Evidence-Based Sex Education Programs, Available for Free Throughout 2026, Focus on Rehearsing Conversations to Reduce Risk

In response to the growing need for accessible, science-based sexual health education, Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Risk Perception and Communication is making two of its interactive sex education programs available at no cost to both individuals and organizations and for one year.

“Seventeen Days” and the newly released intervention “Your Move” are two different versions of the same sexual educational program targeted at adolescent girls ages 14–19. “Seventeen Days” is tailored toward individuals, while “Your Move” is designed to be used in a group or classroom setting.

“Adolescent girls remain at elevated risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, yet often lack access to evidence-based guidance,” said Julie Downs, professor in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences and associate dean of research at the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “These programs address this need through behavioral science and relatable storytelling, empowering teens to make informed choices consistent with their own values and goals.”

Each program follows a cinematic ensemble story told through multiple perspectives that reflect decisions young people face in relationships in the real world.

“What really resonates with teens is that they get to choose their point of view by following different characters and seeing the story unfold from those perspectives,” said Downs. “We found that when girls talk about sex, they aren't really thinking about the risk, but they report feeling like they’re in a situation where one thing leads to another, and things just happen. What we want them to think about is, well okay, it doesn’t have to go like that.”

Rehearsing Real-Life Scenarios Makes a Big Difference

Both “Seventeen Days” and “Your Move” offer adolescent girls an interactive format that gives them the chance to play through the outcomes of six different vignettes.  Topics covered include contraception, sexually transmitted infections and anatomy.

Each program incorporates choice points, cognitive rehearsal and risk-reduction strategies to promote safer sexual behaviors. This allows teens to practice healthy decision-making skills.

“We want to teach girls to think in advance about what they actually want,” said Downs. “And then, if what they want is not the direction things are going, we give them a toolbox of ways to say ‘No.’”

These strategies may sound simple, but Downs’ research shows that evidence-based, medically accurate and developmentally appropriate sexual health resources lead to a reduction in pregnancies and an increase in abstinence, benefitting individuals and public health.

“While licensing costs for our programs have been nominal, our center made the decision to offer the programs for free throughout 2026,” said Downs. “We are living in a fast-changing environment and realize how precarious funding for these kinds of programs can be.” 

If you are an individual or organization interested in gaining free access to the “Seventeen Days” or “Your Move” programs, visit seventeendays.org and complete an online request form. Programs are accessible via smartphones, tablets or computer browsers.