After the Guelph Sexuality Conference

The Guelph Sexuality Conference was last week, and it was excellent.  Held at my Alma mater, the University of Guelph, the conference brought together a variety of people from across Canada and the US, all of whom share a passion for human sexuality.  I thoroughly enjoyed the conference; it was my first poster session opportunity and it was great to get some exposure for the workshop that I spent so much time developing.   Perhaps the most exciting part of the conference (for me!) was the change to meet and network with people who have a great deal of knowledge, skill and experience and are willing to share that expertise with me.

Many of the workshop sessions I chose to attend were heavily focused on providing sexual health education to youth.  This youth-focused approach gave me the opportunity to learn about what other people have done and how they have made their programs successful with youth audiences.  As well, I left the conference with the realization (or perhaps reminder is the better word) that there is a lot more to human sexuality than I have been addressing in my workshops.  My focus has been primarily on risk reduction, and the things we discussed in several of the workshops I attended have broadened my awareness.  Stay tuned for more information about this in my "workshop" section!

Now that the Guelph Sexuality Conference is over, it's time to get back to the real work.  If you are looking for more information about my workshops or the work that I have done, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I will continue to post updates as things come together.

Stay tuned!
Candice

A Sneak Peek!

The Guelph Sexuality Conference is a little more than a week away - time is whipping by!  I have prepared the slides for my poster, and I thought I'd share a little "sneak peek" of what I'm preparing!

In addition to the excitement of the Guelph Sexuality Conference, I'm pleased to announce that I have reached - and surpassed - the 1,000 website visitor milestone!  THANK YOU for your ongoing support and encouragement, and positive feedback.  It does not go unnoticed!

More soon!
Candice :)

Up next: Guelph Sexuality Conference

In just a couple of weeks, I will be taking a drive back to what is definitely my favourite Ontario city, Guelph.  I will be spending three days at what is definitely my favourite university, the University of Guelph (go Gryphons!).  It's where I spent most of what I think of as my "formative years" ... although I was finished growing physically, my time at U of G is where I explored myself and experienced a great deal of emotional, mental, psychological growth.  I'm definitely excited to go back and experience my alma mater from my more recently developed (and more mature?) state of mind; as an alumni rather than a U of G student.

The reason for my trip to Guelph is the 32nd Annual Guelph Sexuality Conference.

The entire event - including the SAR (Sexual Attitudes Reassessment) weekend, and the Sex Therapy Training Program - lasts nearly two weeks.  I will be attending the final three days - the Pre-Conference and the Main Conference.  I've signed up for workshops discussing topics such as: what is effective for sexual health education with youth, using social media to promote sexual health, promoting inclusiveness in schools, and communicating about sex with teen girls.

I'm very excited to be part of the poster sessions as well, and am working on my poster presentation entitled "Let's Talk About Sex: A Comprehensive, Youth-Oriented Workshop".

I'm really looking forward to this conference and to expanding my knowledge and contacts within my field.  I will let you know how it goes!

Candice :)

Abortion ... whose right?

As you may be aware, abortion is a hot topic these days.  Beyond the usual Pro Choice vs Pro Life debate, the conservative Harper government's recent announcement that they will not support abortion funding for women in developing nations has sparked hot debate both at home and abroad.

Canada is now the only nation in the G8 who is refusing to support funding for abortion, in addition to other measures such as contraception and maternal health care.  The controversy, it seems, stems partly from the fact that the Harper government waited until last Monday to announce, "for the first time that Canada will not fund abortions in its G8 child and maternal health-care initiative for developing countries" (CBC News).

This was good news for Canada's anti-abortion groups, who demonstrated their support for Harper's conservative policy, in Ottawa and across the country (The Globe and Mail).  Activists took to Parliament Hill, calling for an end to abortion and claiming that abortion "constitutes a crime against humanity" (The Globe and Mail).  Although Harper has said that he does not want to reopen the abortion debate here in Canada, it would seem that, in a way, he already has.

