Sex Ed Central -- 5000+ visitors!

It's hard to believe that it's been over a year since I decided to take the plunge and follow my dream to become a sexuality educator.  A lot has happened in this past year ...



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Spring 2010: My unique CYW placement, wherein I partnered with the AIDS Committee of Simcoe County and the Orillia Youth Centre to develop, deliver and evaluate a 10-week sex ed workshop for at-risk youth.  It was a great experience and definitely contributed to shaping my future goals!

Summer 2010: I continued to build this site, adding content and receiving tremendous support and encouragement.

Fall 2010: Entered the final year of the CYW program, trying to figure out what to do "next".  I joined the Board of Governors of the AIDS Committee of Simcoe County around this time.  I had some key networking experiences during this time as well - particularly at the OACYC (Ontario Association of Child and Youth Counsellors) conference in Orillia.  Additionally, I facilitated an incredible and unique workshop -- Radical Relationships and Ethical Promiscuity -- for OPIRG at the University of Guelph.

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Sex Ed and the OACYC

This week, my program (Child and Youth Worker, or CYW) and college (Georgian College, Orillia) hosted the bi-annual regional conference for the OACYC. The OACYC, which stands for the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Counsellors, is the representational organization for my profession. As stated on their website, "The Ontario Association of Child and Youth Counsellors (OACYC, ou en français, AOCEJ, l'Association Ontarienne des conseillers à l'enfance et à la jeunesse) is the professional association representing the 2000+ Child and Youth Counsellors - members, students and associates in the province of Ontario, Canada. It also provides a voice for the other 8,000 child and youth workers in the province."

If you know me, you may already know that I love conferences!  To me, a conference is an opportunity to network and learn (and of course, to eat lots of yummy food!).  In the past, I've attended leadership conferences for Relay for Life, which were always fun and very inspiring.  This summer, the Guelph Sexuality Conference was an excellent opportunity to network and learn with other individuals who value sexuality in similar ways to myself.  This conference was just as valuable; although the attendees and the topics of discussion were different from any other conference I have attended, opportunities to learn and connect with others abounded!

Having made some valuable connections this week, I am eagerly anticipating whatever opportunities - workshop or otherwise - may arise over the next several months.  I will keep you posted as things continue to develop.  As always, thank you for taking the time to learn about what's happening with Sex Ed Central and myself!

Candice