When it comes to accessing sexual and reproductive health care, young people are the experts in identifying both the barriers they and their peers face and the care they deserve.

With guidance and resources from the Women’s Fund, a team of young adult co-researchers and adult supporters engaged in a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project. This project positioned co-researchers to lead their own research on the issues that directly impact them. Co-researchers conducted focus groups and used photographic research methods to do a deep dive into local young people’s perspectives and lived experiences about their sexual and reproductive health.

The findings in this project affirm what young people have long made clear: while they face real barriers to accessing trusted, inclusive, and confidential care, they also bring creativity, resilience, and deep insight into what works and what’s missing. From navigating systems not designed for them to creating their own networks of support, young people are already shaping the future of sexual and reproductive health—and calling on us to meet them there.

Read the full brief to learn more on the key findings and recommendations from the youth researchers themselves.

Fundamentally, we believe that everyone should be able to make the personal health care decisions that impact their lives, health and futures without political interference. We have rejected further restrictions on abortions whenever anti-abortion politicians try to insert their personal beliefs into our health care – which have included attempts to ban abortion completely when Roe fell (LB 933 in 2022) and multiple attempts to ban abortions at six weeks (LB 626 in 2023 and LB 781 in 2022).

In late 2023, we joined a coalition of reproductive rights, health and justice advocates working on a ballot initiative to protect Nebraskan’s right to access abortion care. Unfortunately, this ballot measure failed and the existing 12-week ban was put into the constitution in November 2024. Collectively, we will continue to reject further restrictions on abortions whenever introduced.

To learn more about how to advocate for abortion access, join the movement at NebraskansForAbortionAccess.com.

Meeting young people where they are—and educating them about sexual and reproductive health and where services can be accessed—is critical.

Adolescent Health Project educators provide effective sex education to youth, parents and youth-serving professionals in community-based settings, school classrooms and faith communities. Many AHP educators are trained to be Askable Adult trainers; an initiative of the Women’s Fund that is training youth-serving professionals to be more knowledgeable on sexual health and better equipped to provide compassionate, warm referrals for sexual and reproductive health.

Additionally, educators play a vital role in sexual violence prevention, and students deserve a world free from sexual violence and an education that supports sexual violence prevention efforts. Education is a primary prevention tool in creating a world free from gender-based violence. The Sexual Violence Prevention Educator’s Guide was developed to provide educators with the necessary framework, concepts and resources for how to best engage with students about sexual violence prevention.

Through the Adolescent Health Project, the Women’s Fund began community-wide distribution of free condoms in January 2016. Condom distribution programs have been proven to increase condom use, prevent HIV/STIs and save money by reducing STI rates and unintended pregnancies.

Our grantees distribute condoms in Access Granted branded containers at health centers and 160+ locations where young people frequent—such as coffee shops, clothing boutiques, restaurants, bars, hair salons and college campuses. There’s no age requirement—anyone can get free condoms without judgement.

More than 4.3 million condoms have been distributed since 2015.