Sexual Health Week 2010: 'The sex you want, the tools you need' for safer sex

Greater Sydney’s Sexual Health Week, 13-19 September, is reminding young people that the only kind of sex they should have is the kind they want. 

“Young people’s relationships can be extraordinarily intense,” said Dolly Doctor’s Dr Melissa Kang. “They often involve exploring entirely new areas, like negotiating sex and finding out what they do and don’t like .” 

“It’s crucial for every young person to feel ready to have sex,” said Dr. Kang. “If they don’t take responsibility for their sexual health early on, it can be difficult to ever be fully in charge of it.” 

Sexual Health Week is in its fifth year and since 2006 the campaign has distributed over 100 000 resources, funded eighty community grants to the value of $80 000 with over 4000 young people directly engaged in community grant activities. 

This year’s Sexual Health Week campaign focuses on consent and communication within sexual relationships and provides factsheets on how to:

Make a choice about sex  - download

How to know when you and your partner are ready to engage in sexual behaviour – from kissing to having sex.

Stay healthy - download

Understand more about sexually transmissible infections (like Chlamydia, Herpes and HIV) and how to get regular sexual health checks.

Understand consent - download

Understanding of you and your partner’s legal rights and obligations when having a sexual relationship.

Know about STIs - download

Learn more about sexually transmissible infections.

Stay safe - download

 A brief factsheet which combines the vital information from all factsheets.

“For young people, consent is one of the hardest things to talk about, because of their fear of no longer being appealing or because they are uncomfortable with what could be a difficult conversation,” said Dr. Kang. “Quite simply, mutual consent is one of the most important parts of a sexual relationship.” 

To help promote the campaign in local areas, 35 community grant winners were selected to spend up to $1,000 to create a unique sexual health activity in their local community. 

Some of the winning ideas from the grant winners include:

• creating an online video in AUSLAN, from the Deaf Society of NSW
• creating a music video parodying a popular song, from Parramatta Mission Koompartoo
• running a design competition where the winning design printed will be printed on underwear, from Liverpool Youth Accommodation  

Go to www.fpnsw.org.au/shw to download the factsheets and get more information on this year’s Sexual Heath Week campaign, ‘the sex you want, the tools you need’.

Resources are available starting 8th September and include safe-sex packs (condom and water-based lube) in a limited edition tin. Also information for young people about getting tested and accessing GPs will be widely distributed. 

Sexual Health Week is an annual partnership project among:

Family Planning NSW    www.fpnsw.org.au/shw

Youth Accommodation Association’s Health Outreach Team NSW

Healthy Cities Illawarra

Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service

South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service

Sydney South West Area Health Service

Sydney West Area Health Service