Doctoral Education for the Knowledge Society: Convergence or Divergence in National Approaches?

The sexual health plan arose in response to the rising incidence of teen pregnancy and child poverty.
Since 1994, Oregon has formally addressed teen pregnancy through collaborative efforts. Supported by the Governor's Office and a variety of health partners' coordinated efforts, Oregon formed a statewide Teen Pregnancy Prevention Sexual Health Partnership (TPP/
SHP) in 2005. TPP/SHP created this strategic action plan to address youth sexual health in a holistic manner.

Youth actively contributed to this plan in order to define their needs and to identify programs and policies that meet those needs. Youth need to feel empowered, hopeful and valued by their community; this support system will better equip them to make positive choices about sexual health.

It is essential to support teens in making healthy,
positive choices in order to avoid negative outcomes.

The Oregon Youth Sexual Health Plan is a guide for planning programs, advocating for policy, procuring funding and educating stakeholders to support the sexual health of Oregon's youth. It emphasizes adults'
responsibility to ensure availability of accurate information, skill-building opportunities and quality such as unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and sexual violence. A holistic approach to sexual health supports physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality. As a result, the plan recognizes and advocates policies that help reduce poverty, discrimination, gender inequities and gender role expectations, and cultural assumptions of heterosexuality.

The plan includes five overarching goals:

• Youth use accurate information and well-
developed skills to make thoughtful choices about relationships and sexual health.
• Sexual health inequities are eliminated.
• Rates of unintended teen pregnancy are reduced.
• Rates of sexually transmitted infection are reduced.
• Non-consensual sexual behaviors are reduced.