Ellie Townsend with the CRSHE
The Center for Reproductive Science, Health & Education discovered REACH while
researching UCLA organizations that were making a tangible impact in sexual health. REACH’s
commitment to comprehensive, inclusive, and socially aware education resonated deeply with
CRSHE’s goals and values. We are extremely lucky that the president of REACH, Krithi
Desouza, worked with us to highlight REACH’s inspiring work.
The Origins and Growth of REACH
Since its founding in 2022, REACH has grown into a club of over 30 dedicated members
serving six schools across the LA area with the aim of delivering high-quality sexual health
education to middle and high school students. REACH originated within the club ‘Global
Development Lab,’ where founders Veronica and Nina developed a proposal to make sex
education more accessible and reliable for middle and high school students in the LA area. Their
proposal aimed to have UCLA students teach middle and high schoolers both the scientific and
social aspects of sexual health, helping them navigate future adult and college experiences with
confidence. With funding secured through UCLA, they turned their vision into reality by establishing REACH as an official organization dedicated to delivering a comprehensive, state-mandated curriculum.
Getting Involved with REACH
REACH club members come from a variety of different majors, ranging from public
health to sociology. Each member holds a passion for ensuring that underserved/middle and high
school students have the opportunity to build a strong foundation of knowledge, confidence, and
critical thinking when it comes to their sexual health. REACH members have the opportunity to
play an active role in advancing equity by leading sexual health education sessions, while also
engaging in group bonding games with fellow members. Recruitment begins and ends in the Fall
quarter in order to prepare new members for teaching in classrooms during Winter and Spring
quarters. REACH is excited to continue expanding its presence on campus during the ’26 school
year by welcoming new members who are eager to promote health equity.
Since its beginnings, REACH has continually aimed to improve and expand its training
methods to ensure that members can effectively teach course material to middle and high school
students. REACH recruits new undergraduate and graduate students during the Fall quarter and
particularly looks for students with experience tutoring/teaching. Incoming members are
expected to be comfortable with the state-mandated curriculum teachings on sexual health,
gender, and science. Because club members often have varying levels of understanding about
sexual health, REACH provides weekly training during the Fall quarter using a state-mandated
curriculum that prepares them to teach the content effectively.
Sexual health education can be an uncomfortable topic from many angles; social,
political, and personal values can each play a role. This is why club members must be able to
handle various situations including unsteady classroom environments, unexpected questions, and
homophobic comments. In this regard, members are trained to bring a mindful and
compassionate attitude to every lesson, knowing that each student comes from a different
background and understanding.
The Lessons
The lessons delivered to middle and high school students are central to REACH’s
mission of providing comprehensive, well-rounded sexual health education. Both middle and
high school students receive a total of 12 sessions, where they learn about basic sex ed topics
(including puberty, anatomy, sexual behavior) as well as body image, healthy relationships,
refusal/rejection, and consent. This curriculum not only ensures that students are provided with
the physical aspects needed to participate in healthy sexual relationships, but it also addresses
emotional aspects as well. Middle school students receive the same quality of education, but at a
lesser degree of complexity than high school students, ensuring that they can begin thinking
about the concepts without being overwhelmed. At the beginning of each class, students are
given a sticky note to write any question or comment they may have about the lesson or previous
topics. Educators are then able to take the time to research a fact-based answer that supplies the
student with a reliable answer. REACH has found that because its members are not the students’
regular teachers, and are often less than a decade older, students feel comfortable trusting them
and asking personal questions about sexual health. Educators also work to normalize and
encourage students to pursue sexual relationships according to their own individual timelines.
They emphasize that students should not feel pressured by outside influences to engage in sexual
activity before they are ready. The lessons taught by members are not based on REACH
opinions, but rather by science that has been approved by a state-mandated curriculum.
The Bright Future of REACH
REACH will continue to make a profound impact on the community by expanding the
number of schools it serves, recruiting more educators as members, and establishing REACH
chapters on other college campuses. During the 2024–2025 school year, with their team of well-trained, dedicated educators, REACH successfully delivered amazing sexual health education
with zero canceled classes to two schools. REACH hopes to expand the number of schools they
are able to reach in the following school year, such that they can help more students without
sacrificing the quality of the education.
As a relatively new club, REACH is actively looking for new members who are
passionate about promoting health equity, educating youth, and making a lasting impact through
comprehensive sexual health education. REACH hopes UCLA is just the beginning of a larger
movement. The organization currently envisions a future where other college campuses are also
able to join the effort, by providing accessible, inclusive, and evidence-based sexual health
education to nearby middle and high school students. By empowering college students to become
educators and advocates, REACH envisions a future where all young people have the knowledge
and confidence to make informed decisions about their health and relationships.