign to raise awareness and registered more than 1,000 students to vote.
“We wanted to get more young people on campus politically engaged and turn it into an education campaign where we mobilize college students to care about comprehensive sex education and reproductive health services,” Jenkins said.
As part of its organizing efforts, several chapter leaders, including Castledine and Durand, were on hand over the weekend to help student participants learn the fundamentals of reproductive justice.
The training ended Sunday afternoon with several workshops that focused on leadership skills, strategies for organizing and an introduction to policy work.
Choice USA is a youth-driven and youth-led organization. The goal of the weekend was to give students the tools and confidence they need to empower themselves and take action within their own communities.
Natalie Rivera, a senior women’s, gender and sexuality studies major, was a participant in the training.
“Listening to the speakers talk about policy and legislature, I actually learned a lot,” Rivera said. “I’m a pre-med student, so I’m hoping to change the system – bring my activism and advocate for women and all people of any identity.”