Blackberry thumb

Let's Show Our Pride By Helping Our Youth This Month
 By Mark Hammann

M2M Outreach Worker - AIDS Committee of Durham Region

By now I am sure that many of you are aware that the Durham School Board banned ACDR's youth campaign last fall.  The campaign features two silhouettes, one of a rooster with the words 'Cover Your' and the other is a cat and 'Protect Your'.  These were created by a local student to be used as a youth HIV awareness campaign that gets the message of condom use across in an effective and non-verbal manner.   Recently it has gotten a fair bit of attention after the school board banned the "I © Boobies" campaign by the 'Keep A Breast Foundation'.   Keep A Breast Foundation is a U.S. based non-profit organization with a Canadian Chapter that works towards breast cancer awareness.   

One of the statements that the school board has made to support its ban of both of these health campaigns is that these campaigns have "proven to only be disruptive when used in a school".   I don't know about you, but I find that response very weak.  I believe that educating can often bring about uncomfortable and challenging issues that people would rather not discuss.  I also believe that discussion and education are exactly what ARE needed if we are to learn and grow.   Growing up in the southern U.S., where issues of race and homophobia prevail I have personally experienced the damage that silence can do to individuals and society as a whole.  In the short term, we may feel that all is fine and that we are protecting some, but the challenging issues we as a society face in the long term can never truly be resolved or effectively coped with when we choose to censor and shut down discussion.   The statement offered by the school board in defense of their position also reminds me of a statement I remember being made by school officials down south years ago.  I very vividly remember school officials stating that allowing black people to attend white schools would 'only be disruptive to the educational process'.    I also have heard statements that Gay/Straight Student Alliances (GSA's) would be 'disruptive' if allowed in schools.   All of these statements have repeatedly proven false. 

Andrea Pidwerbecki, a spokeswoman for the Durham District School Board shared the following remark about the board's decision to ban the Keep A Breast campaign; "... because that whole campaign is not well-known or understood by many people."   I am sure as well that some might say that our youth campaign is not well-known or understood by many people.  Speaking for myself, isn't this more reason for an opportunity to educate and help youth to understand an important health issue?   Ms. Pidwerbecki has also been quoted as saying, "the school board values the role of the AIDS Committee and welcomes the education it provides students -- as long as that slogan isn't involved."   For the AIDS Committee to present our health information in the public schools we have to be invited by the schools.   To the best of my knowledge we have only ever been invited by a small number of educators to talk about HIV/AIDS in the public schools.  During the past year we presented at one (1) school and three (3) school events, getting this important health information to approximately 575 youth.   Each of the past three years we have been invited to present to almost identical numbers of youth in the schools.  While it is good that we have been able to get this information to those 575, there are 23,909 secondary students currently enrolled in the Durham District Schools.   So in reality we were only allowed to reach 2% of this regions high school aged youth through the schools.   In my opinion this is too low of a percentage and so, I must respond that I cannot agree with her statement that the school board welcomes the education that ACDR provides its students when two percent is all we have been allowed to reach.   

I must ask that beyond this 2% how many LGBTQ, Queer questioning and other at risk youth in the Durham school system have been left behind?   These youth need this health information for their protection and to protect one another.  If we as a region are serious about health and preventing increasing numbers of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancies among our youth then we need to be educating them at far better than just a mere 2%. 

By not reaching enough youth (many who are at risk) in this region are we failing them?  Let us join together this month (right now) to show our pride supporting our youth by sharing the knowledge that is out there and is available.  Let's hold the school board to its words that this information is 'welcomed' and start educating!   

 If you'd like to sign the petition that we'll present to the school board trustees you can do so online at: www.ipetitions.com/petition/youthcampaign or at one of our safer sex distribution partners locations. For a list of those locations, click here:   www.m2minfocentre.com/where-to-find-safer-sex-kits.php