Blindfish RSE

Relationships are kind of like trees I just got back from doing a school assembly talking about relationships. In the short time I had we covered the basic idea that the relationships we have are first rooted in us. Therefore how we think and feel about ourselves impacts what kind of relationships we have (and even who we have relationships with). We looked at how body confidence, self esteem and emotions all impact our choices in a relationship. Plus we talked about how examples from our lives and in the Media shape what our expectations are in relationships.  We then went on to think about how some attitudes act as the trunk supporting everything else in the relationship. I got the young people to suggest some attitudes that would be helpful in supporting a positive relationships. Then I revealed that trust and respect are the two attitudes I personally think are the most supportive in a relationship.  Finally we talked about what I called the f...

Treating the Sex Ed past of america as a learning opportunity Just posting this info graphic by a guy called G reg Voakes  who contacted me letting me know it was online to be shared (thank you). Whilst it is focused on the USA lots of the statistics are very informative for our work in Chester and the UK. I have always thought about the USA as a grand experiment in SRE approaches, we different approaches applied in entire states. But the experiment should be wrapped up. I think that it has conclusively proven that abstinence only education is not effective and that condom only education is not enough. We need comprehensive education that covers it all from the right to say no, emotional well being, relationships, STIs and contraceptives. (plus in my opinion, sex and technology for the next generation)  Created by: PublicHealthDegree.com

Does the system protect the vunrable? This is a big issue and working in the school enviroment and youth club enviroment has made me very aware of possible situations. Especially as my job is to talk about sex and relationships. This can be a very sensitive subject and needs to be responded to as such A good policy is essential. When I read this BBC article I was alternatively annoyed, worried, relieved and concerned. Most of all it highlighted the importance of a robust useable safeguarding policy. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-16927479#story_continues_2 Most accusations against teachers in Wales are dropped I was annoyed that teachers are getting their careers ruined by false accusation. Rex Phillips, from NASUWT is quoted in the BBC article as saying. "It's every teacher's worst nightmare to have a false allegation made against them. Their reputation is damaged and they often find it hard to go back to work, even though they've been completely exonerated. ...

Teen pregnancies at 40-year low This is obviously great news and it is great to have the BBC publish a quote directly crediting this decline to the work of relationship and sex educators. The article does end with a note of caution. Our rates of teenage conception are still higher then the rest of Western Europe. We still have a significant teenage pregnancy problem that needs consistant funding. Maybe i am too pesermistic but I worry that good news like this will lead to people cutting funding to the area "because we have solved that problem now". It is not solved thousands of young people are still getting pregnant when they didnt want to. I hope this good news is seen as a validation of the value of good sex and relationship education. Lets hope those government officials involved in the on going PSHE review will hear and preserve the importance of SRE, it needs to be added as a compulsart element of education. The role of outside expert educators should not be forgotte...

Trying to interest and educate over 100 young people about key issues in just 10 minutes. I kind of hate assemblies, I hated them when I was at school and now working in schools I still kind of hate assemblies, especially Sexual Health assemblies. However, the reasons have changed. When I was a student I hated assemblies because I found them tedious, irrelevant and usually very boring. As I became a 6th formers I sometimes found myself feeling sorry for the poor teacher standing in front of 100 bored students plowing through some moral example or thought for the day. Now i dislike these assemblies for a completly differant reason. I struggle with the assembly format because the format does not make discussion, feedback or questions easy. These are the most qde important parts of a good sex and relationship education session. Yes im sure young people can recieve information just from watching & listening to someone delivering a assembly. Maybe one of the key points will...

Helping teens see how perceptions of beauty are twisted by the media Fact from the show 1/2 of all anorexics are girls aged 16-19 Good to see that Gok is doing a programme not just highlighting the issue with young people but looking at how to help some individuals. In particular Jake is clearly a guy who needed some help. 6ft 9 and over 20 stone he had been so badly bullied he would not leave his house with out his mum. Bullying can be viscously powerful. When young people get to this stage they need to get personal one to one support. Size and strength is no protection from emotional damage. I am very impressed they show that Jake is getting professional support/help. Too often in TV it seems like the famous presenter solves all their emotional problems but not on Gok's show. Very refreshing to see a more honest approach. Love Gok taking him to the ring Great to see that he is talking to teachers. From my work in schools I know that the opportunities w...

Could you explain how HIV impacts the body? I ask this question at the start and end of every HIV lesson I teach. Its a way of trying to monitor if my lesson is making a difference. Asking if they could explain a topic to someone else is a reasonable test to see if people understand the topic themselves.  Today I asked this question at the start of a lesson and none of the 32 young people (13-14) could say yes. Now I am used to most young people not knowing that much about HIV but usually 1 or 2 say yes. It reminded me just how low the level of HIV awareness is in the general population. Now I know that HIV rates are low in the UK but they are on the rise . If we are not careful it is very possible that we could have a significant problem with HIV if we fail to educate people about the risks. The role of ARVs may help make people live significantly longer so that HIV can be seen as a chronic condition and not a death sentence, yet the co...