Young People and Pleasure

This paper is aimed at those who work and engage with young people regarding sexual activity. Young people will be drip fed the ‘risk’ message of unplanned/unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections but few will be given the positive message that sex can be pleasurable. It is about being comfortable with yourself, feeling accepted and accepting your partner and treating each other with respect. It is having confidence to enjoy our bodies and not being forced into sex you don’t want. High Quality education and information can underpin the safer sex message so people can enjoy sex when the time is right for them. . There is growing evidence that promoting pleasure beside safer sex messages can increase the consistent use of condoms and other forms of safer sex.

Why is it important to talk to young people about sexual pleasure?

• Sexual health promotion is about more than the prevention of unwanted pregnancy and STIs and includes the right to have safe and enjoyable sexual experiences. 
• Starting with pleasure rather than risk offers a more diverse and potentially safer account of what sex
• To challenge gender stereotypes about pleasure and desire
• Introduces a vocabulary around sex, pleasure and desire
• Increases young peoples’ understanding of their own bodies
• Creates opportunities to discuss consent
• It would provide a more realistic take on pleasure and the body than pornography
• Including discussions of pleasure can enhance effective contraception decision making
• Because young people want to know more about pleasure and desire
• To enable discussion of contradictory cultural messages about sex
• Because maybe no-one else will!

Music lyrics, videos, advertising, soaps, media, games, toys and clothes have become increasingly sexualised in recent years. Most of the messages being received are that everyone is having sex and should be having sex. This can be confusing and worrying for young people and puts them under a lot of pressure.

The Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act was updated in 2009 to keep everyone safe - especially the young and other vulnerable groups. Everyone has the right to be safe in their relationships, free from physical or verbal violence or intimidation. In Scotland the age of consent is 16 for sex between males and females whether straight or gay. The term 'age of consent' means the age at which a person is legally allowed to decide to have sex. However, the evidence suggests that 26% of girls and 30% of boys are having sex under 16.

The majority of young people under 16 will have had some form of Sex and relationships education (SRE) and it should not just be about warning young people about unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and it is certainly not about promoting sexual activity. SRE should be a holistic approach, learning about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up, relationships, sex, human sexuality and sexual health. SRE should be raising the issue of ‘sexual pleasure’ acknowledging cultural diversity, and different values to sex and sexuality. Then children and young people should be equipped with the information, skills and values to have safe, fulfilling and enjoyable relationships and to take responsibility for their sexual health and well-being.

The evidence does suggest that countries that adopt an open and positive approach to sex and relationship education have better sexual health outcomes. Families talking openly about sex and relationships have children that are more likely to delay sexual activity and when they do become sexually active are more likely to have safe sex and be able to communicate to their partners their wishes, desires, values and personal boundaries.

More information on why and how to raise the issue of sexual pleasure with young people can be found in this booklet ‘Pleasure’ which is available from Sexual Health D&G

Website Sexunzipped is a website aimed at young people over 16years and is full of useful information. It was developed by a team of researchers led by Julie Bailey from the e-health Unit at the University College, London in collaboration with young people.

What they believe in:

• A positive approach to sexual health promotion (i.e. celebrating pleasure, diversity and sexual rights1)
• Young people's right to accurate and comprehensive information on sex, sexuality and sexual health
• Young people's right to privacy and the freedom to make their own decisions about relationships, sex, sexuality and reproduction (within the law, and without causing suffering to others)
• Enabling young people to enjoy their sexuality
• Commitment to equality regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexuality or sexual preferences

For more details : www.sexunzipped.co.uk

New Resource: The ‘good sex project’

The ‘good sex’ project aims to promote ‘sex-positive’ approaches to sexual health service delivery through building a robust and accessible evidence base. Through a series of collaborative research and knowledge exchange projects resources have been developed for young people, practitioners and commissioners to use. There are films, power point presentation and educational resources available to download to use with young people: goodsexproject.wordpress.com