El Camino is a research-based sexual health promotion program that focuses on the attainment of participants’ personal goals and is grounded in the principles of positive youth development. Through a multi-day Training of Facilitators and supplemental curriculum-based resources (including key background information for implementation, as well as frequently asked questions and talking points within lessons focused on sexual and reproductive health), El Camino facilitators are given the context and skills to encourage curiosity, build trust, and answer sexuality-related questions with confidence and in a way that honors personal boundaries within their classrooms.

Recent updates made to the Training of Facilitator materials, in partnership with Healthy Teen Network, prepare facilitators to respond to youth’s questions that are difficult to answer or that ask about facilitators’ personal experience or values. This tip sheet highlights three steps to follow when responding to youth’s questions about sex that are covered in El Camino’s Training of Facilitators. While this resource is designed with El Camino facilitators in mind, these steps are applicable to anyone who finds themselves on the receiving end of a young person’s sex- or sexuality-related question.