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Between the Sheets Jun 2011

June 2011 - Contents

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1. The Strong Family Project - Update
2. Shagging at the University of Newcastle
3. Oral Sex and Young People Research
4. Using Facebook & Myspace to promote young people's sexual health - what are we learning?
5. Bring on Condoman!
6. Pride in Colour
7. Parading the SSAY!
8. Friendship and Dating Skills Pilot Group
9. Parent Forum Hits the Western Plains
10. Career Development Corner
11. Resource Round-Up

 

From the Manager's Desk

In February Family Planning NSW (FPNSW) farewelled Liz Hammond, Manager Health Promotion, after almost 10 years with the organisation. Liz was a passionate and dynamic health promotion manager and in particular developed and led our unique programs with the Department of Education and Communities and our highly reputed anti-homophobia program, the Same Difference Program. We will miss Liz’s enthusiasm for health promotion and wish her the very best in the future.

In this edition we highlight some of the key projects we’ve been undertaking to improve the reproductive and sexual health of some of our primary target populations: young people, people with disability, Aboriginal people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It is working with these groups which makes our work so interesting and dynamic. Whether  building on the success of our pilot parent forum, exploring new ways of working with young people through social media or expanding our career development courses, there is always something new to explore.

Rob Hardy, Acting Manager Health Promotion

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The Strong Family Project - Update

This project wishes to acknowledge and pay respect to the original Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their descendents of the land on which we work and live.

What’s been happening?

During March our first consultations for the Strong Family Project were conducted at FPNSW Dubbo. This three year non-government community based project aims to engage Aboriginal communities through culturally appropriate education, training and medical services.

On advice from FPNSW Dubbo Aboriginal Women’s Advisory Group, key community members and service providers were invited to an advisory meeting. Elders, community members and representatives from Red Cross, Allira Child Care, FaHCSIA, NSW Police and Wellington Correctional Centre attended. The Strong Family Project was welcomed by the participants and all showed a keen enthusiasm to be part of the project.

The consultation provided the opportunity to talk about the sexual health needs of young people in Dubbo and how Elders and parents/caregivers can support them to make positive choices. All agreed that this is really important work and to make the project successful the participants agreed to all work together to make the education program happen. “The health of our young people has to always come first”, said one community member. We really admired how engaged the participants were with the project.

Based on the participant’s suggestions, a Dubbo community consultation will be held this month in Victoria Park, Dubbo,to make the community consultation more accessible to local community members. Community consultations will also be held in Blacktown/Mt Druitt and Broken Hill in June.

For more information on the background of the project, check-out the February 2011 edition of Between the Sheets. http://www.fpnsw.org.au/456565_6_24742590.html

Patrick Duley
Aboriginal Health Project Manager, FPNSW Ashfield
patrickd@fpnsw.org.au

 

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Shagging at the University of Newcastle

As part of the annual University of Newcastle’s SHAG (Sexual Health and Guidance) week, the FPNSW Hunter team joined forces with ACON (Hunter) and Hunter New England Population Health (HNEPH) to promote safe sex to students at the University of Newcastle.

This year FPNSW, ACON Hunter and HNEPH developed an active information station with the purpose of promoting safe sex messages in a non-threatening atmosphere.

Although sexual health can be a confronting topic , anecdotal evidence indicates that people are more likely to engage when sexual health information is provided in a fun and interesting manner. This theory was proven on the day with not just a crowded station, but also its ability to generate conversation and attract curious glances from the passing crowd.

Students attending the action information station participated in a range of sexual health activities before being rewarded with giveaways. Activities included:

• Name your bits body chart
• ‘Comeback lines’ graffiti sheets (condom use)
• Correct condom procedure card activity
• Guess the fluffy sexually transmitted infections
• A sexual health quiz

The results of the sexual health quiz will be collated to gain an insight on the sexual health knowledge of young people attending the University of Newcastle.

This event was a great one-stop shop opportunity to promote safe sex messages to young people by key sexual health organisations in the Hunter region.  Discussions have already taken place on how next year’s information station will provide the ultimate shagging experience.

Claire Swan
Health Promotion Officer, FPNSW Hunter
claires@fpnsw.org.au

 

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Oral Sex and Young People Research

In June 2011 the research journal Youth Studies Australia published an article by FPNSW entitled, ‘"It feels good": Australian young women's own attitudes to oral sex’. The article presents findings from a 2008 FPNSW qualitative study of 193 Australian young women’s attitudes to oral sex.

