Youth KISS Project

1. Youth KISS Project • Knox Innovative Sexual health Strategy Phase 1: Sexual health conversations with young people

2. Summary • Background & context • Methodology • Results – Unwanted sex / Pressure & sex • Recommendations • What now?

3. Project rationale • Chlamydia • Teenage Pregnancy • ‘Unwanted sex’ • Homophobia • Knox Youth Plan • Local anecdotal data

4. Research participants • Knox young people aged 14 – 18 years • 54 males / 57 females • Marginalised groups (JPET, CGEA, SSAY) • Local secondary colleges

5. What we wanted to know • Where YP go for SH info. & support & why • Experience of school based SH education • Attitudes towards same sex attraction • Challenges experienced regarding sex, pressure & consent • Ideas for improving SH ed. & health services

6. How we found out what we did • 1. The Survey • 2. Chat Activity Sessions • 2 - 14 young people per session • 1 - 2 hours • 4 case studies

7. Project findings • Males & females shared similar knowledge levels & views of sources of info. & support; & their experience of SH education was similar; however gender was a major influence on how they think about & experience sexual intimacy.

8. Pressure & sex “Pressure happens every day, there's no stopping it, all the guys will say ‘yeah’ they have sex” (female) “It’s so important for a young man to lose his virginity and if your mates are doing it; that way you can join in the conversation” (male)

9. “Boys lie” “You think more people are doing it because they give off that vibe, and boys lie; they say they are doing this and doing that; there’s pressure” (female) “When we’re in our groups and stuff we all talk shit, but most of it’s not true” (male)

10. Relationships & pressure “There’s pressure if you’re in a relationship from your peers; especially if you’ve been going out for six months, and the girl thinks the guy wants to have sex because they are in a relationship” (female)

11. The ‘no win’ situation “Girls are sluts if they do anything, for guys it’s like high five” (female) “You’re either a slut or you’re frigid, what a choice!” (female) “If she gets around, you can tell by the way she dresses” (male)

12. Consent “There’s so much pressure that like we never really consent” (female) “...scared of being dumped or their partner leaving” (female) “May say ‘yes’ [to avoid] reputation of being frigid” (female)

13. Oral sex “Pressure for girls to perform for boys; yes” (male) “Girls don’t like [doing] it, boys love it” (female) “More girls do oral sex to boys cos they [boys] want it” (female) “At a party the girls think that’s what guys want and there’s an assumption if a couple goes off together then something is happening” (male)

14. Alcohol and sex “The thing about drinking is that it makes it easier to tell a boy you are interested, but like if you are really drunk then like the next day you can wonder if like you really even wanted to” (female) “You’re not in control & others take control of you” (female) “You don’t really know what you’re doing & don’t think straight & a guy might say you don't need a condom” (female) “Usually when the girls are drunk they are pretty easy, they’re not reserved or playing hard to get and are less worried about their reputation; they’re just about having fun” (male)

15. The second phase • Recommendations • Launch & workshop • Working groups

16. Thanks! Shelley Walker Youth Health Worker Knox Community Health Service T: (03) 9757 6278 E: shelley.walker@kchs.org.au www.kchs.org.au/healthpromotion