Connect for SuccessAdministrator2023-08-17T22:02:37-05:00

IWPR Launches Connect for Success Initiative to Expand Sexual and Reproductive Health Supports for Community College Students

Community college students often have less access to reproductive health resources than their four-year college counterparts. Coupled with the overturn of Roe v. Wade and wildly inequitable access to abortion care across states, community college students face unique challenges when seeking these needed services.

In response, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research is excited to announce the launch of a new initiative, Connect for Success, designed to help address this vital issue.

Connect for Success aims to resource, document, and scale best practices for connecting community college students with high-quality reproductive health supports, information, and resources. The goal is to increase the number of community colleges fostering these connections for their students; help students access the resources they need; and spur policymakers and funders to prioritize and support these efforts.

The Connect for Success initiative will expand access to sexual and reproductive health supports in community colleges through the following mechanisms:

  1. Convene and engage a committed learning community of stakeholders offering services on campuses or through cross-sector partnerships between healthcare providers, community colleges, and community-based organizations that work to connect students with high-quality, affordable, and culturally congruent services and resources.
  2. Study, disseminate, and advocate for the expansion of “promising practices” regarding sexual and reproductive health supports for community college students.
  3. Award grants to explore how community colleges are working to meet the sexual and reproductive health care needs of their students.

Equitable educational outcomes for young adults depend on equitable access to the resources they need to persist in higher education. By launching this initiative, IWPR recognizes and seeks to address the urgent need community college students have for access to reproductive care and freedom to succeed in education that will set them up for long-term success.

To be added to our stakeholder list or for more information, contact Martinique Free at free@iwpr.org.

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