I'm interested to see where this goes ... are we losing our status as a forward-thinking, accepting nation?  Will Canadian women have to fight, again, for the right to choose?  Given that we now stand alone against the rest of the G8 on this issue for women around the world, I'm starting to wonder if this is the case.

What do YOU think?

Candice

It's the Final Day!

Tonight is my final workshop session!  This ending is bittersweet ... although it has been an insane amount of work to get through this workshop, I have enjoyed it immensely and will miss running it when it's over.  All the more reason to keep improving and looking for another opportunity to run a workshop!

I've prepared what I think is a pretty awesome info board for tonight's session on Teen Pregnancy.  My intention is to give a "reality check" to those youth who may view pregnancy and raising a child as something that would be "fun" or "something to do".  The board draws attention to three main things:

1) that having a baby changes your whole life;

2) that babies are expensive and;

3) that it's hard to pay for a baby when you and/or your partner haven't yet finished high school, or if you're relying on Governmental support to get you through.

A disclaimer, just in case: In no way am I trying to negate the positive aspects of parenthood, nor am I demeaning those who have had children when they were teens.  As usual, I am trying to educate about the realities involved with having a child.

I still need to put together the actual activity board, but I wanted to share this info board with you!

Thanks for your support!
Candice :)

Babies Having Babies ...

Based on the title, you can probably guess (if you haven't read previous posts or don't remember) - tomorrow's workshop is about Teen Pregnancy.  It's also the FINAL session of my workshop - an adventure which has flown by and developed into far more than I could have imagined!

As is the case with all of my workshop sessions, the information I present tomorrow will be both practical and relevant to my audience.  I don't see any point in standing in front of them and spouting random, irrelevant knowledge that won't help them in their lives.  Instead, I am going to focus on helping them figure out how to apply what I talk about to their own lives.  Maybe one of them will walk away thinking "Wow, I am not ready to be a parent yet."  Fingers crossed!

As I've already stated, this workshop has grown into far more than I could have imagined.  I'm incredibly thrilled with how well everything has gone, and very proud of the youth who have been part of the sessions.

What I have now is a very comprehensive and widely applicable workshop which can be edited and tailored to a variety of audiences.  Running my workshop at the OYC has given me a chance to step back and evaluate every aspect of it; yes, I will definitely make a few changes before I run it again.  However, I have worked hard to build a strong foundation, and it will continue to get better!

Even though my workshop is ending, I will be continuing to post regularly.  There is SO MUCH going on in the world of sexual health education!  Also, don't forget to check out the other pages of this site!

• Contact me (Candice)


• All about my workshop!


• Useful resources and links


• About me!


• Support my efforts to educate!

Thanks for tuning in!

Candice :)

Let's be clear ...

As I mentioned in my previous post, this week's workshop was focused on the topic of Communication - specifically in the context of interpersonal (intimate) relationships.  It was an interesting and challenging week; five new youth for a total of twelve and some interesting group dynamics made for a different session than I am used to.

I think that the challenge of managing this week's group while presenting the material in a clear and understandable way was a really good thing.  Being continually challenged ensures that I am also continually thinking, e.g. "How would I revise this next time?".  I have the opportunity to assess what is working well and what I would like to change, which is certainly important when developing any sort of program.

Yesterday I attended a conference with two others from the Youth Centre; it was a leadership and equity conference focused on GLBTQ students in high schools.  There were approximately 150 students, teachers and allies in attendance and we were there as community supporters and to provide information about the OYC as well as my workshop.  The other two tables were occupied by an RN from Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit and PFLAG, of which I am a proud ally member.  It was an interesting experience, and I would liken it to the proverbial "small fish, big pond" scenario.  I met some really great people and exchanged a few business cards and I enjoyed the opportunity to be there.

Since this is National Youth Week, the OYC hosted a BBQ last night.  The hot dogs were absolutely delicious and the OYC was the busiest I have ever seen it.  What a successful week!

Coming up next week: Teen Pregnancy!

Ciao for now,

Candice