We Take Things Importantly Not Seriously
Here at WBA we believe that sexuality education is far more than lessons in biology, puberty, sexual behavior, and reproduction. It is an opportunity to illuminate and emphasize students’ rights, responsibility, and respect for self and others. Standing for “puberty, reproduction, empowerment, and perspective”, P.R.E.P. Beyond equips students with the life skills required to care for one’s own emotional and physical health, as well as the health and well-being of others, while engaging in platonic, sexual, and romantic relationships.
What Makes Us Different
School-Based Programming and Customizable Community Based Workshops Available
It Takes Village
P.R.E.P. Beyond programming is an opportunity for youth to experience comfort while engaging with parents/Trusted Adults around oftentimes uncomfortable or awkward topics, rewriting the narrative of youth’s disengagement from adults when it comes to navigating adolescence.
In a world where young people are inundated by media, often entertainment is mistaken for education. Our professional Health Educators deliver medically accurate, mental health informed education to students and the adults who raise and care for them. Yet, when it comes to sexuality education “one size does NOT fit all”. Creating a partnership with schools, parents and caregivers allows the foundational information taught in P.R.E.P. Beyond classes to be infused with the beliefs and values of the individuals and communities we serve.
Responsive Design
Growing up is more complex than ever. In response to the most current research on adolescent development and over 20 years of firsthand clinical experience supporting youth, our founders continuously update curriculum to reflect this ever changing landscape. Providing training in social skill building, coping mechanisms, and healthy decision making, P.R.E.P. Beyond directly addresses the increasing incidence of toxic stress, the decline in social fitness, and the rising rates of mental illness in our youth. Normalizing and de-stigmatizing the journey through puberty and adolescence, our comprehensive sexuality education empowers students to live authentically, with respect for themselves and those around them, honoring their own uniqueness and the diversity around them.
Taryn Estébez Is a proud SF native who has lived in LA, Europe, and South America, but can never stay away from the Bay Area too long. With a background in education and public health, she has spent most of the last decade serving thousands of youth in classrooms and after school programs. Her passion is providing judgment free, compassionate education that supports healthy youth development, relationships, decision making, mental health and wellness. She is Well Beyond Academics’s Lead Educator who trains and supports all incoming WBA educators. Taryn is the kind of person who believes in a second stomach for dessert, and that there is no such thing as laughing too loud, putting a Christmas tree up too early, or being too old to have a dance party in your room. In and outside of professional settings, she holds the power and magic of vulnerability, connection, and community dear.
Sarah, a San Francisco native, brings over 7 years of experience as a sex educator, with 3 years dedicated to her role at WBA, where she has become an integral part of the team. In addition to her role as a P.R.E.P. Beyond educator, she serves as WBA’s Program Coordinator, overseeing the organization of all our partner relations. Sarah holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from UCSC, where she not only completed her academic pursuits but also conducted lectures and workshops on consent and sexual health for college students. Having been involved with various startups and advocacy groups committed to sexual health, Sarah passionately advocates for comprehensive, inclusive, and medically accurate sex education that involves both the students and the adults who raise them. Recognizing the importance of early education in this field, she shifted her focus from ‘response’ oriented education for adults to ‘prevention’ for children. Sarah finds great fulfillment in working with kids. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys cooking, reading, and swimming in the ocean.
Elissa Asch is a graduate of Middlebury College. She majored in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies and is a fluent Spanish speaker. As part of her studies, Elissa conducted research at universities nationwide on the impact of student hookup culture, pornographic and romantic media on youth. In 2023, she founded Consent Wise, which offers consent education to young adults. Elissa is also trained in survivor centered and trauma informed approaches, having worked for a sexual/domestic violence hotline and in restorative justice. Elissa’s role on the management team at Camp Tawonga has given Elissa invaluable experience in a broad range of current adolescent health and wellness issues. In her spare time, Elissa likes to have homemade pizza nights with her friends, relax on blankets in the sun, and swim in any lake or river she can find.
Simone is a Southern California native who moved to the Bay Area 7 years ago and graduated from UCSC with a double major in Anthropology and History of Art and Visual Culture. After graduating, Simone worked as a museum educator at the Museum of Art and History in Santa Cruz teaching children of all ages how perspective and appreciation can be gained from studying art. There she discovered her joy of working with youth and finding creative ways to engage their developing brains. Simone combines her extensive training at Well Beyond Academics with her passion for art and creativity to engage youth in age appropriate, fun and dynamic ways. Outside of work Simone can be found visiting museums and art exhibitions around town or somewhere outside in nature, hiking, camping, and backpacking whenever possible!
Justin has worked in education for 8 years, first as a co-director of The David Lynch Foundation for Conscious-Based Education in Japan, and starting in 2011, as the Founder and Chief Educator of Compass Green with which he has taught over 53,000 students around the USA. Through Compass Green, Justin has focused on educating youth about the impact of conventional agriculture has on their bodies and the environment, and the ways in which they can use their power as eaters to positively influence the planet. If he’s not in the classroom or one of the many community gardens in Oakland that he manages, Justin can probably be found in the waves off Ocean Beach, or backpacking somewhere in the Sierras.
For the last 16 years, Brady Gill has been working to create safe and playful spaces for kids. This journey began with years of working at Camp Tawonga in almost every role possible (including last summer as an Assistant Camp Director), as well as 6 years being a Camp Director for Camp Galileo and directing the After School Program at Park Day Elementary. Brady has also traveled the country working for Playworks as a play consultant, teaching schools how to have a physically and emotionally safe and inclusive recess. Brady is overjoyed to be working with the Prep team again this year. He loves the opportunity to speak openly and honestly with kids about all the complicated parts of growing up and treating each other and ourselves with respect and kindness.