In 2011, the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) took one of its most important decisions of recent years: allow the existence of its own Youth Initiative.

When I first proposed the idea of a WAS Youth Initiative to Nadine Terrein Roccatti (WAS Advisory Member) and Esther Corona Vargas (WAS Executive Coordinator), I did it with a full conviction of young people’s power to promote sexual health and sexual rights. My own personal history has taught me about the great energy and creativity we have for this task, we just need “Education, Empowerment & Resources”, quoting what Joycelyn Elders (15^th Surgeon General of the United States) told me in a recent interview.

From the moment I started developing the Youth Initiative with her, Esther Corona Vargas proved something that has been a common denominator among WAS officers: a strong will to empower young people. Rosemary Coates (WAS President) led a full institutional support towards the project, allowing the creation of the WAS Youth Initiative Committee, composed of 10 young sexual health advocates from 9 counties and two Co-Chairs (Esther and myself) in order to preserve the youth-adult partnership that triggered the evolution of the Initiative.

After being ratified in Glasgow, United Kingdom, by the WAS General Assembly, the Youth Initiative Committee went on to celebrate youth’s sexual health across the globe. The theme of the Second World Sexual Health Day (“Youth’s Sexual Health: Shared Rights and Responsibilities”) was a consequence of the WAS Youth Initiative and it marked the first efforts of the Committee to re-imagine youth’s sexual health for the 21^st Century.

The journey of the WAS Youth Initiative has just began! Join it on 2012!

Antón Castellanos Usigli

Co-Chair of the Youth Initiative Committee

World Association for Sexual Health (WAS)

Memories and accomplishments of 2011…

1. The WAS Youth Initiative Committee was created with 10 Members: Ase Werner (Sweden), Carlos Cotiz (Venezuela), Emma Skarpas (Sweden), Magdalena Rivera (Chile), Pablo Fernandez (Australia), Rola Yasmine (Lebanon), Samuel Muchoki (Kenya), Stefano Eleuteri (Italy), Vijayasarathi Ramanathan (India), Yasmany Díaz Figueroa (Cuba).

And it has two Co-Chairs: Antón Castellanos Usigli (Mexico) & Esther Corona (Mexico).

In this photo: Emma Skarpas, Stefano Eleuteri & Antón Castellanos Usigli

The two Co-Chairs of the Committee: Antón Castellanos Usigli & Esther Corona Vargas

2. The WAS Youth Initiative had a very strong participation during World Sexual Health Day 2011.

Magdalena Rivera Becker organized an activity of Improvisational Theatre entitled: “What sex education do we want in Chile?” at the Santiago Library.

Magdalena Rivera Becker also coordinated an activity at a High School located in Cerrillos, Santiago de Chile.

Vijay Ramanathan sponsored a Facebook ad that targeted people in India & Australia to promote WSHD 2011.

Antón Castellanos Usigli co-organized a Press Conference at the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City.

Antón Castellanos Usigli co-organized the Forum “Youth’s Sexual Health: New challenges in the XXI Century” at the Direction of Equality and Social Diversity of Mexico City’s Government.

Antón Castellanos Usigli also co-organized a public activity called “Es-COGE tus Derechos Sexuales” (Choose your sexual rights), at the Angel of Independence.

Rola Yasmine organized the art exhibition Good Sex/ Bad Sex/ No Sex/ Your Sex that took place in Alt City, Beirut.

Carlos Cotiz organized a Forum about Youth’s Sexuality at the University Hospital "Dr. Alfredo Van Grieken" in Coro, Venezuela.

Emma Skarpås and Åse Werner talked about the WAS Youth Initiative as part of a Sexual Health Conference at Malmö City Library.

Yasmany Díaz Figueroa organized a three-Day Program for WSHD 2011. The Program included a Sexual Health Fair in one of the busiest places in Havana.

Stefano Eleuteri co-organized an event at the Institute of Clinical Sexology in Rome. More than 60 persons participated in group discussions about youth’s sexual health.

3. We managed to create a complete Internet communication network that is allowing us to reach people from different parts of the World. This network is integrated by a Web Page, a Facebook page, a Twitter page and a Youtube Channel.

Web Page

Twitter

Youtube

Facebook

4. We began a project called “Conversations for youth’s sexual health”, in which all type of personalities will be given a space to raise their voices and to speak about the sexual health panorama faced by young people by answering three questions in a video interview. To date, we have interviews with Joycelyn Elders (15th US Surgeon General), Eli Coleman (Director of the Program in Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota), Jorge Saavedra (Global Ambassador of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation) & Gloria Hazel Davenport (Mexican Trans Activist).

You can watch them on our Youtube Channel!

Antón Castellanos Usigli interviewed Joycelyn Elders (15th US Surgeon General) in Chiapas, Mexico.

Antón Castellanos Usigli also interviewed Eli Coleman (Director of the Program in Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota) in Chiapas, Mexico.

5. And, finally, we started spreading information about US!

Vijay Ramanathan addressing the Family Planning Association of India, Chennai Branch.

Samuel Muchoki participated as a guest lecturer at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, where he talked about the WAS Youth Initiative.

Today I attended, by invitation of  Corina Martínez Sánchez (Coordinator of Dance4life Mexico), the Mexican launching of the T-Shirt that Dance4life International developed with Armani Exchange to celebrate World AIDS Day 2011. As a supporter of the cause, supermodel Doutzen Kroes recently presented the T-Shirt in New York City.

The design and quality of the T-Shirt are nothing but fabulous, as well as the message it carries. This initiative of Dance4life International demonstrates that sexual health can be promoted through hundreds of differents means, limited only to our creative imagination. In this case, fashion has proved itself to be an effective mean to promote a fundamental part of youth’s sexual health: Empowerment.

