The Brooklyn Latin School has been selected as the recipient of the Endometriosis Foundation of America’s (EFA) second annual ENPOWR Award, due to the school’s policy of prioritizing its student’s health through participation in the EFA’s adolescent education program, The ENPOWR Project.
“We are pleased to award to The Brooklyn Latin School the second annual ENPOWR Award. Their commitment to making sure that all their students understand the symptoms and health issues around endometriosis is an example for other schools,” said EFA founder Tamer Seckin, M.D., in a press release. “By helping students recognize signals from their own body, we can ensure early detection and treatment, which can make a tremendous difference in terms of a woman’s fertility, pain management, and disease progression. Killer cramps are not normal, and we want every student in America to understand this and be able to get help.”
The award was presented on April 17 during the EFA’s Awareness Day celebrations, where patient-led and physician-led panels covered topics focusing on early diagnosis and intervention, sex and fertility, and pain management. The event gathered patients, families, educators, caregivers, and healthcare experts to debate disease challenges in a debate forum.
On April 19, the EFA hosted another event, its 8th Annual Blossom Ball, to celebrate the endometriosis community’s pioneering work. EFA co-founder Padma Lakshmi congratulated celebrities Susan Sarandon and Lena Dunham for their advocacy work for endometriosis and their ability to raise awareness for the issue.
“Through their art and powerful voices, Susan Sarandon and Lena Dunham are champions for all women with endometriosis,” said EFA Managing Director Theresa Davidson. “Their ability to raise awareness for the disease will support ENPOWR’s campaign to reach adolescents from every corner of the United States, and to educate and empower them to take charge of their own health.”
The ENPOWR Project (Endometriosis: Promoting Outreach and Wide Recognition) is a school and community-based education program specifically dedicated to endometriosis. It is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and it has already positively impacted the lives of 14,000 teens in the state of New York. All ENPOWR presentations end with a call for action and the audience is encouraged to take the pledge and tell their friends and families about what they have learned. EMPOWR seeks to raise awareness and promote treatment-seeking behavior through interaction.
In the face of a growing need for education on endometriosis, EFA is now developing a new phase of implementation called The Endo EduKit, which is now currently being tested in trials. The program will deliver a highly replicable public health tool to the front door of community volunteers and the school body, allowing teen education of endometriosis to spread around the country.