It's time for more sex!

Well folks, the time has come ... I am officially FINISHED college and now await graduation to officially become a Child and Youth Worker (CYW).  Thank you, Georgian College, for providing me with skills, knowledge, excellent contacts and an opportunity to pursue my passion.

Now that school is over, it's time for the good stuff!  I have relocated to Cambridge, Ontario and am launching myself into building Sex Ed Central.  What does this mean to you, dear readers?  It means more education, more workshops, more blog posts, more news updates ... in short, MORE SEX!

Doesn't that sound like fun?!?

I am open to and seeking new opportunities and networking contacts.  You can help me continue to build by simply sharing this website with anyone you know who may be interested.  If you have an idea, contact me.  I want to hear from you!

Stay tuned, folks ... it's all coming together!
Candice :)

p.s. Updated business cards are on the way!  Here's a preview ;)

Sex Education -- Glee Style

Okay, so I've talked about Glee several times in my blog, I know ... but this post is simply unavoidable.  If you haven't already seen it, today's episode ("Sexy") is all about sex education.  YAY sex education!  The episode highlighted the reality that many high school kids are undereducated and misinformed when it comes to sex.  Also emphasized were the struggles that parents and teachers often have when it comes to talking to kids about sex.

Enter sex educator - in this case, Gwyneth Paltrow ... if only I could sing, I could be on Glee! (that's a joke) ... Gwyneth saves the day by stepping in and talking to the Glee kids about sex, although I must say, she left out an awful lot of information!

I especially appreciated that the episode, while addressing sex education for kids in general, also looked at the challenges facing queer kids in dealing with their sexuality.  Thanks to a pep talk from Blaine, Kurt's dad (Burt Hummel) stepped up and dealt with some of his own issues about gay sex, to be able to talk to his son.  He was open and honest, addressing the realities of sex and making it clear to Kurt that he (Kurt) needs to treat himself with dignity and respect.  I had goosebumps throughout most of that scene and I will keep a look out for clips to post!  Kurt's struggles weren't the only queer sexuality featured tonight ... Santana and Britney's ongoing "lady kisses" were also central to the episode.  It will be very interesting to see where things go from here.

For more tips and suggestions for parents (regarding talking about sex with your kids), check out my page Sex Education for Parents.

Stay tuned for an update as to what's happening with Sex Ed Central (and myself) over the next month ... And don't forget to comment!

Candice :)

Newsworthy Sex - Vol 2: Transgender

The Barrie Examiner recently published a great article which has given me hope for a more progressive and accepting view of sexual diversity. This article features 17 year old Kyle, a young transgendered individual who has been strong enough to come "out and into the mainstream high school halls in his stilettos last September". Kyle has since become involved with local politics and works to educate people and encourage acceptance and tolerance.  Kyle is a wonderful example of a strong, positive representative of the Barrie LGBT youth community.

This article is well worth reading, and you can find it at this link: Breaking Out - Transgender teen touts tolerance while serving as ‘mayor’.

Sex Myths BUSTED!

As a sexual health educator, I get asked a lot of interesting questions.  Often, the person asking the question has simply been misinformed or has misunderstood a piece of otherwise accurate information.  For example, I've had a number of young women and young men say "A girl can't get pregnant when she has her period" ... which is a myth.  Women can become pregnant at any time throughout their cycle.

The blog site Real Sex Ed posted a great post recently -- Top 10 Myths about Safe Sex and Sexual Health.  This post debunks myths about douching, the morning after pill, and the age-old "STI from a toilet seat", to name a few.

Read, learn and enjoy!

Candice :)

Glee and the "F" word

I've blogged about Glee before and after recently re-watching the Lady Gaga episode (Season 1, Episode 20), I wanted to write about it again.

This episode features one of my all-time favourite scenes from this progressive, diversity-friendly show.  I'm talking about the scene where Kurt and Finn are arguing over Kurt's remodel of their bedroom, and Finn drops the "F" word.  Burt Hummel (Kurt's father) overhears Finn's outburst.  It's what he says to Finn that really gives me goose bumps - and hope - that we can teach our young people about acceptance regardless of sexual orientation.

I've tried to find a good clip of this scene ... the one that I am posting below isn't the greatest quality, but it will do the job.



If you want to watch this or any other episode of Glee, I've got you covered!  Click here for this episode of Glee (Theatricality), and here to watch many other shows for free.

Thanks for reading,

Candice :)

DIY Paternity Tests

I just came across an interesting post on a blog site called "Real Sex Ed". I have not yet had an opportunity to fully explore this site, however I wanted to share this post with you.

It seems that the question of paternity (in Britian) can now be solved in a relatively inexpensive and convenient fashion - Do-It-Yourself Paternity Tests!  It would seem that sex education is a never-ending adventure!

The article can be found here:
Who’s Your Daddy? Do-It-Yourself Paternity Tests Hit Pharmacies Across Britain

Happy learning and thanks for reading!
Candice :)

What's in a name?

As you may be aware, I am involved with the AIDS Committee of Simcoe County.  As a result, my knowledge of what's happening in the HIV/AIDS community has increased substantially.  And since the educator in me is ... well ... pretty much all of me, I'd like to share some of my knowledge with you!



So, I want to pose a question to you ... feel free to respond by leaving a comment or sending an email.  If you don't want to respond that's fine, just give it some thought ...

What comes to mind when you hear the word AIDS?

For me, I think of an illness resulting from an incurable and fully preventable infection.  I think of the people I educate who are at risk of becoming infected, and may not even realize it.  And I think of the unfortunate and damaging stigma that has been ingrained into our subconscious minds since the early 1980's.

It's this stigma that I want to talk about in this post, and this stigma that I want you to think about while you're reading it.  There are so many misconceptions and misunderstandings related to HIV and AIDS that people are hesitant to associate themselves with organizations such as the AIDS Committee of Simcoe County (ACSC).  I read an article today that really speaks to this issue, which I want to share with you.  The message of the article is that the acronym AIDS is so heavily stigmatized that some ASO's (AIDS Service Organizations) in Vancouver are considering changing their names and removing AIDS [from their names] entirely.

You can find the article here: AIDS groups remove 'AIDS' from their names

I would really like to hear your thoughts about this!  Feel free to email me or post a comment.

Thanks for reading,

Candice