Sex Education

Health promotion,
LGBTQ+, resources,
pregnancy and more.

https://youtu.be/U5xkxTfVLSA
Adolescent Feedback

“My sex-ed was a failure. I didn’t learn about

body parts and their proper names. I never
learned about bad touches and that people I
know can hurt me too. I never learned about
what to do or who to tell if someone abused
me. I never learned that I have a right to my
own body and a right to say no. I never
learned it was ok to have a different sexuality
or gender identity. I never learned about how
to communicate and respect boundaries. I
never learned how to support my friends or
family if they experienced sexual or domestic
violence.”
Adolescent Feedback

“Sex-ed did not teach me the right I have over

my own body. That failure made it possible
for me to be sexually assaulted continuously
for two years in elementary school. Sex-ed
must expand on consent and sexual violence
and have consent culture ingrained in our
social interactions and values, from
kindergarten on. It should be mandatory. By
not teaching consent, the Canadian
government is allowing young people to have
their power taken away and their rights to
bodily autonomy taken away. Teaching
consent will save lives and prevent trauma
that impacts people for their whole lives.”
 Adolescent Feedback

“I never learned how to respond to rejection.

I never learned that sex shouldn’t or doesn’t
have to hurt. I never heard about
reproductive control, like birth control and
abortion. I was left to my own devices, many
of which were unreliable, biased, and
inaccurate, in learning about these topics.”
 “The majority of young people surveyed in a
British Columbia study reported that they are
not learning where to get tested for an STI
(57%) or where to get emergency
contraception if they need it (52%) nor are
they learning where to get free condoms or
contraception (38%) or where to access birth
control (47%).”
 Who is at Risk?

Our target group is the adolescent who

ranges from 10-20 years of age

The mind of an adolescent is going through a

transition of thinking concretely (where only
the here and now is important) to thinking
abstractly (often considering the future)
(Perry et al., 2017) This puts them at risk for
making uninformed decisions that can
greatly affect their future.

With a steady stream of media, “many

adolescents who engage in sexual activity are
influenced by the amount of sexual activity
they perceive their peers to partake in, as
well as perceiving their activities to be low
risk in nature.” (Perry et al., 2017
 Health Promotion
“Public health care providers have been
alarmed by the trend toward greater sexual
activity at increasingly younger ages,
particularly of the adverse consequences…the
rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea have risen
in the Canada over the past 20 years.” (Perry et
al., 2017)

Our goal is to reduce these health

inequities through access to information
surrounding sexual health, provide
resources and normalize conversing with
health care professionals in order to make
better informed decisions.
What are we educating on?
By providing a better level of education
and resources accessible to this
demographic we are gearing services
toward the promotion of health (the fifth
principle of the Ottawa Charter 1986)
Sexual Health Education covers such a
vast scope of issues some examples are:
STI’s
contraceptive
consent
pregnancy
gender/gender identity
healthy sexual activity
 Sexually Transmitted
Infections
“While sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) affect
individuals of all ages, STDs take a particularly heavy
toll on young people CDC estimates the youth ages
15-24 account for almost half of the 26 million new
sexually transmitted infections that occurred in 2018”

Reasons young adults are more at risk

-Not being comfortable talking to their clinician
-False information is shared amongst youth/
myths about STD’s/STI’s are believed
-Young women’s bodies are more biologically
prone to STD’s
-may have multiple sexual partners
Prevention methods
-vaccinations
-condoms
-regular testing/ testing between partners
-reduced sexual partners
 Pregnancy & Adolescents

Although adolescent pregnancy has decreased

significantly in the last 20 years this doesn’t mean we
should stop addressing it or the issue may begin to arise
again. It is important that young women know their
resources and feel comfortable seeking help. It is also
important that us as health care providers provide a safe
and comfortable space for those young women to share
and that we remain judgment free. It is also our job to
help education misconceptions around reproduction and
precautions to take .
“Teenage pregnancy can be linked to things such as lack
of education and information about reproduction, peer
pressure and early engagement of sexual activity”

Risks of pregnancy at adolescence

- Mother and baby might not get the prenatal care

that is needed to be healthy enough to carry the
baby to term
- Teens that are pregnant/raising a baby have a hard
time finishing school
- Baby’s are more likely to be born early
- Low birth weight
 Contraceptives
There are so many birth control methods and although
most sex education classes teach about what they are
and how they work that’s about all that is covered
 Facts for the boys

The standard of sex education for all young adults is

lacking substantially but especially for the adolescent
male, they tend to receive even less information. The
pressure is put on girls to be prepared by being on
some sort of contraceptive but it becomes an equal
responsibility of both parties involved.

