A BIG Congratulations to Dairea Seabourn!!!! Daiera is a new Social Media Contest winner!

Thanks again for playing!

And don’t forget to check us stop by our table at the 8th Annual Women and Girls Awareness Conference this Thursday, March 7th! Not only will be announcing Dairea as our winner but will also have prizes to handout for all participants! Remember to register here by March 4th! Can’t wait to see you there!

March 10th marks National Women’s and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and the YOUR Center in Flint is hosting their 8th Annual Women’s and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Conference! “Healing, Restoring, and Taking Back the Power,” will be held on Thursday, March 7th, 2013 from 8:00am – 3:00pm at the Metropolitan Baptist Tabernacle, located at 930 E. Myrtle Ave. Flint, MI, 48505.

Last year, we had a blast. Everything from sexual health workshops to free STI screenings was available and this year will be just as empowering! So, take a quick second and register here by March 4th, 2013.

Here’s 8 reasons why HIV/AIDS Awareness is important:

• Every 91 minutes someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV
• Young people ages 13 to 24 account for 26 percent of all new HIV infections
• Every month, 1,000 young people in America become infected with HIV, an incurable infection that costs $400,000 to treat over a lifetime
• Only 13 percent of all high school students and only 22 percent of sexually active high school students have ever been tested for HIV
• Only 35 percent of young adults aged 18 to 24 are reporting ever having been tested for HIV
• Black women accounted for 64 percent of new AIDS diagnoses among women ages 13 and older in 2010
• More than 6 in 10 new HIV infections among Black women and Latinas were among those ages 13–39 in 2009—over one third were ages 13–29
• Women are most likely to be infected through heterosexual means

Bettina Campbell, MSW, is the Executive Director of YOUR Center and the co-Principal Investigator of the PRC/MI’s core project HOPE: HIV/AIDS Outreach, Prevention & Education.

We HOPE to see you there!

What is Sexual Health? What does being sexually healthy mean to you? Is it the same for everyone or does it differ by age, race, culture, or sub-culture?

Really, defining sexual health isn’t easy. Standards of sexual health vary by individual, community, and culture (just to name a few). I know you might be thinking, well isn’t it obvious…sexual health is the “ability of an individual (or a community) to avoid getting STDs and unwanted (or unintended pregnancy).”

And that’s exactly right! But according to the American Sexual Health Association that is just one part of the definition.

So what about those of us who have had a STI or experienced an unwanted pregnancy? Are we automatically sexually unhealthy?

Not. At. All.

The ASHA adds that sexual health is “the ability to embrace and enjoy our sexuality throughout our lives. It is an important part of our physical and emotional health.”

Broken down, this means that being sexually healthy includes 6 key parts:

1. Understanding that sexuality is a natural part of life and involves more than sexual behavior.
2. Recognizing and respecting the sexual rights we all share.
3. Having access to sexual health information, education, and care.
4. Making an effort to prevention unintended pregnancies and STDs and seek care and treatment when needed.
5. Being able to experience sexual pleasure, satisfaction, and intimacy when desired.
6. Being able to communicate about sexual health with others included sexual partners and healthcare providers. )

Conversations about sexual health are often focused on STD and pregnancy prevention. I guess my question to you is: How do change the conversation about sexual health to be inclusive of the ASHA?

More importantly where do our conversations about pleasure, satisfaction, and intimacy fit in? And how do we make that a priority?

The ASHA is right, sexual health is more than just the prevention of STIs, HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancy. It’s important that recognize all aspects of our sexuality and be sensitive how sexuality differs among people and cultures.

[Reference: American Sexual Health Association (ASHA)]

It’s not over…

Hit Us Up. Earn Points. Get Prizes is back. Starting Fen 1 till Feb 28. All of the same rules apply. Here’s what’s new…

1. Tell 5 of your friends to like our Facebook page
2. Fill out the survey with your friend’s names (so we can give you points)
3. Every friend that likes us gets you 25 points!
4. Repeat!!

Previous Contest Details:

-Earn points and prizes for participating in HOPE online and social media

-Every participant who reaches 50 points will receive a $10 gift card

-A $50 gift card will be awarded to the participant with the greatest number of points at the end of the contest period

25 points each:

• Register for HOPE Online
•  Follow us on Twitter
•  Like Us on Facebook
•  Txt us “Get Hope” @ (810-309-9564)
• Get a friend to like us on Facebook (25 points each)

10 points each:

• Like a HOPE FB post
• Comment on a HOPE FB post
• Tag HOPE in your FB status
• Retweet our tweet
• Tag us in your tweet
• Reply to our txt

Contest Rules: Eligible contestants are residents of Genesee County age 18+. Points will be accumulated from January 24^th – February 14^th.  Individuals with previous activity will receive points. For example, a contestant that already “liked” HOPE on Facebook will earn those points. Inappropriate or offensive content will be taken down and will not count towards points. Prizes will take approximately 10-14 days to be mailed to a participant’s home. This contest is being conducted through the Prevention Research Center of Michigan and Your Center.