The research survey found a generally positive attitude from young women toward oral sex with a wide acceptance of it as part of normal sexual activity. However, at the same time, approximately half of the young women also said they had felt pressured at some point to engage in oral sex. Therefore, this research affirms that young people’s sexual lives are complex and further research is required.

In order to inform the ongoing health promotion work of the organisation and sector, FPNSW is now preparing a second research article to understand in detail how young people in the questionnaire described the pressure to engage in oral sex.

The research article reports on four key areas in relation to young women and oral sex. Firstly, the general findings of young women’s own reported reasons for engaging in oral sex are outlined. Secondly, young women describe how they speak about oral sex with their friends. The third section summarises how young women access information about oral sex, including any unmet information needs they shared. Finally, the article reports on the responses from young women on what they thought would make it easier to talk about oral sex and related health issues, with a health care worker or doctor. Consistent with other research, young women’s top priorities when discussing oral sex with professional adults were adherence to the values of confidentiality, respect and open mindedness.

This collaborative research project between the FPNSW Data & Evaluation and the Health Promotion Unit is an effective example of FPNSW seeking to address important sexual health issues in the lives of young people in a range of ways. The qualitative research paper was written by Liz Hammond, Jane Estoesta, Erin Passmore and Jackie Ruddock.

Jackie Ruddock
Senior Health Promotion Officer, State Health Promotion Unit
jackier@fpnsw.org.au

 

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Using Facebook & MySpace to promote young people's sexual health - what are we learning?

FPNSW The Warehouse recently presented on e-Health: Connecting with young people at the NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health (CAAH) Youth Health Forum.

The forum showcased research findings from industry experts highlighting the need to integrate social media with youth based services in order to connect effectively with young audiences.

The FPNSW presentation addressed our experience with social networking sites including pages maintained on Facebook and MySpace. FPNSW utilises these pages to build on relevant health promotion projects as well as provide opportunities for service promotion and feedback. The presentation outlined the benefits and challenges of using social media to promote reproductive and sexual health, especially around confidentiality, appropriateness of content and the currency of resources.

Recommendations included the importance of clear objectives for social media projects and understanding the consistent depth of scrutiny required of any content posted online.

The forum’s resounding message was that social media in youth health is an area of development requiring continued discussion, learning and support during implementation. Participant feedback also reflected this with many keen to share their experiences and learn about social media initiatives from one another.

The first steps in moving forward should include improving technological infrastructure and organisational policies which support the use of social media technologies. In order to keep up with this ever changing medium, it is important to recognise that the best allies are young people themselves in the development of any social media work.

Participant feedback: “Really useful speakers –need to recognise you are really who we want to hear from. Because you are doing it. Be proud of your work – you are industry leaders!!”

A list of key speakers and their presentations from the day can be found at:  http://www.caah.chw.edu.au/resources/speaker_notes/201103/program.pdf

Rowena Clune
Health Promotion Officer. FPNSW The Warehouse
rowenac@fpnsw.org.au

 

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Bring On Condoman!

“Bring It On!” is a fantastic annual festival celebrating National Youth Week. It attracts thousands of young people from all over south-west and western Sydney and in keeping with tradition, FPNSW was on board again this year.

Prior to this year’s festival, FPNSW Fairfield consulted with Fairfield’s youth advisory committee, who advised us to have a colourful, interactive stall with prominent attractions to draw in festival goers. Enter CONDOMAN, the iconic superhero who has promoted condom use in Australia for over 20 years.

He joined forces with three energetic FPNSW “sex myth busters” (health promotion officers) to spread the word on safe sex. Condoman was extremely popular and encouraged young people to think of comeback lines to reasons people give for not wanting to use condoms.

Festival goers also keenly participated in our “Bust-a-myth, guess and win” and “Can you put one on under the influence?” activities. Young people helped their friends to put on a condom while wearing beer goggles and put their heads together to bust some sex myths. By the end of the day, many myths were busted and our safe sex pack supply was exhausted.

Jacqui Greenfield
Health Promotion Officer, FPNSW Fairfield
jacquig@fpnsw.org.au

 

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Pride in Colour

As part of the recent Living in Harmony Festival and a member of the Pride in Colour Working Group, FPNSW helped facilitate over 100 special interest contributors in dynamic consultation at the Town Hall on the topics of work, play, home and pray.

