Supporting College Students to Reach their Educational & Life Goals
Beyond the Pill supports college students to reach their educational and life goals by helping to provide the resources they need to access contraception and achieve their family planning goals. We partner with colleges throughout the US to promote student awareness and access to the full range of contraceptive options, including IUDs and the implant. Our community college initiative provides health centers with specialized training and technical assistance.
Through our college partnerships, we provide:
- Educational tools. We provide contraceptive tools and materials at low or no cost to college instructors, health centers and referral clinics. These engaging materials are specially designed for young adults and include a video, brochure, posters and counseling tools. Many colleges have incorporated our colorful materials into their peer health programs, outreach presentations and displays on campus.
- Customized presentations & curriculum. We work with college instructors, health center staff and peer health educators to integrate curriculum on family planning and contraception into health courses, seminars and outreach activities. Our team has developed educational presentations specially designed for college students, which focus on increasing awareness of IUDs and implants and dispelling myths and misinformation about these methods.
- Campus outreach. We collaborate with college staff and student groups to develop and adapt information and resources for health campaigns, fairs, tabling, websites, online magazines, newsletters, social media and other student communication platforms.
Community college initiative
To improve students' access to the full range of contraceptive methods, including IUDs and implants, we offer specialized training to health educators and staff, opportunities for building local referral networks, and technical assistance to health centers at community colleges. We also provide an array of educational materials, including a curriculum customized for college students.
- Training for educators and health staff. We provide regional CME-accredited trainings on the IUD and implant for community colleges and their local referral clinics. This CME-accredited training includes general information for college instructors, outreach staff, health center staff, and clinicians, and is customized for each group. It also includes separate practica focused on counseling and clinical skills.
- Stronger referral networks. Our trainings provide an opportunity to network and strengthen referral systems with local providers who offer comprehensive family planning services, including IUDs and implants. Because many college health centers have limited resources and are not able to provide IUDs and implants on campus, an important goal of the trainings is to foster connections between campus health staff and local family planning service providers. The trainings also provide an opportunity to bring local decision-makers together to discuss logistical barriers and to encourage policy changes.
- Technical assistance. Through continued support and technical assistance, we work with health centers to further develop counseling and clinical skills and to discuss ongoing barriers to IUD and implant provision including reimbursement and proctoring issues.