ABOUT SEX::TECH

The 4th annual Sex::Tech conference is the premiere event for health and technology professionals to get together with youth, parents and community leaders to advance the sexual health of young people. Hosted by ISIS, the U.S. leader in using technology and new media for sexual health, the conference is expecting over 400 national and international attendees, and more than 2,000 viewers following the proceedings via live video stream.

Registration will be open in mid-September. Follow the SexTech twitter feed for full details.

We will be at a new hotel this year, the Stanford Court on Nob Hill. The Stanford Court is a newly re-modeled, historic hotel at the top of the Cable Car line. Can you say, “Rice-a-Roni?”

The new website for the conference will be premiering later this fall, so keep your eyes peeled for Josh’s gorgeous creation. (in Drupal!)

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Sex::Tech is a fabulous opportunity for networking, presenting new findings and exploring innovative ideas with key stakeholders. Go to www.sxtech.org to review this year’s call and see if your projects align with Sex::Tech 2011’s goals and session tracks. Should you have any questions, email SxTechconference@isis-inc.org and we’ll get back to you soonest. Abstracts are due via the online submission tool by November 15th.

SPECIAL PRE-CONFERENCE

This year, ISIS is adding a new half-day pre-conference to the mix. An optional addition, the pre-conference will be held Thursday afternoon and focus on sharing methods for effective cutting edge academic research using technology for HIV/STI prevention and sexual health. Stay tuned for more details as the program develops.

PROGRAM COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS

We’re looking for a few good folks! ISIS needs some new members for our 2011 program committee. We’re looking for people with an interest and expertise in the subject areas of sexual health, youth and technology, to commit a total of 10-15 hours to read and review submitted abstracts. If you or someone you know might be interested, contact Cara Silva, ISIS Program Manager at cara@isis-inc.org .

SPONSORS

We’re lucky to have the National Institute of Mental Health as a sponsor again for 2011. If you’re interested in sponsorship opportunities to showcase your organization, product, or services in front of thousands of eyes, contact Deb at deb@isis-inc.org .

JOB OPENINGS

ISIS has two new positions open: Director of Marketing and Communications (p/t) and Development Director. Visit our website for full descriptions and information on how to apply.

ABOUT ISIS

ISIS was founded in 2001 to add a twist to sex education. ISIS uses next-generation technologies and new media to help at-risk youth and young adults gain knowledge and skills through online collaboration between peers and experts. ISIS empowers youth to master the skills to prevent HIV, STIs, unplanned pregnancies and intimate partner violence so all youth can become sexually healthy, mature adults.

Follow us for the latest Sex::Tech 2011 updates as they emerge:

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/sextech
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/isisinc
Sex::Tech Conference: www.sxtech.org

Best,

Deb and the ISIS Team

We sat down with Ypulse Founder, Editor-In-Chief and Vice President Anastasia Goodstein about what to expect at the Mashup this year and what she’s jazzed about for the future.

What are some of the latest trends or developments in marketing to youth for 2010 and beyond?  Are there any new technologies or strategies that the Mashup will be covering this year?

Over the past year, “social media” has become the buzzword in youth marketing. The internet has always had a “social” and viral aspect to it from the days of old school message boards and chat. What’s different is that marketers have discovered the power of friend collections and how social networking sites make it much easier to get your message/brand/app out to friends, friends of friends, and so on. I know our speakers will touch on the “new” technologies or companies people are talking about right now – Foursquare, iPad apps, etc. (though Loopt has been doing versions of Foursquare without the badges/game elements for the past few years), I think the takeaway will be that it’s the authenticity of the content and the conversation that are always more important than the tools and technology. One of our keynotes, Dr. Genevieve Bell, will actually touch on youth around the world who are not plugged in as well.

We took a peak at the agenda and are really excited about the panels “Reaching Youth Through Action Sports” and “Moderating Online Communities for Youth.”  Can you tell us a bit about those tracks?

We’re excited about those as well! We teamed up with a great SoCal action sports organization called groupY to create an entire pre-conference dedicated to action sports case studies. This is a huge subset of youth marketing where it’s really important to understand the different action sports, the leaders/influencers within these subcultures and what not to do – i.e. never use the word “extreme”!  “Moderating Online Communities for Youth” will be a practical panel with voices from the trenches – executives who are knee deep in online communities for tweens and teens about how to deal with different types of community members, inspiring community participation and creativity and ensuring these sites are safe for youth.

The speaker roster is stacked!  Which speakers are you particularly excited about?

Of course I’m excited about Ms. Deb Levine from ISIS who is moderating a panel at our preconference on Youth, Health and Social Marketing! This year, our keynotes rock. Neil Howe is incredibly insightful in helping understand generational differences. I’m really curious to hear what Richard Loomis and Kelly Pena from Disney will say about DisneyXD’s success and plans for the Marvel integration. I alluded to Dr. Bell’s anthropological research above. Jamie Tworkowski has an amazing story behind To Write Love On Her Arms, and Ron Faris from Virgin Mobile USA is an incredibly dynamic speaker with lots of great insight on tapping into music to reach youth.

