National Youth Week is here so get ready to own it!

The 1^st till the 10^th of April 2011 is National Youth Week (NYW) and this year’s theme is ‘Own It.’ And yes, I know that means NYW is longer than a week! It’s a giant celebration of young people aged 12 to 25 all over Australia. To get involved in NYW 2011, and check out what is happening in your area visit National Youth Week online.

Select Your Flavour, Check Expiry

The theme of ‘Own It’ could mean a million different things to a million different young people. But to me it means taking ownership over my sexual health and sexual identity. I’m celebrating National Youth Week by taking ownership over my life and empowering myself to stay healthy and in control.

This week, I’m off to get an STI test and a pap smear, I’m giving myself a breast check, I’m going to shave my legs and put on some nail polish, and I’m buying a new pack of strawberry flavoured condoms. I’m revamping my health to proudly say, “I am who I am. I own me!”
We all need to take ownership over our sexual healthand our bodies and we should encourage our friends to do the same.  Here are some ideas of how to start:

• Ask your GP for an STI Test, it’s as easy as peeing in a cup and taking a self-administered swab.
• Guys: learn how to give yourself a testicular self examination at Better Health. Make sure you’ve got plenty of condoms in supply, check they haven’t expired and remember not to keep them in your car where it’s too hot.
• Ladies: learn how to do a breast self examination at Breast Cancer Australia. Talk to your doctor about which method of contraception is best for you and remember to have regular pap smears!
• If you’re questioning your sexual orientation or gender, find a support group who can help you understand your identity and respect you for who you are! Check out our sexuality page for more info.
• Learn how to say no if there’s something you don’t want to do. Self respect is sexy: flaunt it!
• Finally, find the information you need about your health and get the answers to the questions you have.
  For more info on sexual health, visit Get The Facts and also explore the sex section right here on Tune In Not Out, which covers everything from sexual health, contraception to STI’s with videos and factsheets.

It doesn’t matter what your gender identity is, if you identify as same-sex attracted or opposite-sex attracted (or both, or neither!), or if you’re a virgin or experienced.
Everyone needs to stay healthy and in control. So remember to be responsible for your sexual health this National Youth Week and OWN IT!

This post was written by Chenae of YEP Crew, a group of young people who aim to address the issue of STIs and BBVs in the community by actively engaging with young people and encouraging them to make safer and informed choices. For National Youth Week, YEP Crew will be updating their Facebook page every day with info to help empower you to take charge of your sexual health!

Thank you to Student Edge for supporting the development of this blog through the provision on a rather fantastic Goodie Bag for Chanae.

Becoming a Youth Content Producer

Would you like to see you blog feature here? Check out our Be Involved page for how too.

Image By
A Ferro from Flickr under Creative Commons Licence