Dossier I am Safe 2011

The background of our Campaign Group is the rising underage pregnancy rate in the UK plus the increase of sexually transmitted diseases. Young people between 14 and 30 are having unprotected Sex, they go out drinking and just forget about protection or they don’t even care enough. However, we have come to the decision that young people have to be aware of what they’re doing to themselves and to others. We understand that partying and having fun is an essential period of that age group and we do totally agree on going out and doing whatever is fun. Have Fun be Safe that is our statement and understanding. Diseases are transmitted that can cause severe problems for girls if they don’t get checked early enough and carry it on to the next partner who carries it on and on. People should support us for the very reason that they are concerned for others and because it is a serious matter that could, effect a lot of people. Everybody should be able to make a statement and change something in their own and others behaviour. Sex should be fun without always thinking about the after effects so just protect.

info on contraceptives and std
Safe sex is a very important issue, especially at a young age. Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) can affect anyone having sex, though different types of contraception can prevent these from spreading.

Tips for staying sex: be careful who you have sex with; a one night stand can result in STD’s. Have regular checkups to your sexual health clinic, the sooner you find out your results, the sooner it can be sorted. Another tip is by reducing the number of partners you have sex with, decreasing the chances of getting an infection. As long as these are noticed as soon as possible, there is no need to worry or no need to be embarrassed.

There are many different STDs.

- The most common is of course Chlamydia, since 1999 the amount of people infected with it had doubled and reached a record high. If left untreated it can cause fertility in women.

- Gonorrhoea is another well known disease, affecting mainly men in their twenties. If left untreated, this can eventually cause arthritis.

- These two STD’s are easily noticeable from pain when urinating, itching and pain. They are also easily treatable with antibiotics from your local GP.

- Syphilis is one the least common diseases, and stands out from the other STD’s by its symptoms of bumps/rash and flu like symptoms. It is easily treatable if found early with an injection of penicillin or antibiotics.

- Herpes is a viral infection caused by a virus, and the symptoms can stand out from the other STD’s as blisters that can be itchy and irritable. There is no treatment for herpes, though antiviral medications can shorten and prevent pain.

- Genital warts appear anywhere on the genital area as white bumps, they may not be painful but can itch and be hard to see. Again there is no cure, however for women the infection can just disappear.

- One of the worst infections to catch is HIV/Aids; HIV is a virus that kills your body’s CD4 cells, which are used to fight off infections. Aids is a disease you get when HIV destroys your body’s immune system. This can be caught through having sex with an infected partner, passing used needles, or an infected pregnant mother giving birth to her infected baby. Rapid weight loss, flu symptoms, memory loss and depression are all effects of this virus. There is no cure for HIV or Aid. However, prevention and early detection can help in the long run.

There are more infections such as thrush, crabs and Trichomoniasis, though these may not be passed on through sexual intercourse, and can easily be treated by going to your local GP and taking antibiotics.

There are many contraceptives widely available to teenagers today, most will prevent against pregnancy and only a minor few will prevent against STD’s.

The condom is the most usable type; it is 98% effective, made from thin latex rubber and are available free from health clinics. The female condom is 95% effective and are less available than men’s, and therefore not many people know about them. The contraceptive pill is also a very usable contraceptive is taken by females to stop ovulation; this will prevent pregnancy but not STD’s. The implant is a 4cm long flexible tube inserted into the arm, however this will not prevent against STD’s. Diaphragms/Caps are barrier methods, they are soft domes made of latex, whereas caps are smaller, they will need a lot of practice and won’t prevent against STD’s. An IUS/IUD (Intrauterine System + Device, known as the coil) are a T-shaped devices that fits inside the uterus, and again do not prevent STD’s.

To find out more about different types of contraceptives or STD’s, do visit your GP or local health clinic, who will be able to offer you great advice and help decide which contraceptive will suit you. There is no need to feel embarrassed, after all everyone is a teenager once in their life, we all go through the same thing, and it’s better to be safe.

How could change happen
Our campaign is founded by people who live in the modern world, we know the risks of unprotected sex whiles also knowing the reasons why it’s not practiced. We are striving to be well informed and creative about the way in which we reconstruct people’s views. We collectively decided in modern day Brittan people handing out leaflets is just annoying and fails to achieve it’s purpose. What we believe is that we must integrate our opinions in to people’s lives. This way we don’t force them to stop what they are doing and listed to us, we just become linked with what they are already doing. The most effective way for us to do this is by utilising social networking sites. More people than ever on online platforms, by pushing our campaign through online media the public will be allowed to follow and interact with our campaign. With this steady but frequent approach we believe we can start to reform people’s views about safer sex. The individuals that can effect change are anyone who is practising sex and may not be doing so safely.

LaurenClarkmdx 14:44, March 23, 2011 (UTC)Names
AmiraHaroenMDX 13:53, March 3, 2011 (UTC)

HollyCaseMDX 11:20, March 7, 2011 (UTC)

LewisO101 07:59, March 21, 2011 (UTC)

laurenclarkmdx158.94.129.158 14:42, March 23, 2011 (UTC)