Virtual Sex

Do we all know what is going on out there with new ideas, virtual hook ups and a whole range of things that are happening. Robert Weiss has a great article titled 'Who Needs a Live Person For Sex'. Very interesting.
Just cause we think we may know it all doesn't mean we do. Does this effect the work we do with young people? have a read. CLICK HERE. Below is an excerpt

So how does a teenager develop the social and dating skills needed to build intimate relationships when all (or nearly all) of his or her romantic and sexual experiences are conducted online? If a young person’s interpersonal sexual and relationship experiences have mostly occurred in contrived, impersonal settings on the computer that offer him or her complete control over the experience (as is the case with many forms of online sex), then how is that individual to learn about engaging real people? Clearly, thanks to online porn and virtual sex, many young people are being left behind socially, developing few dating and mating skills.

Kaiser Foundation Information

A whole range of information regarding adolescents (in the USA) is available at The kaiser Foundation Website.
Things like:
Confidentiality of care is a primary concern for many adolescents. Research has found that teenagers will go without care, withhold information about themselves, delay, or not seek help in order to keep their parents from finding out about a health issue.[5]  Confidentiality is interconnected with consent to care, through state laws dictating whether a minor can receive or access a health service without parental consent or notification and whether a doctor can tell parents about an adolescent’s health at their discretion. Insurance companies may contribute to a lack of confidentiality by sending an “Explanation of Benefits” (EOB) to the primary insurance holder, usually a parent, when a teenager seeks a healthcare service. This may deter teens from seeking important care for sensitive health concerns.[6]  States have a range of laws regarding consent for sensitive services such as reproductive and mental health care.[7]

Substantial efforts and funding in adolescent health are focused on reproductive health services to reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy and STIs.  Federal programs for sexual education include the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, the Personal Responsibility Education Program, the Abstinence-Only program which supports the promotion and education of abstinence until marriage.  Access to family planning services is another important component of adolescent reproductive health.  For low-income families, Medicaid covers the majority (71%) of public funding of reproductive health services.[8]  It operates in parallel with the federal Title X Family planning program, which is the only federal grant program specifically dedicated to providing community-based reproductive health and family planning services to teens and low-income women.  Community clinics and family planning providers such as Planned Parenthood are often a primary site of care for low-income teens in need of reproductive health or counseling, family planning, contraceptive, and STI services for a number of reasons.[9]  

GO HERE to read lots more.

Women telling us like it is

What Training Do Youth Workers Want?

If you want to have a say about the types of training that you want in the future. Have a go at this survey I had passed on to me by The Youth Health Services Network. They are compiling information on training for staff in the youth health sector.

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Not In My House - Domestic Violence

Thanks to Sharon Pawelski (SHineSA awesome resource centre librarian) for putting me on to this Domestic Violence campaign from Baptist Community Services:
Have a look at this trailer youtube clip and then look at the Not In My House website here.

Great TED talk from Tony Porter: A call to Men