Consent is also a crucial education piece that is not

being talked about only 1 in 3 young adults say they
understand what consent is. Consent is when you are
given permission to do something, this happens in
two ways both verbally (saying yes) and physically
(positive body language), without consent it is sexual
assault. Not only will this make our younger male
generations aware of these responsibilities and what
consequences will follow but also increase feeling of
safety for our younger women. Sexual assault cases
are rising so instilling this information to our young
adults will hopfully decrease these numbers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGoWLWS4-kU
Have you or someone
you know have been
sexually assaulted?
If you are concerned about someone you
know or you yourself have experienced being
sexually assaulted know that you are not
alone, here are some resources:

-Sexual Assault hot-line open 24 hours a day

7 days a week: 800-656-HOPE(4673)

- Call 911 if you feel in danger

- Find social support with people you trust

- Go to nearest clinic or hospital to get

checked (rape kits)
LGBTQ2S+
Adolescents who identify as LGBTQ+ get the
least amount of sex education, which can
further lead to health demotion. It is
important that adolescents are aware of the
risks and questions about their sexual
health, regardless of sexuality.
Gay males and bisexuals are most at risk for
HIV, AIDS and many other diseases spread
during any type of intercourse. The use of
condoms can help prevent this.
Between ages 13 to 29, more than two
thirds of new HIV infections come from gay
males and bisexuals. Transgender people
are included in over four times the national
average, particularly transgender women of
color.
Seeing your doctor for regular checkups if
you are sexually
active to test for
STI’s, as well as
make sure your
immunizations
are up to date.
STI testing can
also be done at
most clinics, and is 100% confidential.
 LGBTQ2S+
LGBTQ+ are at high risk for being victims of
violence and harassment, between 30% and
70%.
LGBTQ+ youth are also at a greater risk for
depression, and it is important to reach out
(Resources) to learn ways to handle these
feelings.
Gender Identity is one of the most unspoken
of issues amongst LGBTQ+ sexual
education.
Identity is what you feel, Expression is how
you present yourself, Sex is what was
assigned at birth, physical attraction and
emotional attraction is what you look for in
partners.
If you need counselling?

If you need a PAP Smear?

If you have questions?

If you are pregnant?

If you are scared?

We’re Here to Help!
Wellness Together Canada offers phone and text
counselling for adults by Homewood Health at no
cost.

https://www.actioncanadashr.org/sites/default/fil
es/2019-09/Action%20Canada_StateofSexEd_F%20-
%20web%20version%20EN.pdf

The Foundry offers young people ages 12-24

health and wellness resources to
communities across BC and online.

Foundry - Where Wellness Takes Shape - (fou

ndrybc.ca)

Teen pregnancy hotline 1-800-672-2296 is

available to help refer you to a confidential
pregnancy center or offer a safe place to
talk about your options

Canada prenatal nutrition program (CPNP)

provides funding to community groups to
help improve the health of pregnant women,
new mothers and their babies who face
challenges that put their health at risk such
as teen pregnancy
 References

Perry, A. & Potter, P. (2017) Canadian

Fundamentals of Nursing. (Revised 6th
Edition) Elsevier Canada, Toronto Ontario
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/servic
es/health-promotion/childhood-adolescence/p
rograms-initiatives/canada-prenatal-nutrition-
program-cpnp.html
https://www.actioncanadashr.org/sites/default/
files/2019-09/Action
%20Canada_StateofSexEd_F%20-%20web
%20version%20EN.pdf