The Pride in Colour Working Group is a partnership of stakeholders promoting the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (GLBTQ) communities from multicultural backgrounds. The partnership works with key multicultural and GLBTQ stakeholders and community members to develop public discussion around the complex issues arising from the intersection of culture, ethnicity and sexuality.

The Pride in Colour Working Group was formed early this year following enquiries by the City of Sydney which identified that sexually diverse people from a multicultural background are an emerging community in Sydney who face a unique set of challenges.

These challenges are often invisible to both the mainstream GLBTQ and multicultural community. They include a range of issues including religious and cultural barriers to the expression of sexual identity, gaps in services, social exclusion from the mainstream GLBTQ community and lack of awareness of the needs of older people.

The results of the discussions held during the Living in Harmony Festival will guide the future work of the Pride in Colour Working Group.

Watch this space!

Sahba Delshad
Senior Health Promotion Officer, State Health Promotion Unit
sahbad@fpnsw.org.au

 

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Parading the SSAY!

On 5 March 2011, FPNSW The Warehouse got in on the action at the Sydney Mardi Gras parade to support their Same-Sex Attracted Youth group (SSAY).

Mardi Gras 2011 held the theme “SAY SOMETHING” which encouraged people to make a statement about what they believe in including messages of life, love, marriage, bullying, injustice, equality or something fun.

With this in mind, the young people of The Warehouse’s SSAY group took on the theme ‘We are who we are’ for their march and float. Inspired by the group’s experiences as same-sex attracted young people in Western Sydney’s Penrith and Blue Mountains areas, it acknowledged the difficult journey some young people make when they move from the country to the city.

This was represented in the design of the float which reflected feelings of liberation from sexual oppression and safety to express individuality in the city. It explored new ways they’ve found to express their gender and sexuality.

The Mardi Gras event enhances FPNSW’s public visibility at an international event and promotes FPNSW to a large audience. Additionally it demonstrates that FPNSW advocates and supports sexual diversity and equality.

Overall, the float was a great success with 19 participants including SSAY group members and  FPNSW staff.

Lauren Muscat
Social Work Student, FPNSW The Warehouse
laurenm@fpnsw.org.au

 

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Friendship and Dating Skills Pilot Group

FPNSW The Warehouse, in partnership with the Australian Foundation For Disability (AFFORD), recently piloted a Friendship and Dating Skills group for young people with intellectual disability.

This project is an integral part of The Warehouse’s Young People with Disability program, which aims to increase the knowledge and awareness of reproductive and sexual health issues for young people with disability.

The Friendship and Dating Skills group was inspired from a needs assessment which found that young people with disability do not have access to appropriate reproductive and sexual health information, nor do they have the same level of knowledge as young people without a disability.

Research also shows the rate of sexual abuse for people with disability is much higher than the rest of the population. Moreover, further consultation with young people identified that making friends was difficult and that a romantic relationship was felt as an unachievable aspiration. This made it clear to the FPNSW Warehouse team that more holistic information and education around relationships should be made available to people with disability. 

Positive outcomes from the four week group saw an increase in participants’ ability to identify feelings, appropriate conversation topics, safe places to go with new friends, understanding the differences between friendship and dating, and in particular the steps to take when dealing with unwanted touch.

Following the great success of the pilot, it’s hoped that the group will soon pick up again where it left off.

FPNSW The Warehouse would like to acknowledge AFFORD and Liz Dore from Relationships and Private Stuff for their partnership, assistance and support during this pilot.

Ben Nolan
Health Promotion Officer, FPNSW The Warehouse
benn@fpnsw.org.au

 

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 Parent Forum Hits the Western Plains 

 Following the success of the pilot Puberty, Sexuality and Relationships parent forum at the Ashfield centre in 2010, FPNSW held a second forum in Dubbo for parents and carers of young people with intellectual disability.

The purpose of the forum, held at the Western Region Indigenous Coordination Centre in April, was to meet the growing demand for sexuality and relationship education requested by parents and carers of young people with disability. 

Research indicates that parents and carers of children with disability often struggle with supporting their child around sexual development which supports the need for ongoing education for parents in this area.

Attracting a lot of interest on the day was the topic of how to support young people with intellectual disability to take risks. Many participants commented that the forum had opened their eyes to this issue and given them confidence to assist the young person in their care to make informed decisions involving an element of risk. 