Many of our Sex::Tech attendees would greatly benefit from attending the Ypulse Mashup.  Can you talk a bit about who or what they should seek out?

The great thing about this event is that like the Ypulse readership, we always attract attendees who work in the nonprofit or civic space. We’ve had folks from the Salvation Army, Answer at Rutgers and Hopelab register alongside folks from Frito Lay, Nike and Cartoon Network. When I started Ypulse (the blog) in 2004, it was with the intention that we would be a forum that would facilitate networking and partnerships, especially between nonprofits and for-profits. This is our fourth annual Mashup, and I know from speaking to past attendees that these types of partnerships happen at this event. And of course, the speakers/sessions/learning are all worth the ticket price alone.

Are there any youth marketing websites or resources that you would recommend?

We’ve created a pretty comprehensive list of what’s out there in the Ypulse directory. Definitely worth perusing: http://www.ypulse.com/directory

What can attendees expect to take away from the Ypulse Mashup?

They will come away with lots of practical information they can apply right away – through the case studies they will hear (what worked AND what didn’t) to panels and keynotes with ideas and tactics they can employ within their own campaigns. They will also come away with a ton of new contacts, connections and potential partners. Most importantly, they will hopefully be inspired and excited to create cool content or campaigns that add value for the young people they serve.

With all this in store, how can you not attend?   Get 10% off registration with the discount code “SEXTECH”!

1.    My organization has limited funds and staff; how can I build a sustainable social media presence?

Check out A Balancing Act: Using Social Media for Health Advocacy by Julia Fedor of Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health in Chicago, Illinois!

2.    I work on a college campus and would like to deliver sexual health info to students living in the dorms.  How can I give them that information in an engaging way?

Check out SMS Platforms Made Easy by Student Sexuality Information Service, Brandeis University!

3.    What types of technology and new media are best for reaching low-income communities with HIV/STD information?

Check out Using Text-Messaging and Computer Animation to Educate Youth about Sexual Health Issues by Kirby Bumpus of Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, Harlem Health Promotion Center and Project STAY.

4.    My blog / website has some great resources and facts but it doesn’t show up on the first page of a Google web search.  How can I drive more traffic to my blog or website without spending a ton of time or money?

Check out Kevin Mirarchi of CondomMan.com’s Search Engine Optimization Tips!

5.    My organization would like to create a new media-based health campaign for marginalized populations in our community.  What are some examples and strategies for execution?

Check out Roots of Risk: A model for technology-based HIV prevention with Black Youth by Kelisha Peart of Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention AND MYMsta: Using Mobile Social Networking in HIV Prevention by Erica Yamauchi MA Candidate & Park Fellow of School of Journalism & Mass Communication UNC – Chapel Hill.

6.    Youth aren’t getting the sex education they need in schools.  What are some alternative spaces where they can receive sexual health education, either with their peers or on their own?

Check out A Field Guide to Collaborating with Librarians by MK Eagle and Connie Urquhart of the Young Adult Library Services Association!

7.    How can an organization display the depth and reach of its activism and outreach through new media?

Check out Facing AIDS for World AIDS Day – Year 2: Lessons Learned from AIDS.gov by Josie Halpern-Finnerty of AIDS.gov John Snow, Inc.!

8.    When someone tests positive for an STD, they have to name their sexual partners and hookups. What ever happens to that information?

Check out I’m an STD Investigator with Terri Lopez and Melissa Wong of San Mateo County Health System STD/HIV Program who give you all the dirty details.

9.    I’m researching _____ and would like to know how to conduct  qualitative research online.  Are there any low cost and highly effective strategies?

Check out The CyberSexual Researcher: Online Qualitative Sexual Health Research with African American and HIV+ Men by William Brown IIII MA, DrPH (Candidate) of Health Research for Action, UC Berkeley – School of Public Health!

10.    How can I inspire activism in my community through technology and new media and then see that activism take off off-line?

Can a Prize Bring About New Innovations in Sexual Health? by Ryan Wilson of Idea Crossing has answers for you!

1.    The Sex::Tech Twitter hashtag #sextech took on a life of its own and is still very much alive after the conference!
2.    Bobby Jones of Alloy Access brought the house down as he traced multicultural and multi-generational youth activism on the Social Media Rockstar panel.
3.    Fully stocked tangerine swag bags and ample feedback through the evaluations!  Lots to think about for next year!
4.    Beth Kanter broke down best practices for social media. “Social media is like teen sex: everyone wants to do it, no one knows how, and there is a sense of disappointment after” says it all.
5.    Andre Blackman of Pulse+Signal shared New Media Strategies for Public Health that everyone can integrate into their latest and greatest.  Watch here!
6.    Lloyd Dangle’s real-time drawings based on presentations!  Look for them on the Sex::Tech Flickr!
7.    Surprising aka “punking” MTV’s VP of Public Affairs, Jason Rzepka with a Poptech Social Innovator award!
8.    STELLAR youth panel at the first-day keynote.  Watch here!
9.    MK Eagle and Connie Urquhart of our “I’m A…. Librarian” session showed how librarians can be at the front lines of youth’s questions and needs around sexual health.
10.  Free screening of new documentary “Let’s Talk About Sex” that framed youth’s perspective’s around … well, sex.

