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Growing Into You - Sexuality, Relationships, and Independence in Adult Life

Programs

Growing Into You - Sexuality, Relationships, & Independence in Adult Life

Club 21 Learning and Resource Center, in collaboration with Bookworm Educational & Psychological Services Inc., invites you to join our supportive and interactive program designed specifically for adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Through guided discussions, real-life scenarios, and accessible activities, participants will explore healthy relationships, personal boundaries, body autonomy, consent, dating, communication, self-advocacy, and personal safety in a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment.

This thoughtfully designed program focuses on building confidence, recognizing feelings and risks, making informed choices, and helping participants navigate relationships and daily life safely and respectfully while promoting greater independence and self-awareness. Caregivers are also provided with practical tools and supportive strategies to reinforce learning, model healthy boundaries, encourage open communication, and promote independence while maintaining safety. We believe every individual deserves to feel empowered, informed, respected, and confident in their relationships and personal choices!

 

Two Age Group Offerings: 

  • Adolescents (Ages 17-21): Building confidence, independence, and healthy relationships for young adults.

  • Adults (Ages 21+): Supporting independence, connection, and safety in adult life.

*Each class is capped at 10 students*

When: 

Adolescents (Ages 17-21)

  • Student Sessions (In-Person): 8/29/26, 9/26/26, 11/7/26 (10:00 AM - 11:30 AM)

  • Parent Orientation (Virtual): 8/25/26 (7:00 PM - 8:30 PM on Zoom) plus 2 pre-recordings each week  

Adults (Ages 21+)

  • Student Sessions (In-Person): 1/16/27, 2/27/27, 3/27/27 (10:00 AM - 11:30 AM)

  • Parent Orientation (Virtual): 1/12/27 (7:00 PM - 8:30 PM on Zoom) plus 2 pre-recordings each week 

 

Cost: $500 includes: 

  • 3 Parent/Caregiver (1 synchronous 1.5-hour sessions & 2 pre-recorded sessions)

  • 3 Student sessions (1.5 hours each in-person)

This is a vendored program: Vendor #PD3141

Co-Presenters: Lucia Serio & Stephanie Lisette Jimenez

Lucia first got involved at Club 21 as a volunteer during her first years as a special education teacher in 2014.  Since then, she has never left.  Throughout her years at Club 21 Lucia has been an ECAR tutor, a Club Connections Facilitator, a Tools for the Journey Conference presenter, Second Saturday Speaker, and educational consultant. All the while she has continued to advance her studies and her career from a special education teacher to school psychologist, and most recently attaining her state licensure as a Licensed Educational Psychologist. Lucia is a proud alumni of the California State University, Los Angeles, and is a part-time lecturer in the Charter College of Education’s, Division of Special Education & Counseling. There, she works with prospective teachers and school psychologists. After years of experiencing both the public and private sectors of the education world, Lucia is excited for her next chapter as an official part of the Club 21 team.  Lucia is excited to serve the Club 21 community, because it is a place where she continues to learn and experiences so much joy. Lucia will be serving as an educational consultant for Club 21’s programs as well as coordinating the annual Tools for the Journey Conference.

Stephanie Lisette Jimenez was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, and proudly identifies as a Salvadoran-American cisgender female. Her passion for supporting people of all abilities is deeply rooted in her upbringing in a household of teachers and educators. In 2013, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders, followed by a Master’s in Counseling with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from California State University, Los Angeles in 2016.
Since becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in 2017, Stephanie has worked across school, home, and community settings. Now, as a credentialed School Psychologist (2025), she’s excited to expand her work beyond the school system, partnering with families, schools, and communities to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Autism, and diverse learning profiles. She is especially passionate about promoting self-advocacy, healthy development, and inclusive puberty and sexual health education. Stephanie believes in progress over perfection and leads with curiosity, compassion, and care. In her free time, she loves listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and making joyful memories with her son.

Session Descriptions

Adolescents (Ages 17-21)  Student Sessions:

Session 1: Understanding My Body & My Space

  • Body awareness, autonomy, and respectful language

  • Public vs. private (places, body parts, behaviors)

Session 2: Boundaries, Consent, & Communication

  • Personal space & recognizing comfort vs. discomfort 

  • Consent: saying yes, no, and changing your
    mind

Session 3: Relationships, Choices, & Self-Advocacy

  • Types of relationships & healthy vs. unhealthy connections

  • Making choices, expressing needs & self-advocacy

Parent Sessions:

Session 1: Safety, Independence & Your Role

  • What independence really looks like

  • Understanding risk vs. harm

  • When to step in, step back, or support

Session 2: Promoting Autonomy Safely

  • Teaching choice-making as a safety skill

  • Supporting hygiene, privacy & body autonomy

  • Recognizing red, yellow & green flag situations 

Session 3: Consent & Boundaries in Daily Care

  • Modeling consent language in everyday interactions

  • Supporting learners in saying no and learning from mistakes

Adults (Ages 21+)  Student Sessions:

Session 1: Foundations: Body, Privacy, & Self-Awareness

  • Body parts, privacy & public vs. private

  • Recognizing feelings, comfort & body signals

Session 2: Relationships, Consent & Choices

  • Consent: yes, no, maybe & changing your mind

  • Healthy vs. unhealthy relationships & boundaries

Session 3: Dating, Internet Safety & Personal Safety

  • Dating basics & respectful ways to show interest

  • Online safety, recognizing risks & getting help

Parent Sessions:

Session 1: Body, Privacy, & Feelings

  • Public vs. private (body parts, places, behaviors)

  • Understanding comfort, discomfort & body signals

Session 2: Consent, Boundaries, & Relationships

  • What consent means & how to support it

  • Respecting boundaries & recognizing red/green flags 

Session 3: Dating, Internet Safety & Personal Safety

  • Supporting safe dating & relationship skills

  • Online safety, recognizing risk & how to get help

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