Inspiring Health & Protecting Futures
The Body Literacy Project equips educators and leaders to empower American students now with the knowledge they need to protect their healthspan, their lifespan, and their fertility in the future.
Teaching Body Literacy
The Body Literacy Project provides curriculum and resources that empower schools and communities to teach the next generation of Americans body literacy with confidence.
Age-appropriate, evidence-based curriculum delivered in an experiential, engaging format
Lesson plans, slides, and activities prepared for educators
Policy briefings and model legislation to aid decision-makers in integrating body literacy standards in their school districts and their states
Why We Need Body Literacy
Defining What Body Literacy Is (and Isn't)
BODY LITERACY IS
A tool that offers accurate language to name embodied experiences and support healthy communication with parents, healthcare professionals and others.
A lens through which we understand how our reproductive health relates to our overall health, empowering a lifetime of free, prior, and informed consent over sexual and reproductive health choices.
A bedrock understanding of the mature human body, and the necessary foundation for Sex Education.
BODY LITERACY IS NOT
Puberty Education - A lesson to prepare students for changes to come, often focused on hygiene.
Sexual Education - A lesson on intercourse, biology of fertilization, safer sex practices, etc.
A set of value judgements regarding behavioral, sexual and reproductive health choices.
Learning Objectives
ABOUT WOMEN
Basic female anatomy and female physiology: Healthy women are cyclic beings
The Four Phases of the Female Cycle, and how women can expect to feel during each phase.
Reading and interpreting biomarkers of the Female Cycle
Understanding ovulation as the main event of the cycle
The 5th Vital Sign: How hormonal health (and fertility) relates to overall health
Identifying healthy periods and cycle abnormalities and when to seek help
Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of ovarian suppression for symptom management of menstrual health concerns vs. root-cause treatments.
ABOUT MEN
Basic Male Anatomy
Basic Male Physiology: Testosterone is responsive to stimuli of challenge and action
How healthy testosterone levels support overall physical and mental health
The Brain as the Primary Sex Organ
The Physiology of Arousal: waking erections or wet dreams as signs of hormonal health
Techniques for managing spontaneous arousal to optimize health and protect future fertility
How repeated arousal fostered outside of sex can rewire the brain
Benefits of Body Literacy
FOR EDUCATORS
Teachers receive 8 ready-to-use lessons aligned with body literacy standards detailed in model legislation. Complete with engaging activities and real-life scenarios, teachers will feel confident they have the knowledge they need to succeed and the tools to make it happen. The curriculum includes:
4 lessons for adolescent females
4 lessons for adolescent males
A teacher’s guide designed to ground instruction with structured plans
Access to The Body Literacy Project community for ongoing support and connection
APPLY TO BECOME A PILOT SITE
Help shape the future of student health education by becoming a pilot site for The Body Literacy Project. Participating schools will implement the curriculum with full educator support while contributing valuable feedback and outcomes data to help evaluate program impact in 7th and 8th grade settings.
Pilot schools commit to:
- Obtaining parental consent
- Teaching the full curriculum according to the provided scope and sequence
- Administering student and educator assessments
- Submitting anonymized feedback and outcome data
Accepted pilot schools will receive a 50% curriculum rebate upon completion of all program requirements, including assessments, surveys, and feedback submissions.
FOR POLICY LEADERS
For state legislators and school board members who want to make a difference in their students lives, the Body Literacy Project simplifies the process of passing body literacy standards for reduced health disparities and public health costs, healthier communities, and better long-term outcomes for American students. Get the package today:
Policy Briefing
Model body literacy education standards legislation (for school district level policy or an amendment to existing state health ed standards)
Have More Questions? Let's Connect!
About the Body Literacy Project
OUR FOUNDER
Katie E. Vidmar, MTS is a Body Literacy and Fertility Awareness Educator, and a passionate advocate for bringing holistic women’s health to underserved and under-resourced populations. She is the creator of Elevate, a training program for healthcare professionals designed to address health disparities through shallow-entry approaches to Body Literacy, Cycle Tracking, Fertility Awareness, and creating avenues toward root-cause healing for menstrual health problems in community health settings. As founder of the Body Literacy Project, she aims to ensure that every young man and woman in our country receives the knowledge of their bodies that is their birthright. She writes and speaks nationally, advocating for Body Literacy Education and Cycle-Informed Reproductive Healthcare for Women. She lives in Bismarck, ND with her husband and family.
