Core Values
At Living Earth Sex Ed We Value
Connection
We help trusted adults connect with their kids and we help kids connect with themselves, their peers, and the trusted adults in their lives. These connections serve to affirm, challenge, and support children as the grow and develop.
Accompaniment
Sexual development is a journey that begins at birth. Each of us deserve company along the journey as we process experiences, make mistakes, and repair our relationships. At Living Earth Sex Ed, we help trusted adults accompany the children in their care as they make sense of sexuality and we help kids cultivate language skills to invite trusted adults to accompany them on their journey as they make sense of sexuality.
Support
We provide support to kids and trusted adults as they explore their relationship to sexuality in all its forms. There is a lot to learn about sexuality and there are many ways we can struggle with sexuality issues. Thankfully there are a lot of people, information, and resources who can offer us support.
Our Guiding Principles
Living Earth
We are at home in our bodies and on Earth.
Our wellbeing is co-created with the wellbeing of other living beings including rivers, salmon, lichen, cedar trees, insects, and mountains.
When we take care of and protect the Living Earth we take care of and protect ourselves.
Sex Ed
Sex shapes individuals, communities, and systems that sustain life on Earth.
Sexuality education is a collection of stories we tell ourselves about bodies and relationships.
These stories give us language and skills to uphold our responsibilities as earthly creatures.
We Share Our Values By Helping Kids
Be Embodied
We help kids learn how to pay attention to and take care of their own bodies and learn skills to honor the bodies of others.
Be Relational
We help kids practice social and communication skills, such as reading nonverbal cues or apologizing after messing up.
Be Emotional
Let’s help kids tolerate uncomfortable feelings like jealousy, insecurity, loneliness, self-loathing, and vulnerability.
Meet Lead Educator Claire Appelmans (she/hers)
Claire began teaching sex ed as a peer educator in high school. Since then she has taught over a thousand students from kindergarten through the eldership years online and in schools, community organizations, and religious institutions.