Sexual & Reproductive Health Week: FREE Workshops!

This week - from Feb 10-16 - we are marking Sexual & Reproductive Health Week. 

You may have noticed that we are taking part in the "Heart Your Parts" social media campaign, launched by the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health.  Heart Your Parts is about recognizing the importance of your sexual health as part of your overall well being, and working together to build a stronger culture of healthier and happier sex positive individuals engaging in healthy sexual behaviours. 

Join us on Twitter at @YYCSexualHealth and follow the conversation at #HeartYourParts.

In addition to the #HeartYourParts campaign, we are thrilled to be taking part in Sex Week at the University of Calgary. All week long, many local organizations will be hosting workshops, events and activities at the University.  Check this link for the full schedule.

On Monday we had a great time at the Carnival event to kick off Sex Week. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and had some fun with us!

Starting today - which is officially Sexual & Reproductive Health Day - we will begin our roster of FREE workshops at the UofC.  

Here's the details of what we're offering this week:


Modern Masculinity
Tues, Feb 12
3:30 - 4:30 pm
Council Chambers (McEwan Student Centre 280)


Know Your O: Part 1
Wed, Feb 13 
1:00 - 2:00 pm 
Council Chambers (McEwan Student Centre 280)

Know Your O: Part 2 

Wed, Feb 13 

2:30 - 3:30 pm 

Council Chambers (McEwan Student Centre 280)

Porn: A Conversation 

Thurs, Feb 14 

3:30 - 4:30 pm 

Council Chambers (McEwan Student Centre 280)

Gender and the Media  

Thurs, Feb 14  

3:00 - 4:00 pm  

Wellness Centre Classroom (McEwan Student Centre 370)

Be sure to check out these fun and FREE workshops, and the many, many more as detailed in the full schedule at the UofC! 

Happy Sexual & Reproductive Health Week! 

Questions asked during Sex Ed Class - Part 1: STIs

If a person with herpes gives someone oral sex, can the person get herpes on their genitals?

The virus that causes oral herpes is herpes simplex 1. Herpes simplex 2 causes genital herpes.

It is possible for someone with oral herpes (Simplex1) to pass that strain on to the genitals of another person during oral sex. This means that if that person contracts the virus it is a herpes simplex 1 infection on his or her genitals. This type of transmission is rare, but is possible. Usually the outbreaks of sores are milder then with herpes simplex 2 as the virus is not in its own domain.
 


Why does it burn sometimes when you urinate?

There can be many reasons for this, some serious and some not so serious; however it is recommended to see a doctor immediately if burning persists.

One cause of burning when you pee could be urinary tract or bladder infections (UTI). UTI’s are caused when bacteria enters the urinary tract through the urethra and are usually treated with antibiotics.

Another possibility is a yeast infection, which is usually transmitted by unprotected sexual intercourse with a partner who has a yeast infection, although antibiotics and lubricants with potentially irritating chemicals in them, like the spermicide nonoxynol 9, can also potentially cause them.

Finally, a person may feel burning during urination if they have had unprotected sex with a person who has a sexually transmitted infection, or STI. If a guy thinks he may have an STI, he can look for a discharge from the head of the penis.

An important thing to remember is that the most common symptom of an STI is still no symptom at all, and there are many reasons a person can feel a burning sensation when they urinate. Being on the safe side and going for a doctor’s visit is usually best.



Can you get any STI’s on your hand?

Scabies, which is not solely an STI can infect the skin anywhere on the body including the hand and is spread through any skin-to-skin contact.

There are over 100 types of HPV that can affect a person’s skin. While only certain strains, the sexually transmitted ones, cause genital warts, others cause warts on the hands and feet. These warts can rarely cross over but it is unlikely as the type of wart is not suited for growth in that area.

 

Can you have more than 1 STI at the same time?

Yes it is possible to contract any STI you come into contact with even if you have one already. You may also contract many at one time. People with compromised immune systems like those with HIV can contract infections easier including sexually transmitted ones.



Are there any ways to see if you or your partner has an STI without going to the doctor?

No. Unfortunately not. A commonality amongst all STI’s is that they can be asymptomatic (no obvious symptoms).  Check our website for where you can go for STI testing.

Swamp Lantern at Imbolc

Swamp Lantern (Lysichiton americanum -- aka Western Skunk Cabbage) emerges from the frigid, still waters of the swamp at Imbolc.

What waited all winter, dreaming beneath earth and water, is beginning to stir.

Heat builds in the spadix that will become a yellow flower as it grows toward the returning sun.   It flows downward through the roots, warming the cold mud.

Soon the bears will awaken too, from long winter dreams where they heard the song the Swamp Lantern roots sang underground.   Hungry, they will dig the roots and devour them.

Winter is still here, but life is stirring.   Swamp Lantern comes ahead to prepare the way and open the gate, just as hir cousin, Skunk Cabbage, does in the eastern swamps of my childhood.

The blossoms that survive the bears will be dusted with pollen at Beltane, which I will  use to anoint myself, blessing my body with blazing, ecstatic light and fire.

But for now, its the fire in my head that's blazing, as inspiration returns, and I engage with the world anew.

The next Calgary Gay-Straight Alliance Roundtable is Jan 31

Calgary and Area Students and Teachers!
 

