Climate change AND sexual health how is it linked?

IS family planning cheaper than conventional green technologies to combat climate change. Go here to read more: ( you may need to become a member of Lancet to read the full text. Its free)

Below are some very interesting discussions regarding the links between climate change and sexual health. They are from the The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9694, Page 949, 19 September 2009

"Over 200 million women want, but currently lack, access to modern contraceptives. As a result, 76 million unintended pregnancies occur every year. Meeting this unmet need could slow high rates of population growth, thereby reducing demographic pressure on the environment. There is now an emerging debate and interest about the links between population dynamics, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and climate change.

A study of the first 40 National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) submitted by least developed countries to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change showed that 37 such countries made the link between population growth and climate change. But only six of them identified family planning as part of their adaptation strategy—likely because of the fact that family planning falls under the remit of the Ministries of Health rather than Environment, who are responsible for the NAPA documents. "

What happens as a penis ages??

Did you know: ( taken from WebMD.com)

The penis undergoes significant changes as a man moves from his sexual prime -- around age 30 into middle age and on .

These changes include:
Appearance. There are two major changes. The head of the penis (glans) gradually loses its purplish color, the result of reduced blood flow. And there is a slow loss of pubic hair.
Penis Size. Weight gain is common as men grow older. As fat accumulates on the lower abdomen, the apparent size of the penis changes. "
"In addition the penis tends to undergo an actual reduction in size. The reduction -- in both length and thickness -- typically isn't dramatic but may be noticeable. "If a man's erect penis is 6 inches long when he is in his 30s, it might be 5 or 5-and-a-half inches when he reaches his 60s or 70s," says Goldstein.What causes the penis to shrink? At least two mechanisms are involved, experts say. One is the slow deposition of fatty substances (plaques) inside tiny arteries in the penis, which impairs blood flow to the organ, another mechanism involves the gradual buildup of relatively inelastic collagen (scar tissue)

As penis size changes, so do the testicles.
"Starting around age 40, the testicles definitely begin to shrink," The testicles of a 30-year-old man might measure 3 centimeters in diameter, those of a 60-year-old, perhaps only 2 centimeters.

The GREAT NEWS is that as men age they report NO REDUCTION in pleasure and often mention pleasuring thier partner as extremely important.

To read more about this go here

Our bodies are facinating:

EXPECT RESPECT

Expect Respect!
A drama based peer legal education project promoting safe and healthy relationships


The Project

Expect Respect is a drama based peer education project that aims at engaging young people in a discussion about legal issues and the laws dealing with relationships and sexual relations. Particularly, the project aims at developing awareness amongst young people about the laws relating to sexual assault, rape and domestic violence.

The project will train at least 8 young people, between the ages of 18 and 21, to become Expect Respect Peer Educators. The peer educators will then work together with our lawyers in delivering the Expect Respect workshops to young people.

How long is the training for?
Not very long! The peer education training covers two days of about 6 hours each day. The training will be interactive and fun. There will be lots of breaks and food and beverages will be provided. During the training, young people will work together to develop a drama performance to deliver the project’s core message Expect Respect!

The project will engage three experienced and talented young performers who will help produce the performance.




Will I get paid?
The good news is that you will also get paid for attending the training and for helping deliver the Expect Respect workshops to other young people.

You will receive a $120 payment for attending the 2 days training and $80 for each Expect Respect workshop you help deliver. Depending on your availability, you will participate in at least 4 workshops. The workshops will run for about 1 hour.

How do I get involved?
To become an Expect Respect peer educator you will first need to complete a short questionnaire to help us find out a bit more about you and your reasons for wanting to participate in the project.

Once you are selected, will need to attend the two days training. At the training you will learn about peer education and how it works. You will also learn about the law, conflict resolution skills, services that support victims of sexual offences, how to obtain legal advice, and skills needed to be ambassadors and promoters of respectful relationships. We are confident the training will also help you to learn more about yourself.





Thank you for your interest and we hope to see you at the training!




Expect Respect Questionnaire
Please complete this questionnaire and email back to christian.cifuentes@sa.gov.au or post to Christian Cifuentes, Legal Services Commission, 82- 98, Wakefield Street, Adelaide, 5000.




Name:…………………………………………………………………………………………………..Age:…………….


Contact number(s):…………………………………………………………………………………………………..


Area where you live:…………………………………………………………………………………………….….



How do you hear about Expect Respect?



Are you currently involved in school/work/program or other activity?



What days/times are you free?



Any hobbies/interests?



What do you think are your personal strengths?




Why are you interested in Expect Respect?




Do you understand what sexual offences are ?




How do you think you can contribute to the project?




What would you like to get out of this project?




How do you feel about working in a team with people of mixed gender from diverse backgrounds?




