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Change, Heal, Act Together (CHAT)

Engaging youth and their communities...

ICAH's Change, Heal, Act Together (CHAT) Network engages youth and their communities through peer education, gatherings, and campaigns for systems change and culture shift. Youth members, 16-22 years old, gain expert knowledge around sexual health and reproductive justice through rigorous training and community building. They organize, educate, and advocate for more inclusive, more just ways that school, family, and health systems can serve them.

Campaigns

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Time to CHAT Podcast

Time to CHAT :: The Podcast

Find the episodes on Spotify and Buzzsprout.

Audio edited and composed by HiMyNameIsMariana with CHAT youth organizers at the helm!

Time to CHAT is a reproductive justice podcast created by the youth organizers of ICAH's Change, Heal, Act Together Network, or CHAT.

The episodes share a unique perspective that is silly, informed, heartfelt, passionate, pissed - in other words, exactly what we need right now, especially in these unprecedented times.

Take a screen break, or better yet, move your body outside with us - and listen to young people. You're not gonna wanna miss this!

Welcome, community, to the VERY FIRST episode of "Time to CHAT" - the podcast designed and hosted by youth organizers at the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health! CHAT stands for Change, Heal, Act Together Network - where young people are buildin...

Episode on spotify

Episode Transcript

Youth Uncensored: On Quarantine

In this episode, CHAT organizers will be talking about quarantine: youth’s experiences in quarantine, and how quarantine is affecting us and our communities. We encourage our audience to take care of themselves as we get into conversations about real stories within the quarantine. Listen - it’s “Youth Uncensored.”

Featuring Will, Sophia, Hannah, Taylor, and Ricardo. Thanks to HiMyNameIsMariana for audio editing and for creating all the music in this episode.

Welcome, community, to our segment "SexualiTEA" -- the second part of "Time to CHAT." You've found the podcast designed and hosted by youth organizers at the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health! CHAT stands for Change, Heal, Act Together Network - where young people are building towards reprodu...

Episode on Spotify

Episode Transcript

SexualiTEA: The Quarantine Edition

In this episode -- and every other episode of our “Time to CHAT” podcast -- we’re giving you the SexualiTEA. This episode spotlights sex and sexuality under quarantine. That includes safer sex tips, sexting, laws that are adultist, and young people getting necessary access to birth control and abortion care in these unprecedented times. Recommended for ages 14 and up. But, you do you. #SexEdSaves.

Featuring peer sex educators Val and Amy, with directing support from Ana and Ricardo. Thanks to HiMyNameIsMariana for audio editing and for creating all the music in this episode.

Explore our compilation of sexual & reproductive health-related resources to support you during COVID-19.

Learn more about CHAT’s issue areas in the I Spy RJ Zine. We also discuss the #FreeThemAll and #HellNoHilco campaigns on these episodes, so check them out!

CPCs

Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Look out!

What are CPCs?

Crisis Pregnancy Centers, or CPCs, are harmful to young people and people of all genders who can get pregnant.

Chicago has two CPCs: Aid for Women and Caris Pregnancy Resources.

CPCs are government-funded fake clinics with no medical license that have the legal right to lie to their patients by providing biased or incomplete information about pregnancy options. Their main goal is to lure pregnant folks--often young, working class, people of color--into their clinics to prevent them from accessing abortion care. One of their main tactics is shame.

ICAH’s Values

CPCs can and do put young people in danger. Young people deserve to be safe, affirmed, and healthy, which includes having access to all the information they need to make informed decisions about their bodies, lives, and families, including the decision to seek an abortion.

We believe in young people’s capacity to make decisions. We believe that we must #TrustYouth.

Talking Points for Accomplices (You!)

Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) are not medically licensed.
Pregnant folks can be of all genders.
Though abortion is a legal right, not all folks can actually access abortion care. CPCs are a very real barrier to access.
#NoShame: Abortion is a normal, common, and safe pregnancy option.
#TrustYouth: Listen to, respect, and trust the decisions of young people.

What You Can Do:

1. #ExposeFakeClinics Locally

Chicago has two CPCs (view CPCs in your area here)!

Write a negative review of Aid for Women or Caris Pregnancy Counseling & Resources. Rate them 1 star and expose the truth about their practices.

Some examples of what you might write include: “This is a fake clinic,” “This clinic is coercive and does NOT provide counseling on all pregnancy options,” or “Do not access this clinic if you are considering abortion care.”

2. Protect #AbortionAccess Nationally

From our friends at All* Above All: “Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh… [would] advance Trump and Pence’s agenda of punishment and shame on abortion, immigration, and workers’ rights.”

Learn more and tell your senators to reject Judge Kavanaugh today.