Among the most prickly, error-prone interactions educators and parents have with school-age children are conversations about sexual activity, ethics, and identity. Singh’s presentation, “How to Talk to Your Child About Sex, Ethics, and Consent — and Why These Conversations Should Start Sooner Than Later,” will offer a professional perspective and essential tools and strategies to enable families and school communities to form and maintain positive outlets for open communication with adolescents and teens.
Singh comes to the program having worked in education for over 20 years. She holds an M.Ed. in Human Sexuality and has taught at Rutgers University, the Collegiate School for Boys, and the Branson School. She has co-chaired the Board of the Center for Domestic Peace, an organization dedicated to ending domestic violence in Marin and surrounding areas. Her writing has appeared in various publications including The Atlantic, The New York Times, Buzzfeed (Community Forum), South Asia Review, and Crab Orchard Review.
Event organizer Dana Lung says in an interview the topics Singh will address include how to talk to your child about sexual ethics, consent, pleasure, pornography, agency, gender, and decision-making.
“A number of Piedmont families have been the beneficiaries of Natasha’s expertise, practical approach, genuine concern and relatability for some time,” says Lung. “(This is ) thanks to City Councilwoman Jen Cavenaugh’s persistence to bring these topics and this speaker to our community through the Piedmont Recreation Department’s special interest classes for elementary, middle and high school students and their parents.”
Lung champion’s Singh’s “down-to-earth and honest style” that has made her popular with kids and adults alike. “We at PEF wanted to expand her reach from the relatively few families who attend her small-group classes to the many members who are part of PEF’s Education Speaker Series. We are hoping to assemble a large audience on Zoom to hear Natasha’s helpful and informative message.”
Piedmont Parents Network (PPN) co-presidents Caroline Santander and Edit Kincses will moderate the session. Lung adds that the Foundation asked the parents network to participate in this particular speaker event so that the conversation can continue in grade-level discussions well into the future.
Among Singh’s extended areas of expertise are comprehensive sexuality education specifically for home-schooled students, literacy relating to media and porn, digital ethics, healthy friendships, sexual safety and accountability and more. Parents of home-schooled children and any adults within or outside of education who interact with youth grades 5-12 and can join the speaker series to take part in the Singh’s presentation.
Single tickets for this event are available for $30 HERE. Once your ticket is purchased, you will receive a link to register for the Zoom event. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. on March 1.
This is the second to last event in the 2021-2022 Piedmont Education Speaker Series. The final event on April 28 is a lunchtime seminar with Lisa Damour, Ph.D on the increase in anxiety and stress experienced by girls from elementary school through college.