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Filters and Frames

Widening Your Lens to Understand Message Perception

Recognize how lived experiences shape perception and learn how to strategically frame the SRAE message to resonate across diverse perspectives.
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MAY 1
FULL
JULY 16
OPENING SOON
SEPTEMBER 23
OPENING SOON

Want to book a private session for your team? 

This training is also available as a private session delivered to your team only. Contact us for more information.

Discover and Respond to Various Ways Students Process the SRA Message

Have you ever wondered why your message resonates deeply with some students but not others? The answer often lies in the unique lived experiences of your audience. Understanding how these experiences shape the way information is received is key.

By leveraging new insights, you can increase your connectivity with students, inspire genuine engagement, and ensure your message is heard with both an open heart and mind. This professional development opportunity explores new methods to frame the SRA message for clearer student comprehension —maximizing the impact of your program delivery.

Presented by Tracey Pike, Executive Director of Ascend, and Raymona Ellison, Founder and Executive Director of Little Rock Life Skillz, LLC. 
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What You'll Learn

Examine the key components that constitute a lived experience
Discover how lived experiences form perceptual filters that influence our thinking, emotions, and reception of information
Understand the foundational principles of framing theory
Harness the power of metaphor to guide students in thinking through complex program concepts
Challenge and dismantle inaccurate or limiting frames
Construct new, empowering frames using rhetorical devices
Explore the core elements of effective storytelling
For SRA Educators
Online
One day

Offered every
other Month

$350

Cost

Training Description

This training is also available as a private session delivered to your team only. Contact us for more information.

Training Content

Session 1
FILTERS: Life Experiences that Impact Information We Process
Part 1: External environmental factors that impact life-learned lenses and shape understanding and response.
Part 2: Internal environmental factors that impact life-learned lenses and shape understanding and response.
Session 2
FRAMES: The Power of a Positive Frame to Increase Program Impact
Part 1: Foundations of frame analysis and metaphorical thinking.
Part 2: Forging fresh frames through communication strategies that increase impact.

Counts as SRA Certification Renewal

Are you SRA certified? Renewal of your certificaton is required every two years to keep your SRA Specialist (SRAS) designation active.

Certification renewal allows SRA educators and instructors who provide SRA education at the school and community levels to maintain credibility and demonstrate a professional commitment to expertise.

For your convenience, we provide four options for SRA Certification Renewal:

Option #1: Take the Make Your Message Communication Practicum

Option #2: Take the Filters and Frames one-day training

Option #3: Take the I See You two-day training (for teams of up to 20)

Option #3: Complete two self-guided analytical essays on SRAE topics


Successful completion of any option secures your SRAS designation for two more years.

Have questions or want more info?

202-248-5420

Training Structure

one day

Session 1: Filters
Part 1
Break
Part 2

Lunch

Session 2: Frames
Part 1
Break
Part 1

Closing
A package will be mailed to you containing materials needed for activities during the training.

A digital participant manual will be provided to all participants. You may purchase a hard copy of the manual if you wish. 

Meet the Instructors

Mary Anne

TRACEY PIKE, SRAST*

Tracey Pike serves as the Executive Director of Ascend. She is passionate about developing and maintaining partnerships with those dedicated to the holistic health of youth. Tracey has been an SRA educator since 2000 and received her SRAS certification from Ascend in 2012. She has authored and facilitated numerous SRA and holistic health programs. Tracey designed and launched a six-year longitudinal study (the Program Impact Evaluation (PIE) program) to measure the effectiveness of the I Decide for Me curriculum. Tracey is dedicated to helping youth reach their full potential and positively impacting youth for optimal health outcomes.

RAYMONA ELLISON, SRAST*

Raymona Ellison has served the youth of Little Rock, AR for several years. She is Founder and Executive Director of Little Rock Life Skillz, LLC. The focus of the organization is to “battle social ills – one child at a time.” The organization teaches character development to pre-school and elementary-school children through regular visits by “The Character Queen.” Middle and high school students are equipped to make healthy choices in their relationships through Risk Avoidance Education curricula in conjunction with Choosing to Excel (Conway, AR).
*Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialist Trainer
Mary Anne is the former Executive Director of Operation Keepsake, an SRA program that during her tenure served over 27,000 students in 140 schools in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area. As a result of her leadership, rigorous program evaluations provided one of the first peer-reviewed, published studies showing the effectiveness of SRA education for high-risk teens.

Mary Anne is frequently interviewed by various media outlets regarding SRA education. She has delivered numerous presentations on effective communication strategies including for conferences of the Federal Department of Health and Human Services. She has served as an SRA program evaluation and development consultant to the Administration of Children and Families (ACF), working to engage stakeholders throughout the country in partnering to build cohesive community networks to support positive youth development at the local level. She is also co-author of The War on Intimacy, which demonstrates how explicit sex education negatively impacts the ability to develop healthy relationships.

As a strong advocate of Sexual Risk Avoidance education, she is committed to building the protective assets all teens need to ensure they are given the opportunity to reach optimal health and life success.

Register Today!

MAY 1
FULL
JULY 16
OPENING SOON
SEPTEMBER 23
OPENING SOON

You Don't Have to Go It Alone

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Ascend Membership

Navigating the challenges of reaching youth with an optimal health message about sex and relationships can be demanding. 
Ascend Members enjoy the following benefits: 
Discounted consultation with Ascend when needed
Exclusive Members-only webinars and content
Discounts on SRA recertification
Networking opportunities 
AND MORE

Organizational Membership

$300/year
See Details

Individual Membership

$100/year
See Details
© Ascend 2026
info@weascend.org
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