What were some of your favorite moments?

We were enthralled to unveil the winner of the Say What?!? Sex Ed Contest, Janelle Lewis, and her winning video by the comedic masterminds at Funny Or Die at the plenary.  Did we mention Janelle was the winner out of 13,000 entrants?

Check out the video here or watch below!

Pictures available at the Sex::Tech Flickr too!

If you *were* able to attend Sex::Tech, tell us what you thought!  Fill out an evaluation for day one and day two.

A special thanks to all our speakers.  Without them, Sex::Tech would not have been as successful and jam-packed with cutting edge content as it was.  We’d also like to thank our many sponsors for giving us the opportunity to showcase those working to change the landscape of sexual health!

Check out Deb Levine’s Q&A with Amy Jussel of ShapingYouth.org, as they do a Sex::Tech 360!  Many interesting thoughts on what comprises a healthy relationship, youth as peer educators and parents as allies in sex education.

Spend some time with Ypulse and ISIS’ Youth Marketing Manger Margaret Lucas as they bust sexual health myths and discuss what’s new at Sex::Tech 2010, and what attendees can expect to walk away with.

AIDS.gov, who will be showcasing how to use Flickr to engage youth for social change and HIV prevention via World AIDS Day at Sex::Tech, gave us and a few of our guests like Beth Kanter and Tina Hoff a stellar shout-out.

So much excitement.  We can’t wait to see you there!

Connecting the Dots: Fine Tuning Prevention Message Delivery [Innovation]
Should you use a web page, social networking app or text messaging for your new program? Three experts report back from the field about reaching youth about HPV, general sex information, and health and wellness.

Relationships and Risk Among Young Adults: Tech Assists [Success]
Extensive formative research can guide programs designed to encourage healthy relationships and prevent unintended pregnancies and STIs, including Chlamydia. Get the data from the source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Applied Social Media: Advocacy and Referrals [Tech]
This tech-intensive session will help you understand the landscape of social media, and how it can be used for both health communications and advocacy.

Around the World in 160 Characters (or Less) [Innovation]
Outside the US, mobile phones eclipse Internet use exponentially. These three programs are using mobile technology effectively for awareness, education and data collection around the world.

Youth First: The Early Adopters [Innovation]
Learn about three innovative tech projects to reach diverse groups of youth (young women, Alaska natives and homeless) that include youth “from the inside.”

Face the Screen: New Techniques for Online Sexual Health Research [Success]
Online research has been touted as a tool to engage hard-to-reach populations. Learn the tricks of the trade from quantitative and qualitative researchers.

Bridging the Digital Divide: Reaching Urban Youth [Innovation]
From Toronto to NYC to South Africa, sexual health innovators are using social media, digital video and mobile social networks to reach youth at risk. Roots at Risk, Cells in the Hood, and MYMsta are three such exemplary programs.

Future Foundations: New Data Collection Methodology [Success]
There has been much focus on using multimedia techniques for sexual health research. Hear what technologies American Indian and Alaskan native youth are using, and how two sets of researchers are using PDAs for accurate collection of sensitive data.

Lloyd Dangle, TroubleTown.com’s cartoonist extraordinaire, will lend his artistic expertise to Sex::Tech for the 2nd time, drawing the all-group sessions in real time!  Lloyd is speaking at the Alternative Newspaper conference this weekend in Berkeley, so don’t miss him in action.

MorningQuickie.com showed Sex::Tech some love, too.  Add them to your GoogleReader or RSS feed as another go-to source of the what’s what and who’s who in sexual health information.

Got an old cell phone?  Bring it to Sex::Tech and donate it to HopePhones.org!  We’re aiming for 150 phones, so gather them up for health workers at clinics!

We all know parents, and adults in general, give young people some crazy sexual health advice.  Some of it is sound… some of it… not so much.  That’s why we’re asking young people around the country to call (310) 736-6760 and tell us the funniest advice an adult ever gave them that made them go “Say What?!”.  The winner will be flown to LA and have a walk-on role in a Funny Or Die Sex Ed PSA based on their anecdote.

The Say What?!? Sex Ed Contest will run from January 18th to February 12th, and is open to anyone between the ages of 15 – 21.  The winning PSA will premiere at Sex::Tech’s first-day plenary! Say What?!? is a collaboration between:

o    MTV – who shapes youth culture
o    Funny Or Die – provides humorous commentary on youth culture
o    SayNow – gives youth the ability to communicate with each other and the celebrities that influence their lives
o    ISIS – uses media to reach youth with critical sexual health info

It goes without saying that giving young people the forum to tell educators, parents, policy shapers and anyone in between what kind of sexual health information they’d like and need to receive is key to providing accurate information and ensuring happy and healthy lives.

ISIS and our partners are committed to providing that platform in hopes that it can change the way sex education is delivered.

Know some 15 to 21 year olds who’ve gotten some sex ed that’s made them go Say What?!?  Check out the Funny Or Die promo PSA below, then have them call (310) 736-6760 and tell us!