To help parents and caregivers talk to teens about sexual health, a local family doctor is holding a Beyond Birds and Bees presentation.
The talk, part of a pilot project organized by doctor Leta Burechailo through Powell River Division of Family Practice, is intended to open a dialogue about sex and issues that teens have to face today.
“From kids through teenager, schools have age- and stage-appropriate information for children on sexual health,” said Burechailo, “but parents are also important.”
Beginning in April of 2015, the Enhancing Sexual Health Education and Care pilot project started working with local stakeholders, including Powell River School District 47 and Vancouver Coastal Health, to help promote better communication about sexual health in the community.
“The term 'sexual health' is often misunderstood,” said Burechailo. “It isn’t just sex or parts of the body, but the way we come into the world and interact with other people.”
In addition to basic body biology, sexual health also encompasses gender identity, sexual orientation, relationships and intimacy, said Burechailo, in order to provide a holistic framework for learning about sex and relationships.
Although Burechailo has given four talks to elementary school parents, this will be her first one geared to parents and caregivers of teenagers.
“I am anticipating more questions about how to talk with teens about intimate relations,” said Burechailo. “We are going to talk about everything from abstinence and consent to media representations of sex and gender and sexual-transmitted disease prevention.”
Beyond Birds and Bees will be held from 7-9 pm, Wednesday, January 13, at Brooks Secondary School library.
For more information or to register email Brooks principal Jaime Burt at [email protected].
