Culture Reframed Youth Advisory Council: What We’ve Accomplished So Far and Plans for 2026

Launched in 2025, Culture Reframed’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) centers youth voices on the impact of pornography. The group, with members ages 16 to 24, meets regularly to share experiences, inform educational strategies, and promote peer-to-peer learning. As Culture Reframed expands its educational initiatives for young audiences, the input from the YAC is invaluable. In this series, members of the YAC share updates on their work and perspectives on pornified culture.

From silly icebreakers to informative feedback, the inaugural Youth Advisory Council has done it all! Here are a few things our wonderful group has accomplished and what you can expect in the following year.

Educating the Educators

After our very first meeting, the council wanted to ensure that we were educated in the field we would be advocating in. We detailed the topics we wanted to learn about during our time in the YAC. In direct correlation with the mission of Culture Reframed, the highest-voted topic was Porn & Mental Health. Directly responding to this need, the council welcomed Dr. Mandy Sanchez, CR’s own Director of Programming. She provided a deep-dive into “The Harms of Pornography on Youth Mental Health” with an informative presentation, leaving our council with feelings of hope as they understood that youth voices really can change the narrative.

Prepping the Presentation

The council had the privilege of giving feedback on the core presentation that CR would deliver in its first-ever youth training initiative. Our guidance and feedback centered around the specific content and overall tone, with the common goal being to better connect with our youth audience. CR implemented our suggestions into THREE new and improved versions of the original draft! The final product was taken to Martha’s Vineyard, where it was shown to the 9th-12th grade student body. Dr. Mandy Sanchez will give this presentation numerous times, gathering nationwide feedback. The ultimate goal is to bring the presentation back to the council, where we will discuss the findings.

The Future of the YAC

As the year came to a close, multiple questions were raised about the focus of the YAC moving forward. We are now accepting applications for new members, and we want to make their experience as smooth as possible. The council is looking to start meeting twice a month, with half of the meeting being educational, where we learn more about our core topics and workshop potential presentations, and the other half dedicated to our upcoming projects. If you know someone between the ages of 16-24 who may like to join the YAC, please share this application with them. Applications are due by [DATE].

Future Projects

Every member came to the council with a purpose. Whether it was to further their own research, to prevent youth from “falling into the traps of the Internet,” or to just try to make a difference, everyone had a goal. We wanted to turn these passions into products, and as such, the council now has an array of projects spanning across many different mediums.

• Youth-Led Podcast
  • Goal: Create an inclusive, youth-led podcast that reflects diverse genders, sexual orientations, and backgrounds. This will make CR’s information more accessible and understandable through “tea-talk” conversations.
• Sex-Ed Effectiveness Survey for Students
  • Goal: Understand the impact of sex ed on students and propose alternative or more impactful education approaches. Findings will be gathered and presented to school administrations.
• Social Media
  • Goal: Get the word out about Culture Reframed and the YAC to younger audiences. It is important to take back the space that is spreading the hypersexualized media we are trying to combat.
• Essay Collection on the Harms of Pornified Media
  • Goal: Raise awareness of sexism and pornified content in entertainment media. If enough young people reject this type of content, media creators will have no choice but to change with the demands of their consumers.

SafeBae Collab

Our newest announcement is our future collaboration with SafeBae, a survivor-founded, youth organization that aims to end sexual violence among middle and high school students. Through this collaboration, YAC members will become “certified peer educators.” This training is self-paced, designed specifically for high school students, and free of charge! With this instruction, SafeBae hopes to equip youth with the tools to educate their peers on consent, healthy relationships, and sexual violence prevention.

Thank You!!

Thank you for reading! We can’t wait to update everyone on our progress as the YAC continues to meet in this upcoming year. Be on the lookout for our new YAC Instagram account and other updates on Culture Reframed’s social media. Stay up to date on all things Culture Reframed by subscribing to the newsletter.