Eyes Open Iowa

One of the best parts of EyesOpenIowa’s June in-person trainings? Learning from Emily Gillon.

Emily is EyesOpenIowa’s Director of Training and is a nationally recognized trainer with 15 years of experience in s*xual health education. When she’s not leading our training department, she works as a therapist in Des Moines. Her mental health counseling background brings even more depth, insight, and care to her training spaces.

Emily has a gift for making complex topics approachable, practical, and genuinely enjoyable to learn. If you’re looking for professional development that is not only informative, but also welcoming, interactive, and energizing, these trainings are a great opportunity.

Join Emily in West Des Moines for:

Awkward to Awesome: Core Skills
Monday, June 29 | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM CT

S*x Ed Staples: Core Content
Tuesday, June 30 | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM CT

Attend one or both and learn from a trainer who brings expertise, heart, and practical perspective to the room.

Register at eyesopeniowa.org/training-events

What does it look like to build something with your community instead of just for them?

Before reimagining Growing Sideways, we went straight to the source: families, caregivers, and community members who helped us understand what they actually needed. Their feedback shaped everything: the age focus, the conversation categories, the format, and the heart of the game itself.

We're proud to share this feature from Launch Innovation diving into that process and what we learned along the way.

Growing Sideways is still evolving and community feedback is what's driving it forward.

🔗

Listening Before Building: How Parent Feedback Helped Us Reimagine Growing Sideways - Launch EyesOpenIowa, an innovation team from Cohort 2, share the insights they gleaned from end users and how they incorporated this information into shaping their innovation.

Free virtual training this week.

Join EyesOpenIowa on Thursday, June 18 from 12:00–12:30 PM CT for Summertime Sadness: Mental Health Tips for Children and Teens.

Summer can be a time of fun and freedom, but it can also bring changes in routine, isolation, stress, anxiety, and emotional ups and downs for young people.

This 30-minute session will offer practical guidance for parents, caregivers, educators, and youth-serving adults who want to better support youth mental health during the summer months.

Free | Virtual | 30 minutes

Register at eyesopeniowa.org/training-events

Planning to join us in West Des Moines for June professional development? It’s a great time to visit the Des Moines area and enjoy all that summer has to offer.

EyesOpenIowa’s upcoming in-person trainings are designed to be practical, welcoming, and worth the trip.

Awkward to Awesome: Core Skills
Monday, June 29 | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM CT

S*x Ed Staples: Core Content
Tuesday, June 30 | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM CT

Our training space is air conditioned, easy to access, and conveniently located near I-80/I-35, with free parking available on site. There are also plenty of shopping, dining, and hotel options nearby for those traveling in from outside the Des Moines area.

And of course, participants can expect EyesOpenIowa’s signature hospitality, with snacks and drinks provided throughout the day.

Come for the professional development. Stay for everything the Des Moines area has to offer.

Attend one or both trainings. Register at eyesopeniowa.org/training-events

The hardest part of talking about bodies, boundaries, and growing up is just getting started. Growing Sideways takes the pressure off and makes space for the conversations that matter most. A limited number of copies are available in our shop now. Link in bio, and if you’ve already grabbed yours, tag someone who needs this. You can also check out eyesopeniowa.org/growing-sideways to learn more about the game.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to become a s*xual health educator?

Maybe you’re the person friends come to with questions. Maybe you’re always connecting people to resources. Maybe you care about young people having access to accurate, inclusive, shame-free information and you’re curious about how to build that into your work.

EyesOpenIowa’s June in-person trainings are a friendly, affordable way to explore the field of s*xual health education while adding targeted professional development to your resume.

Join us in West Des Moines for one or both trainings:

Awkward to Awesome: Core Skills
Monday, June 29 | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM CT
Build confidence facilitating sensitive conversations, answering tough questions, setting boundaries, and creating inclusive learning spaces.

S*x Ed Staples: Core Content
Tuesday, June 30 | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM CT
Strengthen your foundation in effective, inclusive, legally informed, and age-appropriate s*xual health education.

These trainings are a great fit for emerging educators, helping professionals, college students, community advocates, and anyone interested in building practical knowledge in the s*xual health education field.

Attend one or both. Register at eyesopeniowa.org/training-events

Know someone who would be great in this field? Send this their way.

There’s still time to register for the LiFT workshop on June 20 in Indianola, IA.

LiFT is a free workshop from Eyes Open Iowa, co-hosted by Welift Job Search Center that helps teens and trusted adults build stronger communication, healthier relationships, and more confidence navigating real-life topics together.

Families describe LiFT as fun, comfortable, and genuinely meaningful. Participants leave feeling more connected, more confident having difficult conversations, and equipped with practical tools to continue those conversations at home.

🕙 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
🗓️ June 20, 2026
📍 Lighthouse Community Center - Indianola, IA
✔ Approved for 5 hours of foster parent training credit
✔ Lunch and snacks included
✔ $50 gift card for each participant

Save your spot today.

More details at:
https://www.eyesopeniowa.org/linking-families-and-teens

Registration required to reserve your gift card - link in the comments 👇

Summer can be a joyful time for children and teens, but it can also bring stress, loneliness, anxiety, big feelings, and changes in routine.

Join EyesOpenIowa for Summertime Sadness: Mental Health Tips for Children and Teens, a free virtual session in our S*x Ed Starts at Home series.

Thursday, June 18
12:00–12:30 PM CT
Virtual | Free

This 30-minute session is designed for parents, caregivers, educators, and youth-serving adults who want practical tips for recognizing signs of stress, depression, and anxiety in young people and supporting their emotional wellbeing during the summer months.

Register at eyesopeniowa.org/training-events

The hardest part of talking about bodies, boundaries, and growing up is just getting started. Growing Sideways takes the pressure off and makes space for the conversations that matter most. A limited number of copies are available in our shop now. Link in bio, and if you've already grabbed yours, tag someone who needs this.

You can also check out eyesopeniowa.org/growing-sideways to learn more about the game.

What do you say when a young person asks a tough question?

S*x ed facilitation can bring up sensitive topics, unexpected questions, and moments that feel awkward — but with the right tools, those moments can become opportunities for trust, clarity, and connection.

Awkward to Awesome: Core Skills is an in-person training designed to help educators, health professionals, and youth-serving adults build confidence facilitating inclusive, shame-free s*x education.

Participants will practice strategies for:

• Handling sensitive or unexpected questions
• Setting professional boundaries
• Responding in values-neutral ways
• Creating inclusive learning environments
• Supporting youth-centered dialogue

Join us Monday, June 29 from 9:00 AM–4:00 PM CT at EyesOpenIowa in West Des Moines.

This training is especially helpful for anyone who wants to feel more prepared, grounded, and confident when conversations get real.

Register at eyesopeniowa.org/training-events