2015 was another successful year for Sexual Health & Family Planning ACT. On Thursday 19th November SHFPACT members and guests gathered for our 2015 Annual General Meeting at Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG). The evening included some very interesting SHFPACT and partner staff presentations on their 2015 conference updates.
Canberra abortion clinics to get protest-free 'privacy zones' as laws pass ACT Legislative Assembly.
Anti-abortion protesters will not be allowed to congregate outside ACT medical clinics under new laws passed by the Legislative Assembly. The Health (Patient Privacy) Amendment Bill 2015, introduced by the Greens in July, establishes privacy zones around approved medical facilities. People wishing to protest, hold vigils or interact with visitors to the facilities will not be allowed to enter the zones at certain times of day.
Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury said women should be entitled to access the services without fear.
The internet and social media have widened the gulf between parents and teens regarding sex, with parents' focus on the dangers of porn and sexting ignoring their children's desire for basic relationship advice in the digital age. The Young People, Sex, Love and the Media project found only one in five teenagers would seek advice from their parents about love and sex. Most fear their parents are too judgmental and leap to the worst conclusions about what their kids are up to.
Teenagers also said they felt let down by school sex education that is too narrowly focused on biology and risk-prevention messages.
Macquarie University professor Catharine Lumby conducted focus groups with high school students to ascertain how the media they use influences their behaviour and attitudes towards sex and relationships. She found little evidence the internet had been a corrupting influence on teenage sex lives, but that there was a real need to help teenagers navigate relationships in the era of Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Erin Smith (top right) the Project Officer for Safe Schools Coalition in the ACT presented at the Department of Health’s Wear it Purple morning tea!
Rain could not dampen the mood at Safe Schools Coalition ACT schools as students, teachers and wider school communities celebrated Wear it Purple Day in the Capital.
Member schools all over the territory marked Wear it Purple Day by participating in diverse and exciting activities ranging from colouring hair and painting nails purple to ‘Accessa-RISE yourself’, film screenings, tie-dying book bags, holding an ‘eduCAKE’ bake stall, soap box sharing, sausage sizzles and hosting book readings that celebrate diversity.
Safe Schools Coalition ACT’s consortium partners also hosted Wear it Purple day events for young people, a highlight was the purple food cook off at local youth centres.
Scott from member school Gungahlin College, said, “When I first saw the Safe School Coalition’s OMG booklets, I knew that I was safe here and that the Coalition was something I wanted to be a part of so that I could help other kids like me.” Safe Schools Coalition ACT’s Project Officer Erin Smith was invited to speak at the Department of Health’s Pride Network Wear it Purple Day event. Erin spoke on the importance of inclusive education and creating learning spaces where all students and teachers feel safe, included and celebrated.
As the program in the ACT grows so will the amount of Wear it Purple day celebrations. We can’t wait to see what creative and exciting ways Canberra members schools celebrate next year!
If you would like to know more abou Wear it Purple day visit: wearitpurple.org
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Pictured above: Althea Mackenzie from Safe Schools Coalition NSW speaks at the Safe Schools state and territory manager panel, facilitated by Monique Schafter (far left), and featuring (from left to right) Roz Ward (SSCV), Natalya Giffney (SSCSA), Tim Bavinton (SSCACT) and Susan Ditter (SSCTas).
The cold and frosty 4.00am start could not suppress the excitement of the Safe Schools Collation ACT Crew as we boarded a bus headed to the Safe Schools Coalition Australia National Symposium.
SSCACT was delighted to accompany forty high schools and college students from Safe Schools Coalition member schools attending the Safe Schools Coalition Australia National Symposium. More than 320 participants from across the country joined the event to celebrate the work of Safe Schools Coalition Australia and share ideas for making our schools safer and more inclusive of same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students, staff and families.