Sex Ed + Twitter = Awesome!

I'll be the first to admit, I've been slow to get on the Twitter bandwagon.  I still don't use it as much as I probably should, but I'm really starting to see the value it has as a networking and marketing tool.

For example, last night Mark and I decided to conduct a little (nerdy) experiment.  We simultaneously posted links to his most popular site - ImOnRecess.com - which features free games, videos, tv shows and movies (it's a pretty cool site and you should check it out!).  Our purpose was to determine how much of an impact posting the link on Twitter and Facebook would have - and it was pretty cool to watch the traffic spike!  (Yes, we are nerds).

Perhaps my hesitation around Twitter has been based on the number of porn and related sites that "follow" me.  Or perhaps it's just that I'm so busy with school, work and establishing this business that Twitter gets pushed to the back of my mind (Facebook, on the other hand?  I'm there!).  Either way, Twitter has gained new respect from me for helping me to discover a new blog ... SexualityToday. The author of this blog is Stephen Snyder, a psychiatrist from New York City.  His blog is interesting and relevant to this field, and I thought you might enjoy it.

So ... enjoy!

- Candice

Find me under 'Sexual Health Education'

Last week, while in the midst of a discussion with one of my CYW instructors, I realized something ... my life revolves around sex.  You may be thinking "Well duh, you're making a career out of talking about it!", but until that moment I had not realized just how much of my life - both professional and academic - is focused on this topic.

The more I think about it, the happier I feel.

I consider myself to be very fortunate - I am building a life and career around something I love to do, albeit slowly.  I get to talk about what I think is an absolutely fascinating subject, and only some of the people I encounter look at me like I've lost my marbles.  Of course, I wouldn't be here if I were doing it all on my own.

In fact, Sex Ed Central wouldn't exist if it weren't for Mark Garland, Owner of Analyzed Marketing Solutions and my wonderful, supportive life partner.

Mark has helped me take my "dream job" and build it into a reality.  Not only did he see my potential and encourage me to "go for it!" - he has helped me to put my business together and continually helps me to figure out where to go next.  He has put together this website, taught me how to use it, and is constantly fixing it when I mess things up.  Thanks to his amazing internet marketing and SEO work, people are actually able to find me amongst the millions of websites out there.  In fact, if you go to google.ca and search for "sexual health education" (without the quotations), you will find this site listed on the first page.  Out of over 53 MILLION results, I'm in the top 10.  How awesome is that?

This post is dedicated to you, Mark, for all that you have done for me.  THANK YOU for your help and support, your skills and knowledge, and your willingness to listen to me talk about sex on a daily basis.  Thank you for not complaining when I pack our apartment with a thousand condoms and dozens of boxes of educational materials, and thanks most of all for believing in me.

Now, who wants to talk about sex?

- Candice

p.s. Here's the poster for my workshop on Wednesday!

Ethical Promiscuity

It's almost here!

Wednesday, November 10 is the date of my very exciting and unique workshop is at the University of Guelph! I will be facilitating what promises to be a very interesting discussion. The workshop, entitled "Radical Relationships and Ethical Promiscuity" is sponsored by OPIRG and will be held on campus. If you're interested in more information, don't hesitate to contact me!

The purpose of this workshop is to open up discussion about issues that fall outside of the scope of "typical" sexual health education. We will be discussing what it means to be "promiscuous" - where the word comes from, how we internalize it, and what it means for our sexual relationships. We will look at such topic as pleasure in sexual encounters, safety and self-respect, and what it means to be "ethically promiscuous".

I'm very excited - this workshop has been in the planning stages for several months and I'm looking forward to returning to my Alma Mater to make it happen.  The workshop is open to all genders, identities, orientations and preferences, and I hope to meet many new people.

I will keep you posted! As always, thanks for tuning in.

Candice :)

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

Coming Very Soon!

It's Reading Week! Updates are on their way this week - what I've been up to, and will be up to very soon - as well as what I've been reading.

School is keeping me pretty busy, so I will be temporarily supplementing my posts with relevant and interesting things I have been reading.

Please be warned, some of what I'm directing you to is rather more explicit than what I normally post (particularly "Savage Love"). If you feel you may be offended or disagree with what is posted, please don't go to the sites!

That said, I hope you enjoy and please post comments on here!

Thanks for reading :)

Candice

Homophobic Bullying - It Must Stop

As Ellen DeGeneres said it in her recent video about this issue, "One life lost in this senseless way is tragic; four lives lost is a crisis".

In the past month alone, at least four teens in the US have committed suicide after being subjected to homophobic bullying and teasing.  These kids felt that they had no other option, and that death was easier than dealing with what they were going through.

My heart aches for these kids and for their families, and for the kids who are dealing with this every day.  Kids can be horrible ... I remember my own struggles with bullying, and mine had nothing to do with something as deeply rooted as my sexual orientation and sense of who I was.

I feel that it is incredibly important to share this message.  Please take the time to watch and share the videos below.

The first is of Dan Savage and his husband, Terry, talking about their own struggles with bullying and figuring out their sexuality.  The message in this video is exactly as it's titled - It Gets Better.  Our kids - LGBTQ as well as heterosexual - need to know this.  The bullying ends ... life after high school is so much better, so much more fulfilling, and so much more fun than what they are going through now.  HANG ON, you can get through it.



This second video, recently posted by Ellen DeGeneres, talks about the crisis in teen bullying and asks us to join together to make it STOP.



Please share this post and especially these videos ... spread the word that this is happening and that we need to stop it.  Kids don't need to die in this senseless way, before they have a chance to really live.

- Candice

What's the deal with "promiscuity"?

I am in the midst of arranging a workshop at the University of Guelph in September.  I am very excited, as this will be unlike anything I have done thus far, and great experience!  Although the details are still being worked out, the topic of discussion will likely be the concept of promiscuity.

According to Wikipedia, the term "promiscuity" is defined as "sex with relatively many partners" (www.wikipedia.org).  Okay, thanks for clearing that one up, wikipedia!  But wait ... what denotes "relatively many"?  Who decides what is and is not "promiscuous"?  Who sticks these labels onto individuals, and tells them how to define themselves?

*I want to be clear about what I'm saying - I am not suggesting that using the term "promiscuous" is appropriate, nor am I suggesting that anyone label individuals based on their choices regarding sexual encounters.  My intention is to point out ways in which the term is used and to encourage the questioning of the term altogether.*

What about those who are happy to embrace their promiscuity?  How can we encourage and support these individuals who choose to have multiple partners (maybe even at the same time!) and to be smart and safe about their decisions?  What can we, as sexual health educators, allies, advocates and the simply "interested" do to make life easier on the "promiscuous" individuals of our society?  How can we help those who may have been pushed or even forced into a life of promiscuity?  How can we educate, befriend, advocate and question?

I'm nowhere near to suggesting that I know the answers to these questions, but I want to encourage you to consider them.  How can we, as a society, remove some of the stigma around having sex and encourage individuals to make smart and informed decisions - regardless of how many sexual partners they have!  Let's go beyond giving out condoms, and look at what else needs to happen to make the world a more pleasant and easier to navigate place for the sexually promiscuous.

I'd love to hear from you!  Thanks for reading :)