This week Julie Wray discusses the power of Rap music ‘Rap can play a positive part in giving out safer sex messages’.. You just have to listen

Normally I can’t stand rap music all that thudding and noise with foul lyrics – gross! My sons love it and they try to tell me that if I simply listened properly to the lyrics I would get it. I am reluctant to admit that it could be a sign of ageing on my part… but I don’t think so, I have not enjoyed most of what I have heard despite constant exposure to the stuff! Anyway the other day my son said listen to this track mum.. It is cool and there is a positive sexual health message for young people, you would like this one! He even suggested that Contraception Education considers using it as a signature track. The song in question is by Dr Evil called STD. Check it out:




In fact, I liked it and yes the lyrics are positive and there is a useful message for young people (well all people). Funny that something so simple can be so effective and that listening properly to the lyrics of a rap song shows that there is power in music. Maybe I need to listen more carefully in future and not judge all rap the same….. Like the saying ‘never judge a book by its cover’. I came across a research paper that explored rap music and sexual health with young people in the USA; it showed that rap has a major role to play within youth culture. I guess what we need to do is embrace the good messages and support the songs/tracks that rap has to offer.

This week-end's "Dead Donkey"? or should we be worrying? Julie Wray discusses media coverage of a teens party in Lancashire.

Did anyone see the emotive headline in the Daily Mail or Mail on Sunday ‘School arranges morning-after pills for girls of 14 after end-of-term party descends into drunken orgy’?

I was quite shocked by the coverage of this story. You can access the news item at : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=541149&in_page_id=1766&ito=1490

In summary, the news piece was based upon the alleged outcomes of an organised party held at the village institute in Wray, on the edge of the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, by Year 11 pupils from Queen Elizabeth School in nearby Kirkby Lonsdale. It would seem from the Mail’s coverage that these young people were unsupervised, drinking heavily and having unprotected sex ….to quote the article ‘during the unsupervised party the hall was badly damaged and nearby residents were horrified when the revelers spilled out into the street, among them a boy stripped to his boxer shorts and scantily-clad girls. It went so far out of control that the school has taken the dramatic step of writing to all parents graphically describing what went on’.

It goes on to say that ‘After complaints from villagers, the comprehensive's deputy head, Alison Hughes, wrote to parents in stark terms. Along with "significant and harmful quantities" of drink, the children had also taken illegal drugs. Mrs Hughes added that underage sex among the partygoers - aged between 14 and 16 - had been widespread and warned that some of them may be at risk of pregnancy or sexually-transmitted diseases. She said most of the girls who had unprotected sex "were too drunk to be in control of themselves. The risks are real. Assume the worst." The girls were referred for sexual health care. '

There are many issues within this story worthy of comment and debate such as the obvious ones alcohol, drugs and sex. Lets be honest here access and participation in all of these activities has taken place for many decades, amongst teenagers and young people (and beyond).

A few questions I have are: How could such an event be booked and planned based on a few forged signatures? What role did the parents play? Were the police called? Who funded this event? Where did the young people get their money from?

The comments section of the Mail’s piece is quite illuminating, the general theme and tone being moralistic and disapproving of the whole event. Do these people choose to forget their own youth? Are they viewing our youth harshly? I think that quite possibly this story has been blown out of all proportion and that other facts have not been disclosed by the newspaper.

It seems to me that it is the habit of newspapers to seek to denigrate our youth culture and report events in alarmist and negative ways. What do you think? For example do you think that the deputy head teacher was right to share her concerns with parents? And to suggest ways to protect young women from the harmful effects of unprotected sex?

Julie Wray on SKINS

I (JULIE) am an absolute addict of the TV show ‘Skins’, it is brilliant. It is one of the few TV programmes where I simply find myself glued to the box!! In fact quite often I watch it with my teenage son and it provides an excellent trigger for us to talk and laugh about the issues. For anybody who has not seen it, this is a British teen drama aimed at young adults which in my mind is at the forefront of growing up in contemporary Britain. It is fast-paced and full of angst-ridden fun, this British drama is based on a group of Bristolian teenagers and their personal struggle with highly-charged issues of race, religion, sexuality, drugs and food disorders.

The issues are real and engaging – the story lines are not far fetched and the humour is amazing. For too long now we have become swamped by reality shows, for young people this makes me sad. Skins is a breath of fresh air. There are some excellent story lines, great acting and the issues covered are handled in a realistic and sensitive way. I think that this show could provide a superb education avenue for teachers, parents, young people and anyone concerned about young people. If nothing else have a look or visit http://www.channel4.com/video/skins/.

Julie Wray on RU Thinking

Following on from last weeks blog on the ‘frisky fifties’ and the survey that found a lack of sexual health knowledge in this group of people, I (Julie Wray) have been reminded about how many adult people who are under 50 years of age fall into this category of uninformed sex education. Over the past few years working with Contraception Education I have noted that when talking to people they are happy to share their experiences of sex education, or lack of it, quite freely. This usually revolves around their experiences of sex education at school and then of course with their parents (or not). All too often their examples of good information and knowledge acquisition are poor. Mostly this whole process has been in an ‘ad hoc’ form during their adolescence and adulthood. This in my mind is worrying as ignorance or lack of information creates situations that could be avoided such as coerced sexual relationships, unplanned pregnancy and unexpected sexually transmitted infection to name just a few. I am baffled at times as to why open, frank and healthy sex education in our schools is something to fear. Of course some schools do a great job in this area and Contraception Education has over the past 5 years or so played a key role in some cases. But there is much more to do within our schools so that it is the case that the majority are informed and educated.

With the advent of the world wide web, children and young people can access some amazing and informative web sites for information. Contributions by young people to many of these sites are encouraged and valued. More often than not when I visit one of these web sites I learn something new. One striking observation from my perspective is the discourse used and the way in which information is presented. One that I find very useful is RU Thinking see: http://www.ruthinking.co.uk/. This site with its ‘Lad Pad’ and ‘Lady Lounge’ sections is young person friendly but actually could be useful for parents, teachers, youth workers etc. Even, dare I say, a good site for the frisky fifties!!
Contraception Education aims to facilitate sex education and related information to anyone. We provide an excellent links page that promotes other organisations and their web sites so that people can access a range of sources and contacts. We are keen to promote safe and positive sex education, so if you know of a good web site or organisation that fits into our ethos please let us know.

Julie Wray on the "Frisky Fifties"

Today I was looking for some information on sexual health and by chance came across a news item ‘Frisky fifties put sexual health at risk’. This caught my eye and I had to read on. The news story was based on a survey done for SAGA, that found one in 10 sexually active over-fifties did not use any form of contraception which would help stop them catching sexually transmitted infections, and did not know about their partner's sexual history. The piece goes on to state that there is an increase in sexually transmitted infections amongst the over-45s as a result of risky sexual behaviour among those not in stable relationships. Figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show that rates of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, herpes and warts have all risen between 2002 and 2006.

The news item offers a couple of quotes:
"Forget about the 'dirty thirties' or the 'naughty forties' - the frisky fifties are having the most fun by swapping the boardroom for the bedroom."

"However, while a healthy sex life is a good thing, the over-50s must be wise to their sexual health, as well as their overall health."

This made me think about the kind of sex education people over 50 would have had and how useful it was given the results of this survey. If ‘older’ people have had poor sex education is it little wonder that our young can flounder too!!

Contraception Education is motivated towards promoting healthy relationships and sex education especially amongst young people and in our schools. Maybe there is scope for us to engage with all age groups and work with over 50/s. What do you think?