Are condoms not sexy enough to be news?

This past few weeks has been quite busy, with National condom week (http://www.contraceptioneducation.co.uk/nitem.asp?news_id=403) and the debates in the House of Parliament on late abortion. Of course for last weeks blog Barbara found an excellent link to her MP Tom Levitt's blog and his reasons for voting to keep the 24 week limit for late abortion.

Overall the media has had a field day on late abortion with a range of emotive reporting, but very little has featured in newspapers and TV about National condom week. I wonder why this is the case. Clearly, the important messages about protecting ones sexual health by using a condom is simple enough to understand and yet evidence suggests that this message is not fully applied in practice. Sexually transmitted infections continue to affect many young people with rates increasing and in some parts of the UK epidemics exist ( http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/_layouts/1033/searchresults.aspx).

Young people need good information more than ever about protecting themselves, staying safe and in control. Being able to make your own decisions and choices about your sexual health requires first and foremost knowledge and confidence. One of the most powerful ways to get positive and long lasting messages to young people is through the media. I think more could have been done for during National condom week – what do you think?

Late Abortions and the Human Embyology Bill - comment by Barbara

I live in the High Peak, and was looking at the blog of my MP Tom Levitt today. I was so pleased to read that he had voted to keep the 24 week limit on abortions this week. His reasons, to which I have added a comment, are on his blog at
http://www.tomlevitt.org.uk/?PageId=f63e7a83-1881-5dc4-2d17-aa736167c7a1

Durex Press Release for National Condom Week

DON’T BE BLINDED BY LOVE, SAYS DUREX

Love is blind, or so the old saying goes, but this year, as part of National Condom, Durex is launching a safer sex pack designed to open young peoples’ eyes to the risks associated with having unprotected sex.
The pack has been designed by Samuel Michael (22) of University College Falmouth – winner of an online competition run by Durex. The condom company challenged students across the UK to design a poster that would encourage their peers to ‘play safer’. They received over 500 entries and nearly 15,000 people visited the website.

The winner produced a series of four posters entitled ‘Love is Blind’, voted by the online audience. Thousands of campaign packs have been developed and contain postcard-sized handouts of the winning poster and runner up entries, and are available free of charge during National Condom Week.

When asked about the motivation behind his idea Samuel said: "I wanted to come up with something that would resonate strongly with young people and make them realise that they don't want to catch these diseases - and how important it is to use protection all of the time."
Thousands of the posters will be displayed up and down the country throughout National Condom Week, in pubs, clubs, student unions and student accommodation, as well as NHS sexual health centres, clinics, GP surgeries and family planning centres.

The campaign, an annual initiative aimed at promoting safer sex and encouraging 16-24-year-olds to get the condom habit, has the full support of all the UK’s major sexual health charities.
Brook Advisory, National Aids Trust and the Terrence Higgins Trust will be displaying campaign material at their centres and outreach workers will be using the materials in their workshops.
Caroline Green, brand manager at Durex, said: "National Condom Week is a chance to get everyone thinking about the importance of safer sex. The Durex Global Sex Survey showed that just over 52% of people in the UK have had unprotected sex without knowing the sexual health of their partner. We want people to feel comfortable using and talking about condoms. Carrying a condom should be as normal as carrying your mobile phone or your wallet."

To order poster packs, please visit http://www.durexchange.com/
For further information please contact Vanessa Munnings or Georgina Barnes at Myriad PR on 01353 669939 or email georgina.barnes@myriadpr.com / vanessa.munnings@myriadpr.com
Photos of Samuel Michael and his winning designs are available from Myriad PR.
Ends

Quotes from our campaign partners
Deborah Jack, chief executive, National AIDS Trust:
"Durex National Condom Week is a great opportunity to get people talking about condoms and safer sex. Condoms remain the only effective way to prevent HIV transmission when having sex. Yet our recent Public Attitudes Survey showed that 24% of the British public do not use a condom with a new partner as a matter of course. Getting young people talking about condoms and safer sex is the first step towards equipping them with the knowledge they need to protect themselves and make wise choices in their life."

Julie Bentley, chief executive, fpa:
"We are pleased to support National Condom Week. The standard of entries to the poster competition is very impressive and illustrates how important sexual health is to people. Creative poster designs have been combined with powerful messaging, both essential tools in promoting good sexual health."

Simon Blake, chief executive, Brook Advisory Centres:
"Brook is really pleased to support NCW this year. It is an important initiative to raise the profile and importance of condoms among young people, in which Durex does just that. We are particularly pleased that young people have been involved in the development of this campaign."
Ama Uzowuru, vice-president (welfare), NUS:
"The current STI climate we are in highlights the importance such a week. With materials designed by young people for young people showing what they feel is the perfect way to get the message of safer sex across in a positive approach."

Julie Douglas, Marie Stopes International:
"We are delighted to support National Condom Week. We are particularly pleased that this year’s campaign is targeting young people and making them think about the need to protect themselves. These messages cannot be repeated enough, and must be heard and acted upon if we are to begin to tackle the unprecedented rates of unplanned pregnancy and infection that affects our young generation."

