Today’s episode features Mariana Sanz de Santamaria, educator and cofounder of Poderosas. Mariana talks with us about the costs of not speaking openly about sexual and reproductive health--particularly the beliefs, taboos, and behaviors that take root when clear and compassionate information is not shared in safe spaces.

Bio: Mariana Sanz de Santamaria is Colombian. She graduated as a lawyer but defines herself as an educator. She taught for two years in the Town of Barú, an island in the Colombian Caribbean, with Enseña por Colombia. She worked as an advisor of the Secretary of Education in Bogotá, her hometown, and is now the founder and director of PODEROSAS: a comprehensive sexual education foundation in high need communities in Colombia. She has been admitted to the Harvard Graduate School of Education to start a degree program as part of the Class of 2021.

Resources

For young people interested in engaging and accurate sexual health resources, Maria recommends visiting https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/teens.