Numbers of under 15 males in Oz.

According to the Australian Institute of health and welfare 'The health of Australia's Males' June 2011
there are 11.1 million males living in Australia. 20% of these are under the age of 15 ( app 2.2 million). Thats a lot of young fellas.( Go here to get the report).
I hope they all have love and safety.

Youth more than happy to help out for free

I often hear a view that young people do not join in their community, are lazy and will not help out or volunteer. Well...... According to Volunteering SA. YOUNGER generations prefer volunteer roles with flexible hours rather than regular weekly commitments. Approximately 25% of young people volunteer regularly (only 5% less than adults).


If you want to read more go here


In addition There is something different about the 3.6 billion or so people - more than half the world's population - who are aged under 30 today. But it is not, as it is so often charged, that they are a politically apathetic group.

To read more go here

Some of my thoughts.

As a person who works in Sexual Health and is a sexologist I want to share a few things with you.

 1. I don't find it funny when people joke about my work such as " (smutty laugh) So... do you teach practical" This is offensive and indicates the persons ignorance of the range of relationships and sexual health education that is often more important than 'sex' itself.

 2. I sometimes get discouraged when I continue to hear stories of sexual violence and sexual abuse perpetrated by men. Yet.... it is this continuous bombardment of stories that also motivate me to get out there and do something about it. If you are a man and want to do something to stop mens violence DO SOMETHING. A good way to start is joining in on this years 'White Ribbon Day' activities. Go here to see what is happening near you.

3. Young people that are struggling, young people that live on the streets, young people that live every day under conditions that many in our society BLAME them for ARE HERO'S. Anybody that can survive, and learn to thrive; anybody that can survive - and then suddenly can't; any young person that lives today under stressors and pressures that I can't really get a hold on - Are hero's and should be treated as such.

4. You can't tell by looking at someone if they are gay - and WHO CARES?? Stop joining in the culture of homophobia. You don't need to say 'my gay' friends. If they are your friends then that is enough of a discriptor.

5. Condoms are the best protection against STIs. But..... people often say they dont like them or want to use them. So why isn't there a better substitute. ( Don't ask me what it is - I'm just writing thoughts).

6. I once heard a speaker talk about ways to lessen the incidence of youth violence, youth suicide, youth anti social activities. This guy said " If each adult in this town learned the name of 6 young people ( outside of thier family) and spoke to these young people by name every time they saw them then the incidence of antisocial behaviour would decline. This would work better than any programme ( anti bullying, anger management, etcetc).Do you know the names of 6 young people that you see about  your neighbourhood?
 Do you say high to them? Engage with them.


7. Being sex positive is better than being sex negative.

YWCA ONLINE FORUM for young rural women

Domestic violence? Poor access to sexual health services? Financial stress? YWCA Australia invites young women in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia to participate in an online forum to tell us about the issues that are important to you. The forum will take place on Tuesday 25 October, between 8pm-9.30pm AEDT. We’ll take your views to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York early next year, which will focus on the empowerment of rural women. More information All you need to participate is an email address. Simply go to www.ywca.org.au on the night and follow the links to the live discussion.

watch what you watch

Speaking of gender roles

Thought you might enjoy this picture from the Adios barbie FB page: Go here to have a look

Issues We Notice

Here are some of the issues we notice when working with young people at risk around sexual health:

• Homophobia
• Hyper Gender Behaviour
• Coercion
• Lack of knowledge of sex/bodies
• No opportunities to talk about pleasure
• Communication about sexuality
• Isolation
• High Rates of STIs
• Depression
• Medications and how they effect sexual health
• Abuse 
• Unplanned Pregnancy
• Sex for favours
• Violence
• Abuse
• Not Accessing Services
• WORKERS ATTITUDES
• CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT THIS STUFF WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS

Positive Sex and Relationships are a skill

Positive Sexual Health and Relationships require  knowledge

Maintaining Positive Sexual Health is an Attitude

I was always taught in my VET training that skills+knowledge+attitude= competency.

Well how about we as a country start looking at Sexual health in the same way we look at other skills and fields of knowledge. Lets provide opportunities for young people to develop competencies in these areas, lets teach the skills, lets extend the knowledge. Maybe if we do this we wont have to make such a long negative list of issues. Wouldn't it be nice to have the following as our list of issues:

Good orgasms

Happy relationships

Great communication around sex and sexuality

Acceptance of Diversity

Feelings of inclusiveness

Challenging damaging gender roles

I'm not dreaming here: This IS possible

Number of partners??