Lisa Power, head of policy, Terrence Higgins Trust:
"National Condom Week is a perfect opportunity to raise awareness of safer sex. Most of us have sex eventually as we grow up and we want young people to be knowledgeable and confident about protecting themselves, for when it happens. We also want them to know that they can contact THT if they need advice or support around any issue to do with sexual health."

Let's Celebrate School Nursing - Julie Wray

Monday 12th May is National Nurses Day, a great opportunity to celebrate nursing and nurses across the UK. One example that springs to mind in relation to young people and sexual health education is the role of school health advisors (school nurses). School Nurses do an amazing job, often low profile and hidden in terms of accolades and awards. Nevertheless they are out there doing fabulous work and really contributing to the education of young people. It can be a very challenging role and sex and relationship education (SRE) in schools however delivered and undertaken can and does affect young people for life.

So we're taking this opportunity to highlight the school nurse's excellent work in SRE, and on National Nurses Day Contraception Education celebrates School Nursing.

"Doing it for fun" by Owen Roberts

I have often found young people, so accustomed to being judged, frequently anticipating what a sexual health service will think of them.

From the reception desk, I have often observed young people display penitence to rival that of a novice in holy orders. "This won't happen again... I feel so stupid... oh no, I don't need the opening times, I won't be here again", all confessed with eyes cast downwards. This is clearly meant to disarm the disapproving service, so they won't be unkind to them and regard them as one of the undeserving, irresponsible sort. This used to sadden me so much; their experience of services, or the reputation of services, or the community's values which they felt were represented by the service, must have made such an approach seem expedient or appropriate. The idea that there is such a thing as an undeserving, irresponsible service-user out there reflects a host of negative ideas about young people and sex that "the age of permissiveness" has yet to sweep away, or is no way near as embedded as is often claimed! Similarly, in a consultation with a young man recently, we were discussing why people have sex and he was quick to "reassure" me: "oh no, I mean, you don't just do it for fun!"

It just goes to show that there is still a long way to go before a healthier message about sex gets really out there among young people.

Owen Roberts
Development Manager - Young People's Sexual Health Services Crickets Lane Clinic Ashton-under-Lyne
OL6 6NG
0161 343 0303

Moving beyond the birds and the bees by Jackie Behan

I enjoyed Julie Wray’s discussion of language in particular what we call our body parts last week. It made me think how crucial the issue of language is in sexual health and how often in this country we find it easier to use words and phrases which confuse, rather than clarify.

It reminded me of the comments of young people made in a video booth consultation we carried out when we moved premises. I should add that I work for Brook Manchester, a free, confidential young people’s sexual health and advice service, and part of a national network of Brook centres http://www.brook.org.uk/.

We asked young people how they would improve sex and relationship education and one young women offered this evaluation of the SRE delivered in her school, “it’s just the birds and the bees, what’s that all about?”

Indeed, what is that about? I was surprised to see what feels like such an old fashioned and also oblique phrase still be used by young people today. I was certainly disappointed that this young person was receiving SRE that left her feeling so short changed.

Across the UK through it’s clinical services, its campaigning and lobbying work, and its outreach and education work, Brook and its partners are facilitating a shift away from SRE which leaves young people feeling ill equipped to navigate modern relationships and lacking the skills to negotiate safer, more pleasurable sex.

We want to see programmes that offer a broad range of both skills and knowledge being embedded into the curriculum and beyond. We have seen at first hand how they can develop a young persons’ confidence, their emotional resilience and their ability to reflect upon risk and the impact this might have on their life.

We want to move from comments like that to this resounding evaluation by one young women of a programme Brook Manchester delivered in a school non-attenders’ project.

“I learnt not be ashamed of my sexuality.”

I think I can hang up my hat when all young people describe their SRE in terms like that!

Jackie Behan
Outreach Manager
Brook Manchester
Email: jackieb@brookmanchester.org.uk

"Down there!"

Finding the right words, Julie Wray comments....

If you have ever been involved in teaching or facilitating sex education with young people, then you will know that using the right words, the ones that make sense and relate to young people, is crucial. In fact, I would say that in all my work in health care most people or service users prefer easy to understand language and meaningful words when explaining health matters that concern them.

I find it fascinating then that so many people use alternative words, essentially codes for the naming of body parts and especially genitals, our "private parts". One example has always stuck in my mind. When I was visiting a family as part of my role as a community practitioner and I happened to say in conversation that I had a niece called Lily, the person I was talking to was absolutely horrified and said "Oh no! Not Lily. That’s our family word for vagina! I was surprised and wondered why people do this.

I have always known the vagina as vagina, penis as penis but for many people all over the world the right words are the wrong words and a more palatable coded word is used. But then later in life it’s like they have to unlearn and re-name our body parts.

Why is that?
Let us know what you think.