21st Century SRE - time for a party?

Last week I was talking to one of the @besexpositive volunteers who was involved in developing Brook's 21st Century Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) campaign in 2011 (find out more here). We started with the important bit - the day JLS said they would support the campaign and their visit to our offices. We then moved on to talking about the development of the campaign. We worked with an agency to help us develop our campaign for 'statutory SRE'. They challenged us hard to develop a different concept because most people wouldn't understand what statutory SRE is, what would be different than now, and anyway if government is saying they will not make it statutory we needed a concept that would provide space for a credible alternative. And so the concept of 21st Century SRE was born. 

And as the debates have shown over the last months, they were right. I still firmly believe that statutory SRE is the way that we will see the type of improvements we need, but I am really willing to be proven otherwise. In 2011, Ann Milton, then Public Health Minister, when speaking at Brook's conference said SRE must be improved but that statutory obligations were not the way to make it happen. If there is another way to make the long jump we need to make sure all children and young people get 21st Century SRE show me that way and I, and I am sure most others will be a big champion. 

 I changed my Twitter profile at the beginning of January to read: "Optimistic 2014 will be a good year for sex and relationships education". If January is anything to go by, those of us who have campaigned for high quality sex and relationships education for decades should be having a party by the end of the year. 

The political support for high quality SRE keeps growing. Below are statements/tweets from our Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Shadow Home Secretary in the last couple of weeks - these statements from three of the most senior people across the main political parties.

“I think we can do better in terms of sex and relationship education. We must focus on healthy relationships, and I think we can add onto the guidance that’s produced, better guidance on, for instance, problems of cyber-bullying, sexting - we need to deal with that.”

– David Cameron, speaking before the Commons Liaison Committee, January 2014

“I think there is a special need for us to improve, strengthen, modernise and update the way that we provide sex and relationship guidance and education in schools.”

– Nick Clegg, speaking at a reception for sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust, January 2014

"We are hoping that the House of Lords will vote for compulsory sex and relationships education which […] has to include updated guidance around the internet, around exposure to pornography, and all of those sorts of pressures on young people."

– Yvette Cooper, BBC Woman's Hour, 27 January 2014 

This week the House of Lords will debate a number of amendments to make SRE statutory and a separate one to update the statutory guidance. Follow @brookcharity and @simonablake for the latest information about progress with those debates. Whatever the outcome of these debates, it is clear that we are reaching a tipping point where more and more sensible people are recognising that good SRE is critical in enabling children and young people to move from puberty into adolescence and adulthood with the confidence, skills and resilience to navigate their way through 21st century Britain. A briefing on the amendment is available here. Labour's campaign for statutory SRE is here. 

At the same time parents, carers and all those working with children and young people know good SRE is vital and want help to do it well. So to help schools, independently of government, Brook has teamed up with the PSHE Association and Sex Education Forum to produce Supplementary Advice to the SRE Guidance (0116/2000) which we will be publishing in the next month. We have had expert input from a range of organisations to help us. The Advice will address issues that are not in the statutory SRE Guidance, such as teaching about healthy relationships, sexual consent, and violence and exploitation as well as topics thrown into sharp relief by the rapid development of technology such as online pornography and 'sexting'. 

It is clear that the consensus in support of SRE keeps on and on building, both across political parties, professional groups and the general public, but is it time to get out the party frock? Let's keep our fingers crossed, but my instinct is probably not just yet. We have though reached a tipping point and there is no way but forward. Whilst the politicians keep debating the whys and wherefores, all of us on the ground of course must and will keep on doing our best working in partnership with children and young people to develop and deliver the 21st Century SRE they tell us they want. 

The National Condom Week challenge, JLS and visiting Brook in Salford

I think National Condom Week was launched in 1996, my first year as a full time, paid employee working in sexual health. If not 96, it was 97 and generally condoms were even less of an everyday conversation than they are now, and far far away from how much of an everyday conversation they should be.

Over the last 5 years or so I have  set a National Condom Week challenge to health professionals and all of us determined to empower young people and protect their sexual rights. The challenge is to say the word condoms in as many different contexts as possible, even where it does not make sense to do so.  Whatever the question, condom is the answer.  Befuddled faces and questions of why this answer can easily be explained when people know it is NCW.

