COLLECTIVE ACTION FOR RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY EDUCATION (RSE) |
|
|
As you jump into our third e-newsletter for the year, we want to thank everyone who embraced our recent campaign to support the amazing book Welcome to Sex. We're excited to see that sales are still soaring and it remains on the #1 Best Seller list for Amazon. Don't forget that Wear it Purple Day is on next week and this is a great opportunity to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people. Continue scrolling for further updates related to relationships and sexuality education (RSE) in Australia - there are lots of things happening internationally and throughout the country. |
|
|
If you currently work in an Australian school, please share your experiences via this online survey (closes 1 September 2023). On behalf of the Australian Government, the research team is trying to: Identify and map the delivery of respectful relationships education (RRE) programs currently being used in Australian schools, including tailored delivery for specific student cohorts. Document any professional learning and development provided to Australian school staff to support the delivery of RRE.
|
|
|
Let's celebrate 'Wear it Purple' day |
|
|
Wear it Purple Day is August 25th. Click the image above to learn more. The theme for the event this year is "Write Your Story" and the hope is to place emphasis on the importance of personal expression and individuality for rainbow youth. In a world where social media, the media and our education system often creates pressure to conform to norms, broken structures and certain standards, this theme hopes to encourage young people to embrace their unique perspectives and to share their stories with others. |
|
|
Catching up with... Vanessa from Talking the Talk |
|
|
Vanessa Hamilton from Talking the Talk. Healthy Sexuality Education. |
|
|
Bloom-Ed had the pleasure of recently speaking to Vanessa Hamilton, founder of Talking the Talk. Healthy Sexuality Education. This fabulous program provides provides evidence-based RSE that builds the capacity of both families and schools to provide vital information and support for young people. Talking the Talk is a small business seeking to improve sexual health and wellbeing for all. It started when Vanessa's own child came to her with a question relating to sex, and despite her 15 year career as a sexual health nurse, she did not feel well-equipped to respond. Vanessa began by creating a presentation for her child’s school and this work quickly gained momentum. More and more schools sought her out for training and she then developed a comprehensive RSE program that enables a whole-school approach for both primary and secondary school contexts. Vanessa is also careful to ensure that when she delivers student presentations, she also includes information sessions for parents and provides professional learning for educators. Evidence shows that RSE is most successful when all parties are committed to the process. Talking the Talk have successfully supported students ranging from prep all the way through to university! |
|
During the Covid pandemic, Vanessa developed a Talking the Talk virtual classroom series. These online sessions include accompanying resources and lesson plans. Again, these materials support young people, educators and families collectively. Vanessa’s first published book, Kit and Arlo Find a Way, teaches young people aged 8-12 years about permission, consent and respectful relationships. Parents and schools can be further supported with additional online materials. Her second book, Talking Sex, comes out on September 6. Talking Sex is a guide for parents to have conversations with their children about sexuality, safety, reproduction, their bodies, diversity, pleasure, relationships, health and consent. We can't wait to read it! Occasionally, Vanessa does come across parents or school staff who have misconceptions about RSE and may be resistant to this form of education. She feels strongly that the government should release a statement to make it clear that they support schools to deliver this content. She feels everyone has a human right to receive this sort of education, and we at Bloom-ED wholeheartedly agree! Thank you for being one of our Allies Vanessa, and for all you do to educate and empower! |
|
|
SECCA provides specialised workshops in the area of sexuality and human relationships as they relate to disability. |
|
|
Extra! Extra! Read all about it... |
|
|
| | Open consultations The Western Australian Government is seeking feedback on two documents at the current time. They have drafted a strategy that will take a whole-of-government approach to preventing and addressing sexual violence in the community. They are also reviewing the experiences of victim-survivors of sexual violence within the criminal justice system. | | |
|
| | An open letter from the International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH) about Comprehensive Sexuality Education | | |
|
|
| | Won’t somebody think of the children? Qld LNP votes no to consent education. Kids learning about respectful relationships at school boosts their well-being as well as their academic performance. So why has the LNP voted against it? | | |
|
| | 'We haven’t been taught about sex’: teens talk about how to fix school sex education | | |
|
|
| | How do I insert a tampon? | | |
|
| | Not all porn is created equal - is there such a thing as a healthy pornography? | | |
|
|
| | Talking the Talk. Virtual Classrooms Primary and Secondary school sexuality, respectful relationships and consent education delivered virtually to the classroom anytime. | | |
|
| | Talking Sex This groundbreaking book challenges readers to reconsider outdated beliefs about sex and sexuality education. It’s packed with conversation starters, tips and strategies to empower adults to provide the accurate, comprehensive, age-appropriate information children need for a fulfilling and safe journey through life. | | |
|
|
| | ReachOut Where young people can openly express themselves, get a deeper understanding and perspective on what’s happening in their lives, connect with people who will provide judgement-free support, and build the resilience to manage their challenges now and in the future. | | |
|
| | Wear it Purple Day Wear it Purple Day website provides resources for the lead up of the day, school resources and a page to register a Wear it Purple event that you are hosting. | | |
|
|
| | World Sexual Health Day As WSHD 2023 approaches, we encourage you to start planning how to get involved and positively impact your community. Together, we can raise awareness, reduce stigma, and improve access to essential sexual health resources. | | |
|
| | The Sex Ed Lecture Series Based in the United States, the Sex Ed Lecture Series features leaders in sexuality education from around the world sharing their research and best practices every Wednesday at 7pmEST/UTC-5. | | |
|
|
| | Friends can Tell The team from Brook in the UK have created a series of animations suitable for young people of different ages so they can support friends in unhealthy relationships. | | |
|
| | Position Statements from Brook (UK) Read some of the Brook position statements regarding RSE and associated issues. "In order to meet young people’s needs we must lead the debate in the controversial, difficult subjects that affect them. We will continue to be proactive in our lobbying and advocacy work in order to keep young people’s rights at the forefront of the political agenda". | | |
|
|
We want to celebrate, share and make aware. As part of Bloom-Ed's mission to create collective action for RSE, we would love to showcase the fabulous work that is happening around Australia. We want to spotlight any work that supports efforts to provide evidence-based RSE to Australians - be this through homes, schools, community groups, or other means. How can you help? Let us know if there is campaign, petition, consultation or event that we should now about. We'd love to share it. Do you know of a good RSE resource or program that we can showcase on our socials or in our next newsletter? We are always keen to spotlight fabulous initiatives.
|
|
|
So who is Bloom-ED? We are a collective of teachers, researchers, sexologists, students, parents and activists who operate as an alliance - in conjunction with other organisations - to advocate for comprehensive RSE. Learn more about our hopes for RSE here. At the current time our focus is on improving RSE delivery in Australia, but watch this space... |
|
|
SPREAD THE WORD. Forward this email and encourage colleagues to subscribe... |
|
|
|
|
