New Opportunities for Contraception Education

So many really interesting things have happened recently, not always directly related to Contraception, or Sexual Health, but related to the fact that I am a woman who has set up a business, and I'm willing to share my good and bad experiences with everyone. I seem to have reached a point where the contribution component of my life has become much more important than ever before.

In 2006 I began a new volunteer role as a mentor for the Princes Trust business programme, and another as Chair of Glossop Women's Aid. Both of these new roles have taught me so much about life, and about me. Earlier this year I received a Highly Commended Award from the University of Manchester in the Alumni category or their Volunteer of the Year Awards.

The last year for Contraception Education has been very busy with translation and localisation for France and Spain, and trips to the USA in January and Mexico early in 2007 to consider the necessary localisation for Hispanic populations in those countries, and establish new networks there.

In April I spent a week in and around London, firstly running a sex education seminar (Protect and Respect) at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, teaching sex education sessions in Kings Langley's Rudolf Steiner School and in Christ's Hospital, and then attending British Female Inventor of the Year, where I'd received a Special Recognition Award at the finals of British Female Inventor of the Year Awards 2007 in London.

In May I flew to Kenya for E-Learning Africa and I am still really appreciating the impact from that. Today (August 4th) an article about Contraception Education has been published in the Nation, Kenya's equivalent of the Independent. But what is very clear to me is how I cannot get KISEP and the Kibera slum out of my mind, and because of how disturbing it is, I am pledged to do something which will really make a difference there. I am actively seeking funds to set up a sustainable sex education/HIV prevention project in Kibera through Kisep.

In June 2007 I was nominated by the University of Salford for an EU Woman Inventor and Innovator award, so I travelled to Berlin, then came back with a beautiful Special Recognition Award full of joy at the amazing experience and lovely people I'd been so privileged to meet there.

Meanwhile an invitation to become an Ambassador for Women's Enterprise had arrived, following nomination by John Byrne at NWDA, and I had a trip down to Westminster for the first national women ambassador' event with the Rt Hon Margaret Hodge. This was quickly followed on 9th July by the inaugural regional meeting in Warrington.



I had also received an invitation to Buckingham Palace to go to a Garden Party on 17th July, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and still feel great about. Thanks go to Christine Schultz at UKTI in Manchester for the very kind nomination. It was late on Tuesday when we got back to Glossop and very early the following morning on 18th July I went off to France with Thierry Oyhenart to meet members of Planning Familial in Brest and Angers, and a lovely Dr Francois Mulet, who is going to write a book for us in French in place of the English text we currently have in the Safer Sex Kit.

As soon as I returned it was all systems go again for the Be Enterprising Boot camp, organised by Academic Enterprise at the University of Salford, for recent Graduates who are currently under-employed to get the confidence and new skills to set up new enterprises. This was phenomenal! Apart from the joy of being with outstanding individuals, the sense of teamwork was really uplifting. This has had a profound effect on me and Contraception Education. One of the activities the group did was to develop a marketing plan "on a shoe string" given that I prefer to re-invest all of my turnover back into the business and hate spending on white elephants.

Media opportunities presented themselves in a most unexpected way. We were on Channel M live on the 9 pm news on 26th, and then on Heather Stott's morning programme on Radio Manchester at 11 am on 27th. Then on August 2nd it was National Inventors' Day - a day of celebrating innovation, and XFM in Salford interviewed me about Contraception the Board Game for their breakfast programme.

Phew.

So here I am in August, I am now slowly working through all of the Boot campers wonderful marketing suggestions, and this includes a more structured approach to keeping this blog up to date. So watch this space... (and Myspace!) and thanks to everyone at the Boot camp.

Remember, "Ordinary things consistently done produce extraordinary results"