So far I have had feedback that it has made teams of people laugh throughout the day, created useful conversations, and made others want to punch me.  As a challenge it seems it is doing its job, and therefore it would be wrong not to issue the challenge again this year.  So my challenge to you is: for at least one day through NCW get (discussions about) condoms into as many answers to questions and discussions as you can.  And if you choose to accept the challenge do let me know of any interesting stories and experiences that come out of it either on this blog or via twitter @simonablake

Yesterday to mark the launch of National Condom Week, boy band JLS teamed up with Durex and MTV to visit some sexual health projects.  Brook services in Salford was one of those, and teams of staff from Oldham, Wirral and Salford showed Marvin, Oritse, JB and Aston the type of education and clinical work staff and young peer educators do - from wearing the beer goggles, witnessing the rubber relay to finding out about sexually transmitted infections it was a really fun morning where the Brook teams showed off their creativity, skill and commitment to working with young people. I was incredibly proud of the team, all of whom told me they found the boys interested in them and what they do, interesting, easy to talk to and a real pleasure to spend time with.

And that has been true of every single experience of JLS throughout the last couple of years we have worked together - they are genuinely committed to, and interested in the issues - so when the journalist from the Manchester Evening News asked how important they are as role models for young people, I agreed they are undoubtedly so.  And they are also role models for other adults - both celebrities and the 'rest of us'.  In their groundbreaking support for young people's sexual health JLS are paving a way for other celebrities to take young people's sexual health seriously, and use their roles to champion the issue.  At the same time they are helping break down the barriers that mean the average person on the street can be freed from embarrassment and shame and start talking about relationships, sex and sexuality so as a country we continue to get better and better at supporting children through puberty, adolescence and into adulthood.

What will you do to be sex: positive - make your pledge

Our brilliantly talented group of young volunteers have developed and today launched a new campaign www.sexpositive.org.uk - JLS have pledged to help create a sex: positive future - follow the link, find out about the campaign, and tell everyone about it

www.sexpositive.org.uk

Young people and STIs - hear our young volunteers, JLS and Brook staff

Below is the link to a Guardian podcast on sexually transmitted infections. JLS, supporters of Brook's 'Big issues don't have to be a big deal campaign', the young volunteers who produced the 'Big Issues campaign', and Brook's Jules Hillier and Gillian Vanhegan are interviewed for the podcast

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/audio/2010/oct/15/focus-podcast-sexually-transmitted-infections-audio

JLS visit Brook offices

Yesterday, following the successful launch of their Just Love Safe condom range in partnership with Durex and the JLS Foundation, JLS visited Brook's offices in Kentish Town to talk to the V team and Ask Brook volunteers about young people and sexual health about their views on sex and relationships education, sexual health services for young people, using condoms and their campaign and other voluntary work at Brook.

The room had a group of young people who do different things at Brook and have been learning about sexual health, understanding their thoughts and feelings, gathering their ideas, generating campaigns and helping other young people for different lengths of time. Before JLS arrived they were talking to a journalist, in full flow, articulate, clear and forceful as always and then JLS arrived..... for a few moments it was clearly overwhelming, and whilst the guys were talking and asking them questions it was clear that brains were going blank with star struck terror and it only took a few moments before they were back on form discussing ideas about how to improve sexual health, and the difference such a high profile band can make to improving the country's attitude to sexual health, young people and our appalling rates of teenage pregnancy and sexual health.

I am so impressed with a) their willingness to be such high profile models for this work b) their creative approach to partnership with Durex that will both make condoms more palatable for many as well as raise funds to be put back into improving sexual health and c) their determination to really understand the issues, to spend time finding out by talking to Brook young people, staff and others and their passion to make a difference and be part of the recipe for the needed change. And I am also proud of the team of young people from across Brook and my team at national office for containing themselves beyond the occassional squeal and for some people holding a particularly hard confidence about what was happening, when and where: it was a great team effort the last few days and I proud of the team for working together to make it a useful experience for JLS, and for Brook.

JLS get behind improving young people's sexual health

Two of Brook's young volunteers and I have just come back from the launch of JLS' charity, JLS Foundation, and their new range of Just Love Safe condoms in partnership with Durex. And to clear this one up at the start - all the profits from the condom sales are going to the JLS Foundation which will support sexual health.

Teenage pregnancy and young people's sexual health has long needed celebrity support and leadership and now at last we have it - incredibly high profile role models who millions of young people respect (and adore) who have already starting speaking out loudly, confidently and intelligently about the need to improve our culture towards sex in this country so that young people can enjoy, take responsibility for, and protect their sexual health.

And in our recent meetings it has been clear that Aston, Oritse, Marvin and JB all know their stuff and they mean business - they know there is no quick fix; today when asked what other causes they may support they said (about sexual health) 'we are in this for the long haul, for as long as it takes'. It is clear that all of them have taken time to understand the issues behind the teenage pregnancy and STI statistics and all of them talk passionately about the need for change.

All of us at Brook are looking forward to working with them over the coming months, years and decades - as long as it takes - so this peculiar 'Benny Hill culture' about all things sexual becomes a thing of the past and all young people get the education, services and support they need so they can have sex when they are ready, with someone they trust, safely.