30 July 2009     Teenagers around the country can now receive comprehensive STI and contraception education, thanks to a new teacher toolkit launched today by Australia’s leading sexual and reproductive healthcare organisation.

Marie Stopes International commissioned the ‘Lessons in Love – All you need to know about STIs and contraception’ resource, following research which found that one in ten teens say they have not been taught sex education at school and, of those that have, seven out of ten teens rate the quality of that education as ‘average’ or lower.

“A solid sex education is a vital life skill for teens, yet in Australia we simply aren’t seeing this on offer in every school,” said Jill Michelson, National Clinical Advisor for Marie Stopes International.

“Instead, core teaching competencies and minimum standards for sexual health education are lacking and our teens are the ones that are suffering.

“As sexual health specialists, we’ve received a number of requests from teachers and school nurses on the lookout for sex ed teaching resources, and in particular for materials dealing with STIs and we’re pleased to now be able to provide these.”

Developed by a curriculum content specialist and reviewed by La Trobe University’s Faculty of Education, the resource is aimed at Years 9 to 12 and features interactive class presentations on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and contraception along with lesson plans and discussion guides for teachers.

The ‘Love Bugs’ package aims to educate teens on how to recognise the symptoms of common STIs and how to protect themselves from contracting one. The ‘Contraception and Contraception Methods’ package teaches teens the various contraceptive methods available and how to choose the best method for them.

“These kits provide teachers with an accurate, accessible and easy to use resource,” said Dr Zali Yager, lecturer in Health and Physical Education at La Trobe University.

“More importantly, they enable students to learn about where to go to access accurate information in the future, as well as what to do in a range of ‘what if’ type situations.”

Research that Marie Stopes International commissioned last year on teens nationally found that, although more than half rated their knowledge of sexual health issues as good/excellent, just under half of teens were not aware that they could be infected with Chlamydia but have no symptoms. In addition, 3 in 10 teens were unaware if they could contract an STI from oral sex, and over half thought that by using a condom, they wouldn’t contract herpes.

“These findings are just further proof of the significant room for improvement in STI knowledge levels generally amongst teens,” said Ms Michelson.

‘Lessons in Love – All you need to know about STIs and contraception’ is available for free download from Marie Stopes Resources.

Marie Stopes International is a not-for-profit sexual and reproductive healthcare provider, with centres in the ACT, VIC, NSW, QLD and WA. MSI offers a range of services, including abortion, vasectomy, sexually transmitted infection check-ups, contraception and community-based health promotion and education. The organisation is part of a global international partnership that delivers vital health services to over five million people in 42 countries worldwide. Surplus funds support Marie Stopes International Australia, our charity partner, which works to save lives and improve sexual and reproductive health in Indigenous Australia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. For more information on the organisations, visit Marie Stopes .

From a media release by Marie Stopes International, July 30, 2009

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