Ten participants travelled up to three hours from different towns across western NSW to attend the free event.

There will be one more parent forum in 2011 at Ashfield on 22^nd October. To register or for more information please visit www.fpnsw.org.au/parentforums

Ben Nolan
Health Promotion Officer, State Health Promotion Unit
benn@fpnsw.org.au

 

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Develop Your Career with CDE

FPNSW extends Registration as a Training Organisation to 2015 

According to the Australian Quality Training Framework Audit Report, FPNSW has “a strong focus on the value of education at all levels…it has a well deserved reputation as a leader in its field” (2010).

FPNSW has been a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) since 2000. Following a rigorous site audit, we were delighted to have our registration extended for a further five years.

Participants in our education programs benefit from our success in being an RTO. They can be confident that they are receiving high quality education services - from the skills of the educators to the standard of the facilities. They also have the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised Statements of Attainment in sexual and reproductive health and training.  

New in 2011: Courses in delivering training, running groups and delivering presentations

In 2010 we expanded our program to include the Career Development Education (CDE) Program. This includes the new Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and other shorter courses for those who do not want a full qualification in training and assessment. In 2011 three new short courses will teach people skills in running groups, conducting community education programs or delivering a presentation. In addition, a new short course on how to mentor in the workplace will soon be introduced.

To find out more about our CDE program, contact: Marina Chadiloff marinac@fpnsw.org.au or visit the webpage.

Teacher training – Teaching Sexual Health to roll out again in 2011

At the end of 2010 it looked like it might not happen, but the good news is that Teaching Sexual Health will be running again from Term 2 in 2011. Lead by NSW Department of Education and Communities and in partnership with various Local Health Networks, Stage 2 of this successful program will be offered to teachers in 10 areas around NSW. The focus of Stage 2 is sexual diversity and it builds on Stage 1 which covered sexual health and blood borne viruses.

To find out more about Teaching Sexual Health, contact: Yuri Chernenko yuric@fpnsw.org.au or visit the webpage.

 

 

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Resource Round-Up

About Masturbation is FPNSW's Health Promotion’s freshest resource.

We asked the project coordinator and Acting Manager Health Promotion, Rob Hardy, for the low-down. 

What is About Masturbation for Females?

Rob: It’s an easy English resource for women with an intellectually disability.

What information will we find inside?

Rob: Inside About Masturbation for Females, you’ll find a social story with illustrations and easy English text. It also includes notes for support people such as parents, carers and disability workers. The information is put in a way which meets the needs of women with an intellectually disability. For example, one of the key messages is around socially appropriate masturbation such as public and private behaviours and places.

Why was this resource produced?

Rob: Often, people with disability aren’t seen as sexual beings. They can sometimes be discouraged from expressing their sexuality, such as masturbation. This resource challenges the negative messages and myths about masturbation and provides information in a sex positive way.

What is sex positive?

Rob: Sex positive in this context is an approach to masturbation which sees it as a positive and natural part of human sexuality.

Who will find this resource most useful?

Rob: It’s for someone with low literacy wanting to learn the rules about masturbation. Therefore, women with an intellectual disability, their parents, carers and support workers, will all find the resource useful.

About Masturbation for Females is available through Healthrites Bookshop.

 

 

Top Selling FPNSW Resources

1. Contraceptive Kit
2. Contraceptive Choices (Flip Chart)
3. Giant Plush Microbes

Most Visited Health Promotion Resources Online

1. Keep It Safe, Keep It Sexy - Youth Information Card
2. Safe Sex Pack for Aboriginal Communities
3. Safe Sex Pack for Young People

To receive Between the Sheets newsletter by email click here. 

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This information is applicable for: Aboriginal Communities; Disability Workers; Doctors; Men; Multicultural (CALD); Nurses; People with a disability; Same-sex attracted; Service Providers; Teachers; Women; Young people
Subject: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders; Aboriginal People; Adolescence; Adult Education; Carers; Education; Ethnic Groups; Health Education; Health Promotion; Homosexuality; Indigenous peoples; Intellectual Disabilities; Non-English Speaking Background; Programs; Research ; Resources; Safe Sex; Schools; Sex Education; Sexual Health
Keyword(s): Disability; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual; Multicultural; Puberty; Relationships; STIs/STDs (Sexually Transmissible Infections); Sexual Behaviour; Sexual Health; Young People