Posts Tagged With: young adults

Sexual Education Not That Different in the U.K.

Posted on May 22, 2013 by thejackik
US students vs UK Students

US vs UK: Sex Ed Show Down

One of my main hypotheses for this project was that the U.K. would have better sexual health education programs and that they would be communicating more openly with young adults. As of right now, I have interviewed six young adults in London which helped me realize how similar their sex education is to the U.S. On the whole, my interviewees have had semi-comprehensive health classes that teach them about sexual health at different ages.  During their junior high years, they are taught mostly about the biology of their sexual anatomy, and gain more knowledge about STIs and unwanted pregnancies and how to prevent them as they age in high school.

I did find some very interesting, slightly contradictory information when I spoke  to one California graduate student (26), who is studying abroad here and is dating a young U.K. man (25). She was a great insight  to sexual health education in both America and the United Kingdom, which is a source I wasn’t expecting to get. Apparently, at the beginning of their relationship,  her boyfriend had very limited knowledge on sexual education and she actually had to tell him and his friends about STI testings and other common knowledge things.

The U.K. also does not offer the HPV vaccine for young girls like we do in the U.S. What’s even more perturbing is that U.K. girls do not begin visiting gynecologist  until the age of 21 and only visit every three years! In the U.S. we begin at the age of 18 and visit once a year. Finding out that their insurance will not cover simple doctor visits for routine female checkups blew my mind. It really made me realize that the U.K. may be much further behind when it comes to communicating with youths about sexual health.

This regression in communicating real, applicable sexual health information may be why I have found so many more organizations  that are trying to tell youths about their changing bodies and the urges that follow suit. I look forward to applying more of my research to the organizations here in London.

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Categories: Public Relations, Sexual Health Education | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

Posted on March 10, 2013 by thejackik

While researching the communication tactics of Planned Parenthood I want to find out:

Who, What, Where, When and Why

  • who their target audience is
  • how they talk to them
  • what their information is
  • if their tactics are proving to be a success
  • how they communicate with young adults
  • what their thoughts are on social media
  • if they think social media is worth their time
  • if their message is being  received  by young adults on social media

My  interview sources include:

  • An educator of the Northern Ohio Region for Planned Parenthood who works in community relations. ONE KEY TAKE AWAY (KTA)- Educators are invited into high school classrooms, college classes, residential halls, and Greek letter organizations to talk to young adults about Planned Parenthood’s services and also how to practice safe sex and have a healthy sexual life. This is a different kind of open two way communication the organization is providing to its audience. 
  • A Chair of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. ONE KTA- Planned Parenthood must be aware of the big picture in a short term manner. Considering how PP could be de-funded and closed in certain areas after a bill passes they need to still provide accurate sexual/medical health information to their audience
  • Seven students found through Facebook that will fill out a Questionnaire via email about Planned Parenthood that are ages 18-22. ONE KTA- Even though they were college students, most of them would prefer to not communicate with PP on social media like Facebook or twitter. They would prefer to use the internet or the texting service. 
  • One personal friend who is a health client of  Planned Parenthood. ONE KTA- PP needs to always be updating their website, since clinics can be closed down pretty fast, PP needs to remove those clinics from the webpage. If a youth would have traveled all the way to the closed down clinic, and they were nervous to begin with, they may not take the time or have the resources to Google where the next nearest clinic is. 
  • A PR Agent from a Cleveland area PR Agency who has worked with non-profits before. ONE KTA- Create a Facebook app that a viewer could use without having to click “like” on PP’s Facebook page that could debunk myths about sexual health AND Planned Parenthood.
  

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Categories: Public Relations, Sexual Health Education | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

Communication Strategies for Sexual Health Organizations

Posted on February 24, 2013 by thejackik

This semester I plan on studying the communication techniques between an organization that focuses on sexual health and young adults (18-21). The two organizations I will be focusing on are Planned Parenthood in the U.S. and the London Sexual Health Programme in the U.K. I am curious as to how these two organizations communicate information about safe sex, unwanted pregnancies, and STIs to this age group and how they educate them about the services provided.

I set out to learn about the comparisons and contrasts between the two organizations, how well their form of communication works for them, and if their differences can be applied to the other company.  I believe that this kind of in depth analysis is important because of how low America is ranked when it comes to knowledge and education around sexual health.

NHS logo

For years Europe has been rated at the top of this spectrum of sexual acceptance which is one reason I am interested in this certain analysis.  What makes the United Kingdom both a great and a bad choice for this is the fact that it is so similar to the United States. But the United States is a big place, so I am concentrating on Ohio in particular. An analysis of a similar country to the United States is a perfect stepping stone to begin what would be a difficult journey that is building a better sexual understanding for the United States.

planned parenthood "It's about health and safety"

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