Deep congratulations to Corina Martínez Sánchez and all the team of Dance4life Mexico for contributing to the sexual empowerment of young people in Mexico!

Antón Castellanos Usigli

Co-Chair of the Youth Initiative Committee

World Association for Sexual Health (WAS)

The World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) has released a new edition of its Newsletter featuring the work of the Youth Initiative Committee. The WAS Newsletter includes information regarding:

• The conformation and approval of the WAS Youth Initiative Committee.
• The development of the Internet sites of the WAS Youth Initiative (Website, Facebook Page and Youtube Channel).
• The activities organized by the Members of the Youth Initiative Committee to commemorate World Sexual Health Day 2011.

DOWNLOAD AND READ THE WAS NEWSLETTER (DECEMBER 2011).

Vijay Ramanathan, WAS Youth Initiative Committee Member representing India & Australia, delivered a Sexual Health Conference from a social perspective to a group of audience at Family Planning Association of India, Chennai Branch.

During his presentation, Vijay talked about the Youth Initiative of the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS), and his social focus was well appreciated by the President of FPAI (Chennai) and other Executive Members. This Conference marked the beginning of a communication network between the Family Planning Association of India and the WAS Youth Initiative.

Vijay Ramanathan talks to the Family Planning Association of India

Last Thursday November 10th 2011, Antón Castellanos Usigli (Co-Chair of the WAS Youth Initiative Committee) delivered a Conference entitled “Youth’s Sexual Health in the 21st Century” in the context of a Forum about Sexuality, Health & Drugs organized by the Mexican organization Youth Alliance at the Geology Museum of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

During his Conference, Antón talked about world population, reproductive health, “pink homophobia“, homophobia, the impact that new technologies are having on youth’s sexual health (including internet pornography), teen dating violence, HIH/AIDS, and the WAS Youth Initiative.

Antón Castellanos Usigli, Co-Chair of the WAS Youth Initiative Committee

The World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) strongly supports respect for sexual rights and the enhancement of sexual health. On the occasion of the world population reaching seven billion we express our concern and our hopes for a sustainable and sexually healthy future for all.

It is well documented that poverty and lack of education is strongly correlated with disease morbidity. It is also evident that the impoverished have a higher rate of births per woman and a higher rate of maternal and neonatal deaths. The Million Development Goals (MDGs) aspires to effect actions to reduce morbidity and mortality, to ensure the provision of primary education for all children and to eradicate extreme poverty. In achieving these goals the forecast population growth would be reduced, leading to a more sustainable future for all.

The world is already experiencing the consequences of a non-sustainable population size. While the WAS strongly supports the rights of all people to make their own reproductive choices we emphasise that, in order to have the capacity to make a choice, they must have access to a variety of resources. These include access to evidenced based sexuality education, fertility management and reduced poverty.

The WAS document Sexual Health for the Millennium promotes sexual rights and provides indicators for how these are sustained. The multiplicity of factors impacting on an individual’s capacity to exercise their rights and their responsibilities must be taken into account to achieve our goals for a sexually healthy population. It is incumbent on governments to recognise the needs of their citizens and to take positive action to meet those needs. This is the only way in which global well-being and population sustainability can be attained.

Rosemary Coates

President

World Association for Sexual Health

Last Tuesday October 18th 2011, Samuel Muchoki (WAS Youth Initiative Committee Member), participated as a guest lecturer at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. Samuel delivered a presentation about sexual health promotion among migrant youth with refugee background and he also talked about the WAS Youth Initiative, showing the Youth Initiative website and Facebook to the students.

Last Sunday September 4th, dozens of Mexicans gathered in front of the Angel of Independence, one of Mexico City’s landmarks, to learn about sexual rights during World Sexual Health Day 2011.

Each one of the WAS Sexual Rights was printed in a poster, with the front of the poster showing the name of the right, while the back contained its detailed explanation as stated in the WAS Declaration of Sexual Rights. People who arrived were able to read the sexual rights and choose one to take a photo with in front of the Angel of Independence, in what proved to be a very fun and dynamic activity. People of every age, including couples, families and friends decided to participate. The WHO-WAS working definitions of “sex”, “sexuality” and “sexual health” were also printed in posters.

The activity was coordinated by Luis Perelman (Member of the WAS Advisory Committee) & Antón Castellanos Usigli (Co-Chair of the WAS Youth Initiative Committee).

Antón Castellanos Usigli, Co-Chair of the WAS Youth Initiative Committee

Last Saturday September 10th, the Institute of Clinical Sexology in Rome organized group discussions to commemorate World Sexual Health Day (WSHD) 2011. Prior to the discussion, Stefano Eleuteri (WAS Youth Initiative Committee Member) delivered a presentation about the WAS Youth Initiative and Chiara Simonelli, Roberta Rossi and Adele Fabrizi explained the concept of World Sexual Health Day.

Afterwards, more than 60 participants were organized into four discussion groups to debate about what younger and older generations can do to enhance youth’s sexual rights.

Stefano Eleuteri also reports: “An image gallery was also prepared, showing pictures about the sexual rights and about different sexual health matters (such as sexual orientation, sexual pleasure…). All participants were also given a CD-Rom where they could find filmography and bibliography about different aspects of sexual health, as well as useful contacts and telephone numbers of sexual health services in Rome and the surrounding area.”

The Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) organized various activities to commemorate World Sexual Health Day (WSHD) 2011. Yasmany Díaz Figueroa (WAS Youth Initiative Committee Member) was one of the main organizers.

On Saturday September 3rd, the CENESEX coordinated a Sexual Health Fair in one of the most busiest places in Havana. Beginning at 18:00 hrs, sexual health specialists and advocates approached hundreds of pedestrians to talk about sexual health. They answered their doubts, distributed sex education materials, and invited them to draw what they thought of sexual health.