Sense Project

pile o' condoms!

This week in Sense animator training, volunteers started practicing delivering the series of three workshops we offer to youth.  It was exciting to see their mad facilitation skills and secret talents come out of the closet!

-if a condom breaks while you’re putting it on, start with a new one! this is also true if a condom breaks during condom demonstration - hey, it happens!

Animators rock the Rocky Horror look at Ca Marche!

Tags: ACCM, animator training, Ca Marche, Events, fundraising, HIV, hiv/aids, photos, sense project, volunteers

Hey folks!

It’s been awhile since our last post, ’cause we’ve all been such busy birds and bees starting up the Sense school year!

Sense Animator Training is well underway!  We’re currently training up 14 fantastic volunteers to be able to facilitate Sense Project workshops in schools.  These dedicated young people are giving a whole lot of time and energy, putting on their student hats as well as getting up on their feet to practice.  

Some highlights of the training so far:

• coining the term ‘prejaculate‘ (pre-ejaculate) to describe pre-cum, the fluid that can come out of the penis before ejaculating. we learned from one animator that pre-cum is actually an accepted scientific term now!  but prejaculate is also funny!
• great discussions about sexuality, sexual orientations and gender identities. polyamory, pansexuality, and more… talking about these terms as a group has been a learning experience for a lot of folks, no matter how they identify.
• guest stars like Amber, the Daytime Office Coordinator at Head & Hands, who came in and offered a most excellent workshop on Active Listening & Empowering Referrals, and Robin & Mathab who facilitated a discussion about group/classroom management!
• positive attitudes on display all ’round… getting the giggles out is a regular routine in daily check-ins and check-outs!

We’re halfway through - looking forward to guest workshops from Kathleen, the Health Educator at H&H, and learning more about HIV/AIDS with ACCM on Saturday!!!

Are you interested in leading sex ed workshops with youth? Do you want to contribute to the Sense Project at Head & Hands? We are currently seeking new volunteer animators for the 2010-11 school year!

Some need-to-know info about applying to be a Sense Project animator:

• New animators must be aged 25 and under
• We’re looking for people who can commit to being an animator for the entire school year (Sept-early Dec, Jan-May)
• Animators should have at least some availability on weekdays during the day. Some evening and weekend availability is appreciated too. Last year’s animators volunteered an average of 65 hours each throughout the school year, but how much you end up volunteering depends on your schedule and your availability.
• Bilingualism is not mandatory, but it’s an asset if you are comfortable animating in French. The working language of the training is English.
• It is also an asset if you have previous animation experience or experience working with youth, but it’s not a requirement.
• It is mandatory to attend the full animator training (see dates below)

Animator training dates:

Tuesday Sept. 7^th 6-9pm

Thursday Sept. 9^th 6-9pm

Saturday Sept. 11^th 11-4pm

Tuesday Sept. 14^th 6-9pm

Thursday Sept. 16^th 6-9pm

Saturday Sept. 18^th 11-4pm

Tuesday Sept. 21^st 6-9pm

Thursday Sept. 23^rd 6-9pm

Saturday Sept. 25^th 11-4pm

If you meet these criteria, please contact Nikki at (514)481-0277 or healthed@headandhands.ca. We’ll then book a short screening interview with selected volunteers! The deadline to apply is Friday, August 13^th. If you have any questions, contact Nikki at (514) 481-0277!

Ok, this is not how the training goes. It's even more fun!

I have recently been asked to participate on a radio show about peer sex-educators. Unfortunatly, I can’t make it, but it gave me the idea of sharing with you my wonderful experience as an animator for Head & Hands’ Sense Project.

That project won me over very quickly with its empowering and sex-positive approach. I started off my training with intimate and very useful meetings with new and returning Sense animators. They are all beautiful and devoted people (remember that we are not paid to do this: we do it because we LOVE it!).

In these meetings, I received more useful information about sexuality (anatomy, pregnancy, abortion, giving birth, sexually transmited infections, contraceptive, barrier methods, masturbation, pleasure, toys, selfesteem, love, gender, sexual orientation, relationships, violence, etc.) than I have in my entire life.

I got to practice animating a few times in mock workshops during the training, but I had no idea what the real deal would be like. I had NO IDEA that it would be THAT MUCH FUN!

Youth is so great to work with! Ok, not everyone is always into it, especially on a friday night, last period, but something good always come out of it.

When I started, I thought I would never be able to talk in front of a group. But I jumped right into it and fell in love with it! Facilitating sex-ed workshops gives me such drive. It’s amazing!

To anyone who would like to be a workshop facilitator or a peer-educator, I say: GO FOR IT!! The training is free, you will meet incredible people and wheter you end up animating or not, you will learn so many useful info about sex!! On top of it, when you do animate or help someone you know with what you’ve learn, it’s a great feeling of achievement! I highly recommend it.

If you would be interested in the peer education program, visit the Get Involved section of the website for updates on the upcoming trainings.

Do you need genitals to have an orgasm?

Can dead people have orgasms?

To know the answers to these questions and more, please watch this interesting video… And, maybe go brush your teeth?