Please join us for the Calgary Gay Straight Alliance Roundtable. 

This meeting is for students and teachers/staff who have a GSA or who are interested in starting one.

 
Thursday, January 31, 2013
6:00pm – 8:00 pm
Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association Community Centre

 
(Free parking and just a few minutes walk from the Sunnyside C-Train station)
 
 
RSVP to:
Call Nick Moore at 403. 283. 5580 ext. 308 or email 
nmoore@calgarysexualhealth.ca

 
Free Pizza and Pop will be provided!
 
Purpose of the meeting:

• Building-up and developing Calgary GSA Round-Table meetings
• Network and meet other members of GSA’s in the city
• Discuss how to develop safe and inclusive environments in Calgary and area schools

 
(Please share this info with any students and friends on Facebook or Twitter!)
 

 

 

Casino Volunteers Needed!

The Calgary Sexual Health Centre Needs You!!!

The casino is our Biggest Annual Fundraiser - by working one shift you will raise approximately $8,000 for our organization.  

The casino will take place:

Wednesday, February 20 and Thursday, February 21, 2013

Day Shift:  11:00am - 7:00pm
Night Shift:  6:15pm - 2:30am

 

The Casino is coming up quickly and we need to fill many positions as soon as possible. No experience is necessary. Its easy and fun!

The positions are:

2 General Managers

• One for the day shift on both days
• One for the night shift on both days

1 Banker

• For the day shift on both days

4 Cashiers

• Two for the day shift on both days
• Two for the night shift on both days

4 Chip Runners

• Two for the day shift on both days
• Two for the night shift on both days

Volunteering at the Casino is a lot of fun and we hope to see you there!

For questions about the position roles or to lend your support, please contact Sylvia at: skessel@calgarysexualhealth.ca

 

Practical Plant Magic

January 15  — February 26 — $200
Just as people living in the countryside traditionally knew how to deal with colds and coughs and scrapes and bruises using the plants around them, so too they knew how to enlist the plants’ help for clearing energies, protecting themselves and their homes, and blessing their lives.
Through a series of talks (given on conference calls but available afterward as recordings), traditional herbalist and witch, Sean Donahue will teach you how to begin doing this work with the plants around you.   Calls will take place on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm Pacific Standard Time.  A class forum will also be available for participants to post questions after the calls.
January  15 — What is magic anyway?
January 22 — Clearing energies with plants
January 29 — Plants for protection
February 5 — Plants for dreams and visions
February 12 — Love charms
February 19  — Plant allies
February 26 — Plants for prayers and blessing
This course will provide the basic knowledge necessary for those wishing to take the more intensive  year long Plant Magic course  at a later time.
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for people doing transformational work in their communities
To register, e-mail seandonahueherbalist@gmail.com

Clearing with aromatic plants

"Medicine and magick started as aspects of the same activity and gnosis - they only are separate if you make them so." -- Mitch Bebel Stargrove

The medicinal and magical actions of a plant are inextricably linked. Medicine is just a specialized form of magic -- ``the art and science of creating change in conformity with Will`` applied within the realm of the human body. All magic operates within this same universe of matter and energy we inhabit, and so it stands to reason that the physical properties which we use to identify the medicinal actions of a plant can also be used to understand and describe that plant`s more esoteric gifts.

Aromatic plants exist in most every ecosystem.  They release volatile oils into the environment that help to kill airborne pathogens, protecting the plants (and the other plants around it) from infection.  Aromatherapist and herbalist David Crow coined the phrase ``community immunity`to describe the ecological function of these volatile oils.

These plants are easy to identify.  When you rub their leaves between your fingers they release their potent scents (and the scent will likely linger a bit on your skin.)

When ingested (whether by chewing on the leaves or taking a tea or a tincture or absorbing them through the skin in a bath or by burning the plants and inhaling the smoke), plants rich in these volatile oils:

-- Combat infection in the tissues they come in contact with

-- Irritate the mucosa (some mildly and some more severely) promoting the secretion of new healthy mucous and thus breaking up congestion

-- Help to carry other medicines more efficiently through the body when included in formulae

Not surprisingly, most cultures use the aromatic plants growing in their environment ceremonially to clear stagnant emotions and protect, clear the mind and heart, and protect against spiritual contagions such as rage, envy, jealousy, and resentment (known in many traditions as the evil eye).   Whether burned as smudges, infused in bath water, or carried as talismans, these plants can be powerful allies in clearing the way for magical work by dispersing unwanted energies from in and around a witch.

Aromatic plants with a nauseatingly bitter taste like Wormwood and can serve to root out deeply festering energetic infestations.

Oily, aromatic roots like Angelica and Osha, with their spicy, earthy scents, stir what sleeps in the deepest waters of the unconscious, opening the way to dreams and visions.

Sweetly aromatic plants like Sweetgrass help to nourish the heart and settle parts of us that have been upset by grief or pain.

It is essential when working with plants, however, to remember that they are not inert objects, but living entities -- not ingredients in ritual preparations, but active partners in the magic being done.   Treated with respect, over time a plant will reveal more of its character to you and offer itself more deeply in your work.  

But it all begins with meeting the plants around you and engaging them with your own senses.  And the aromatic plants, filling the air with their scent, are ready to begin sharing themselves with you.