What do you think peer education is?





How do you feel about presenting information to other young people about sexual assault?





How much time you think you can contribute to the project?





Do you have your own transport?








Thank you for completing this questionnaire!

Young Christians talk about contraception

Youth Gender and Pornography

Finding out what young people think of pornography, what they have viewed as pornography, how often the view pornography has been difficult. This of course means that we make assumptions about how young people are responding to the easily accessablre pornography of today. Perhaps our assumptions are wrong. Below is some interesting information from 'The Nordic Gender Institute NIKK

"Pornography turned out to be a well-known and actively debated phenomenon among Nordic young people, who cooperated willingly with the team of researchers concerning their own relationship to and attitudes toward pornography. Young people consume pornography in varying degrees, are familiar with various genres, and reveal themselves to be fairly reflective and critical in relation to what they see. At the same time, they point out that the consumption of pornography has become more standard, but that it continues to be viewed as more "normal" for boys than for girls. This is explained by saying, among other things, that pornography is after all produced by men and for men. In spite of the tendency toward normalisation, many things indicate that young people's approach to pornography is rather ambivalent. Among boys in particular, pornography works on the one hand as sexual inspiration in more private contexts, while at the same time it functions as a social rallying point, ridiculed and dismissed as containing exaggerated images of what sexuality really is in daily life. This ambivalence is not as marked among the study's girls, who, even when they are somewhat positively inclined toward pornography, express a critical stance toward it. "

Go here to read a bit more about thier research:

Here we go again!!

The following was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald on Nov 9th: If you want to read more go here.

"A FURORE has erupted over the content of a new national sex education package to be developed for Australian primary and high schools.
Sydney's Catholic schools head Dan White is warning against the planned national curriculum being used as a ''how-to guide'' for children to gain access to contraception and abortion clinics.
But NSW Teachers Federation president Bob Lipscombe said sex education in the 21st century should reflect the needs of young people and equip them with information to prepare them for adulthood.
Sex education and personal development would be taught in primary and secondary schools as part of the proposed Health and Physical Education National Curriculum."

Why is it that some groups, people, associations??? believe that providing young people with information and truth is a 'how to guide' for sex, contraception and abortion? I would think that we ALL want our young people to be SAFE. That we all want our young people to be INFORMED, that we all want our young people to be SUCCESSFUL. Well..... the longer young people delay thier first sexual experience the more likely they are to NOT have an unplanned pregnancy, NOT to contract an STI, and NOT to need a termination. You cant 'just say no'! Young people need to be able to know why they can say no if they want to. If we teach young people how to engage with each other in open and honest discourse in ALL fields maybe they will be better equipped to be safe and happy on all fronts. Including sexual health. Bring it out in the open. Sex isnt a secret!

Say NO - Unite to end violence against women

This site - Say No Unite has lots of great information from around the globe: There are links to "Actions Taken" that you can read about. There is a place for you to 'Start an Action' ( Maybe it's climbing Mt Kilimanjaro to raise awareness or Joining religions for peace etcetc).

Here is a blurb from this website:

"Up to 70 percent of women experience violence from men in their lifetime. Let us count you in to make a difference. Say NO – UNiTE. Take action NOW to end violence against women!

Say NO records what individuals, organizations and governments worldwide are doing to end violence against women. The initial goal is to reach 100,000 actions by March and 1 million actions by November 2010. Whether you volunteer at a shelter, donate, reach out to students or advocate for better policies – every action counts. Let us count you in. Your voice matters. Tell governments that you want them to make ending violence against women a top priority. More than 5 million people already signed on to Say NO.

Add your name to this powerful call to take one action now and stay informed."

New Youth Card

This is SHineSA new youth card with ALL the info a person needs to get in touch with shine.

If you want to order some give SHineSA a call on 08 8300 5300

OR email on info@shinesa.org.au OR just go to the website here and order via the online form. It's easy.

Lets get this information OUT THERE

Admit it. You are sexually active.

This is a great site to hear some information and discuss sexual health: Above is just ON#E of thier videos and discussions. Go for it! CLICK HERE

Walk for Aids: November 22

IF YOU ARE IN ADELAIDE:






Did you know about this walk? Sunday November 22:






Get out there and join in. Lets hope its a good turn out.





Go here for more information and rego forms.

THIS is why we should talk about this stuff

Have a look at this article from Medical News Today: Need I say more??

Teen Girls Diagnosed With STI More Likely To Tell And Seek Treatment For Partners After Watching Video

So... SHineSA has lots of videos and resources iof you want to get started doing some basic EDUCATION: Give us a call or email on :

General enquiriesTel: (08) 8300 5300Email: info@shinesa.org.au