Cultivating Young Women Leaders in Northern CA

Transforming Yourself and Community! Demystifying your body through slef-determination and liberation! 

Speculum Kit Giveaway Day

Each July, volunteers and staff put together about 300 kits that include a mirror, speculum, how-to booklet and a flashlight. These kits are given to clinic visitors on one day, in honor of our Founder and Self-Help Advocate, Dido Hasper.

WHS was founded on the concept of self-help, demystifying your body, and putting your own health in your hands. In honor of Dido’s continued influence in women’s self-determination and health care choices, the staff and clients remain greatly inspired. What is self help? Self help is taking a mirror, flashlight and speculum to view your own cervix. 

This year two young women took leadership in hosting the giveaway. Together they distributed flyers to share with community this special day for women to receive a kit and transform them selves. These women shared with their friends and community their stories of how powerful knowing about your body can be. Kits were distributed throughout the day to young women who wanted to learn more. It was an inspiring day brining community together and supporting these young leaders in transforming the community. 

Who Is Dido Hasper?

Dido was the Founding and Executive Director of Women's Health Specialists. A true pioneer in the women’s health movement. Dido put the health centers on the map, weathering opposition from anti-abortionists, funding crises, and fighting social bigotry. Using the vital lessons and knowledge Dido shared so generously with all of us, we will continue our work in her memory.  

Young women are stepping into their power through organizing and facilitating a peer educator prevention training.

Over the last few months young emerging leaders have hit the streets doing peer to peer outreach by sharing information on sexual and reproductive health services. They are mentored and trained on how to have compassionate, non-judgmental conversations around STI/HIV testing and treatment, birth control, pregnancy, abortion, condoms, annual checkups and more. Through outreach they connect people to care by making referrals to Women’s Health Specialists and reduce stigma around reproductive and sexual health.

Recently, a group of these young leaders successfully completed facilitating an entire peer educator prevention training for young people between the ages of 15-19. The young leaders were involved from the planning and recruitment of the training to the preparation and facilitation of the training. It started with them picking a date to host the training and then recruiting several participants through different forms of outreach to register for the training. Each young leader took on multiple roles that included prepping the folders and materials for the training, training set up, registration check in and training facilitation. This was a training that was led by youth for youth. Each young leader chose a topic and activity to facilitate with the participants. They led activities and discussions with their peers having bold and open conversations around sex, pregnancy, STD/HIV, barriers to service, stigma, abortion, consent, confidentiality, access, risky behaviors, birth control, self-help and more. It was powerful training led by several powerful young women. It was fun, exciting and engaging! 

On completion of the training the feedback from the young women who facilitated the training was positive. They shared how they felt empowered and supported. These young leaders are continuing their work through facilitating community education sessions, mentoring new peer outreach workers, coordinating organizational events and guiding our organization into the future. 

We thank you for your support and dedication to helping us support young women step into their power.