A program encouraging healthy sexual decision-making and choice by male-identified participants has been expanded, thanks to additional funding.
Breaking Down Barriers: Educating and Empowering At-risk Youth is a program that supports a preventive and comprehensive approach toward healthy sexual decision-making and choice by at-risk youth.
“The scope of sex education has changed and evolved in the past 10 years,” said Nick Sandor, a community educator with Island Sexual Health. “We now educate toward comfort and try to make the conversations normal — rather than awkward. We now touch on culture and gender identity.”
The additional funding, thanks to the Victoria Foundation, will support expanded programming to meet the unique needs of male-identified participants, a population that has traditionally been absent from sexual-health programming and care.
“Youth are naturally curious about sex,” said Sandor. “We want to ensure that the information they are seeking comes from a source that is accurate.”
Island Sexual Health Society takes a preventive and positive approach to sexuality and sexual health. It serves 900 clients annually, offering sexual-health clinics, education programs and products.
Their Educating and Empowering At-risk Youth program seeks out youth not in school and perhaps marginalized in society.
“We want to start a conversation with them, to find out things that are going on with their lives — and to connect them to services they might need.”
To reach out to youth Island Sexual Health has launched its Beyond the Talk program, with education workshops, a youth steering committee, parent education, a youth-specific website (beyondthetalk.ca) and a texting line (250-812-9374) to answer questions regarding sexual health.
The Island Sexual Health Society, non-profit organization and a registered charity, was created in 1969. As advocates in the community, they work to ensure that children, youth, parents and members of diverse groups possess skills essential for learning and practising healthy sexuality.
For more information, go to islandsexualhealth.org