This is one of those things that is talked about in so many situations. School rumours and workplace reputations are built around this. Gendered ideas of love and fidelity come in to play. Couples and jealousies, religion and poltitics. Its all there. Cory Silverberg in his post 'Number of Sex Partners' has a great discussion about this. It may give you some really good conversation points with the young people that you work with when they bring this stuff up. Go here to see Cory's post on about.com.sexuality.

Hey There Chlamydia

sexy Ever After - Intimacy Post Cancer

I have just been reading this e book from goodinbed; Sexy Ever After Intimacy Post Cancer. I haven't finished yet (190 pages).
The book seems pretty comprehensive and covers topics such as : ( This book is currently free to download)


Part 1: What Does Your Cancer Diagnosis
Mean For You and Your Partner?
Chapter 1: The Most Common Cancers
For Men and Women
Chapter 2: How You and Your Partner
Can Deal with a Cancer Diagnosis

Part 2: Men and Women — How Can Your
Cancer Diagnosis Affect Your Sex Life?
Chapter 3: Fatigue
Chapter 4: Shortness of Breath
Chapter 5: Urinary Incontinence
Chapter 6: Infertility
Chapter 7: Low Libido
Chapter 8: Low Self-Esteem
Chapter 9: Low Body Image Due to Presence of
Tracheostomy, Stoma, or Colostomy
Sexy Ever After: Intimacy Post-Cancer

Part 3: Women — How Can Your
Cancer Diagnosis Affect Your Sex Life?
Chapter 10: Breast Removal
Chapter 11: Issues with Arousal and Orgasm
Chapter 12: Hot Flashes
Chapter 13: Vaginal Tightness
Chapter 14: Vaginal Dryness

Part 4: Men — How Can Your
Cancer Diagnosis Affect Your Sex Life?
Chapter 15: Dry Orgasms and
Retrograde Ejaculation
Chapter 16: Erectile Dysfunction
Chapter 17: Premature Ejaculation
Part 5: Best Practices for Your Love Life
Chapter 18: Top 10 Rules for Your Best Sex Life
Chapter 19: Top 10 Rules for Your Best Love Life

If you think this book may support you in your work or daily life have a read. Let me know what you think of it. Is it something we could recommend to others?

Men? Women? Who is most likely to go in for an STI test

I was just looking through the clinic 275 statistics for 2010 in one of the  quarterly surveillance reports in 2010. what really struck me was that males only accounted for 30% of the people that go in for testing. This means that women account for 70% of those being tested. Of course we are going to continue to have spiraling numbers of young people with an STI if this trend does not reverse. We ( workers/parents/friends) need to support young men to go in and get tested. Stay tuned for a short mp4 of a young Adelaide man telling his stiry of getting tested.

Men and HPV vaccination

Reading in mens health on msnbc;  according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Between 1988 and 2004, head, neck and throat cancers that tested positive in men  for the human papilloma virus rose an astounding 225 percent. 
The suggestion is that these are almost always from male to female oral sex. Furthermore this study predicts that that within the next decade this type of cancer in men will surpass rates of cervical cancer in women.
What seems crazy about this is that maybe all it would take to protect men is to have the same vaccination for HPV that women do. For many of us working in the sexual health field we have been suggesting this since the vaccination became available. Not necessarily for this reason tho. Because both men and women can carry the virus it always seemed sensible to vaccinate the whole population. Now it makes even more sense.

Go on: Support our young men and boys to get the HPV vaccination

Condoms?

Condoms?

Several things about condoms. We know that they are the best protection from STIs IF USED ALL THE TIME AND CORRECTLY. Unfortunately this doesn’t happen: In the 2008 Australian Reseach Centre in Sex Health and Society ‘Seconday Students and Sexual Health’ only 70% of year 12s discuss condom use ‘at most recent sex’. Not only that but 25% of year 10s and almost 50% of year 12s did not use a condom at most recent sex. This may not include oral sex or anal sex or sharing sex toys etc etc because it doesnt define ‘sex’

In addition some recent research into sexual practice in women found that often women who are using hormonal contraceptive (oral contraceptive pill, implanon, depo ralavera/provera) may be twice as likely to contract HIV. The assumption being that women feel that one form of protection against pregnancy is enough for safety. ( but of course hormonal contraceptives don’t protect against STIs). In Australia 1 out of every two sexually active people WILL contract Chlamydia. 

So… condoms CAN work but they are not being used enough. If condoms aren’t the answer what is. I am not sure but maybe it is time to reinvest in research into something that will be easier and more broadly accepted.

In the meantime have a look at these new packaging ideas for condoms http://newcondoms.tumblr.com/