03 Apr 2018

Sticky Post By Keiah Smith Posted in Blog, Mental Health, Our Stories Permalink

I Was Bullied My Whole Life

Sticky Post By Keiah Smith On April 3, 2018

Keiah Smith endured years of bullying through primary school and high school. She became depressed and attempted suicide.

I was bullied my whole life but it got particularly bad when I was ten and revealed I’d been sexually abused. I told a friend and it spread around the school and I was called a ‘slut’. I was also overweight and picked on for that, too.

At high school, I was regularly bashed. Mum and Dad told the school it wasn’t acceptable but it continued. I was bashed walking to class, during lunch and when I retaliated, I was suspended. It was heartbreaking and it’s hard to put into words how I felt. Read more

16 Dec 2017

Sticky Post By Eileen Berry Posted in Blog, Media Release Permalink

Youth Mental Health in the Spotlight

Sticky Post By Eileen Berry On December 16, 2017

Parent Guides: ‘Tell it like it is’.

‘Honest and open conversation is a must for parents and carers dealing with teenagers mental health issues.’ Says a new resource that tells it like it is.

Melbourne media identity Eileen Berry says ‘Suicide, anxiety, depression, ADHD, self-harm, eating disorders and other mental illnesses are all taking a terrible toll on young people.’

But she says parents can help minimise these and other issues by educating themselves about building resilience in children by knowing how to approach problems if they arise.
Read more

09 Nov 2017

Sticky Post By Eileen Berry Posted in Our Stories, Uncategorized Permalink

Principal endorses Parent Guides

Sticky Post By Eileen Berry On November 9, 2017

In a video interview Heather Norton, former principal of Firbank Girls’ Grammar School, in Melbourne discusses Parent Guides with publisher Eileen Berry.

Heather said the school had been fortunate to get funding from their Parents Association to bring Drugs 101, Social Media 101 and Sex 101 to Firbank. “To be honest, I can’t think of a better use of the Association’s money. It cements the fact that we are raising our children together – parents and the school. We have received nothing but positive feedback from our parents and the benefits for our students are knowing that their parents are learning about issues that matter,” Heather said.

31 Aug 2017

Sticky Post By Bettina Arndt Posted in Blog, Sex Permalink

When it Comes to Sex, the Internet is Not the Devil

Sticky Post By Bettina Arndt On August 31, 2017

Bettina Arndt

I know there a lot of scary talk about teenagers and sex, but the sky is not falling in. It’s simply not true that all kids are being sexualised too early or are madly into porn or pressured into sex before they are ready.

I actually think is a really good time now to be a teenager with so much information online to help them learn about their bodies and prepare for sexual experiences.

When I was first working in sex education back in the ‘70s I used to smuggle slides of penises and vulvas into the country so I could show people what normal genitals looked like. Now there are great websites showing all the normal variations and teaching young people about their bodies. It’s amazing. Read more

30 Aug 2017

Sticky Post By Jenny Walsh Posted in Blog, Mental Health Permalink

How to Help Your Children Develop Empathy

Sticky Post By Jenny Walsh On August 30, 2017

As parents we need to help our kids step up when they see hurtful or hateful behaviour. We need to help them critique their assumptions about what kinds of behaviour everyone else thinks is OK. In adolescence, children place high value on what friends think, and they use that to guide their behaviour because they want to belong.

When you talk about these assumptions, children may find that actually their mates don’t want to be that kind of mate or that kind of boyfriend. Instead, they want to be a good friend, and our children need to think about what that means in terms of their behaviour towards other people. Read more

30 Aug 2017

Sticky Post By Cheryl Critchley Posted in Respect, Sex Permalink

LGBTIQ

Sticky Post By Cheryl Critchley On August 30, 2017

Source: Parent Guides

Family support for same-sex attracted and gender diverse young people is important.

It is important for parents to support their children regardless of their sexuality or gender identity. The LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning) community is diverse.

Data presented in the Safe Schools Coalition’s All of Us teaching resource reveals that Australian and international research had found that about 10 per cent of people are same-sex attracted, about four per cent are gender diverse or transgender, and about 1.7 per cent are intersex. Read more

30 Aug 2017

Sticky Post By Cheryl Critchley Posted in Sex Permalink

Sex Education at Home and in School

Sticky Post By Cheryl Critchley On August 30, 2017

Most young Australians receive sex education, many in primary school. Experts say they should learn about body parts and respectful relationships from a young age, both at home and at school.

The fifth National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health 2013* found 86 per cent of Australian teenagers had received sex education at school. More than one in 10 (10.4 per cent) hadn’t and 3.6 per cent didn’t know.

Sexuality and relationship education is mostly taught by teachers (83 per cent), with people outside the school (34 per cent), and/or the school nurse (22 per cent) sometimes involved. School counsellors (10 per cent) or chaplains (four per cent) were less likely to be used. Read more

30 Aug 2017

Sticky Post By Cheryl Critchley Posted in Sex Permalink

Contraception & Safer Sex

Sticky Post By Cheryl Critchley On August 30, 2017

Sexually active teenagers are generally responsible, but some don’t use contraception and a small percentage have sex that results in a pregnancy.

The fifth National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health 2013 (Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University) found 58 per cent of sexually active secondary students used a condom and 39 per cent used the contraceptive pill the last time they had sex. Fifteen per cent used the withdrawal method. Read more

30 Aug 2017

Sticky Post By Debbie Ollis Posted in Blog, Respect Permalink

Consent and Respect

Sticky Post By Debbie Ollis On August 30, 2017

Debbie Ollis

What Does Consent Mean?

Consent means a free agreement, and it’s important that young people understand that. So if someone has been drinking they can’t give consent to sex. If someone is asleep they can’t give free agreement. If someone is underage they can’t give consent to sex either.

Talking about sex with our kids isn’t easy but it is necessary. Research tells us that young people trust the information they get from their parents, particularly their mothers.

As parents, we need to talk to our teenagers about the importance of asking a partner ‘is this what you would like to do?’. They can’t assume consent because they think they understand the body language of their partner – they have to ask. Read more

26 Aug 2017

Sticky Post By Eileen Berry Posted in Sex Permalink

Parent Q&A

Sticky Post By Eileen Berry On August 26, 2017

Our panel of sex and education experts tackles some common questions …

Read more