What's Up
Being a teenager can be
challenging and confusing. You may be dealing with a lot of
changes, pressures and personal issues. This information is
designed with you in mind. We've checked out resources in Renfrew County and further out into the world wide web and collected the
most information-packed, interesting, "For Youth" websites and
information.
You'll find information
about Sex, Sexuality, Abuse, Healthy Relationships, Birth Control and
self-protection, Suicide, Internet Predators, Drugs & Alcohol and more.
Important -
We have tried to review the content
of each of the websites listed to ensure they are honest and accurate, but
it is always smart to question the information you are getting by asking people you trust.
Relationships
Relationships are
complicated, but whether it's your parents, friends, boyfriend,
girlfriend, boss, teacher, or any other person in your life you have
the right to be safe and respected!
Recognizing what's healthy
and what's not can help you decide how to handle a situation.
|
GREEN LIGHT |
RED LIGHT |
|
Mutual Respect |
Finding Fault |
|
Mutual Trust |
Trying to change the person |
|
Mutual Support |
Jealousy, Controlling |
|
Relaxed and Easy going |
Lies, manipulation, secrets, physical, emotional, sexual or
verbal abuse |
For support or more
information:
Being comfortable with
your Sexual Orientation
We are all sexual beings,
but only you can answer the question "what is your sexual
orientation"?
Are You...???
Questioning?? It's not unusual to question your sexuality,
especially when you are a teenager.
Or maybe you identify
as...Transgender...Intersexed...Heterosexual...Bisexual...Gay...Queer... Lesbian... Two Spirited
There is no time limit on
deciding or defining your sexual identity, and you may change your mind...that's OK.
Getting informed and talking
about sexuality is the best way to understand yourself, your friends and
the issues that you or others may be facing.
For support or more
information:
Going public with your
Sexual Orientation - "Coming Out"
Before deciding if, when
and what you will tell others about your sexual identity, you may want to consider:
-
How comfortable are you
with your sexuality?
-
Who are you going to
tell? (Trust your instincts about how they will react and how
supportive they will be)
-
Who are you going to
tell first?
-
How much information you
have and want to share.
-
Your safety.
-
Emotional & financial
supports you have.
A reality about gender and
sexual diversity is that you may face negative reactions, but the PROBLEM IS NOT YOU. Fear and hatred is a product of ignorance, and
lack of understanding
NO MATTER WHAT YOU
DECIDE TO DO:
Be proud of who you are.
Remember you deserve to be
loved and accepted.
For support or more
information:
Sex
Should be Healthy, Consensual & Fun!!
It's normal and natural to have sexual
feelings- it's part of life! For a lot of youth, being a teen means experimenting with SEX. Before you decide
whether or not to have SEX, you may want to understand how to protect
yourself from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI's) and unplanned
pregnancy.
It's a good idea to consider that
having SEX may change your relationship with your partner. Be sure this
is what you want and that you understand your beliefs about sex and
sexuality, and KNOW YOUR OPTIONS. Yep, options...
There's more to sex than "SEX"!!!
Kissing, Grinding, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Phone Sex...
For support or more
information:
Birth Control & Self
Protection
Knowing about birth control,
reproductive options & emergency contraception is part of taking care of yourself and your well being.
DID YOU KNOW?
-
there are many forms of
birth control to choose from
-
only condoms, female
condoms and dental dams help protect against STD's & STI's, but will not protect you from everything!
-
if you are pregnant
there are options: keep the baby, place the baby for adoption or end
the pregnancy.
ONLY YOU CAN CHOOSE WHAT IS
RIGHT FOR YOU!
For support or more
information:
Sexual Assault
Every 17
minutes a female is sexually assaulted in Canada
Sexual assault is any
unwanted act of a sexual nature including rape, touching or other unwanted contact.
-
31% of sexual assaults
happen in dating or acquaintance relationships.
-
Being drunk or high or
dressed in a certain way is not "asking for it."
-
You are more likely
to be assaulted by someone you know.
-
Men who commit sexual
assault come from every economic, ethnic, racial, age and social
group. They can be our doctors, teachers, boyfriends, parents,
clergy, relatives or neighbors.
-
After a sexual assault,
you may feel shock, disbelief, guilt, anger, fear, depression or
denial. Or you may feel nothing at all.
-
A woman who has been
sexually assaulted needs to be believed, heard, supported and not blamed.
For support or more
information:
"only YES means YES"
"NO" means
NO
"NOT NOW"
means NO
"I HAVE A
BOYFRIEND" means NO
"NO THANKS"
means NO
"YOU'RE NOT MY
TYPE" means NO
"&%$#!! OFF"
means NO
"DON'T TOUCH
ME" means NO
"I'D RATHER
BE ALONE" means NO
"I'M NOT
SURE" means NO
SILENCE
means NO
"I'D LIKE TO
BUT..." means NO
BEING HIGH
means NO
Sexual contact without
consent is AGAINST THE LAW
Getting consent means she
said YES
For support or more
information:
Suicide
-
500,000 youth, ages
15-25, attempt suicide each year.
-
#1 cause of teen suicide
is untreated depression.
-
Suicide attempts seem
impulsive, but 8/10 people have hinted about or mentioned their
plans before trying it.
-
People considering
suicide may change their mind if they talk about the issues.
-
Aboriginal, Gay and
Lesbian teens are often at higher risk because of their social and
family environment or community.
-
Suicide is permanent.
Find someone that you trust to talk with.
For support or more
information:
Body Image & Self Care
Liking and caring for your
body isn't always easy. As a teenager your body is changing, and there is constant pressure to fit in to what your friends, school mates
and the "media" say is cool. Low self-esteem and poor body image
is a real and common concern among young women. Feeling critical
of yourself or of your body may come from day to day influences of
friends, mates or the media, or may be triggered by other issues like
abuse. It is not unusual for teenagers who have low self-esteem to
harm themselves or develop disordered eating. It is important to
recognize that these are serious (and dangerous) issues.
For support or more
information:
Drugs & Alcohol
Experimentation with drugs
and alcohol is a common part of teen culture. Teenagers experiment for a lot of reasons- not just "peer pressure". Drugs and alcohol
can affect your judgment and you might take risks you would otherwise
avoid. The important thing is to understand yourself, your reason
and HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF from drug related illness and
disease, including addiction and HIV/Aids, unplanned pregnancy,
vulnerability to sexual assault & rape drugging.
For Support or more
information:
Youth and AIDS:
Internet Predators
From the safety of their
home or office, a stalker can find out details about you, including your phone number, address and family details.
It seems strange to think a
person you only know through the NET can be dangerous, but Cyber-stalking is real and can take place without your knowledge.
Stalking means: harassing or
threatening behaviour like following a person around chat rooms, showing
up at their house or work, harassing phone calls or messages.
Know what you can do to
protect yourself from internet stalkers. Learn to recognize danger signs and report people who are abusive or appear to be a danger.
For support or more
information:
Safety Tips & Useful
Information
-
Trust your instincts
(about potentially dangerous situations), and do whatever you need
to do to be safe (yell, leave, run, fight, etc).
-
Let someone know where
you're going and when to expect you back, and have a way out (bus
fare, cab fare, friend you can call for a ride).
-
Know who you're with, at
least full name and address.
-
Know local emergency
phone numbers.
-
Ask for help (never be
shy or embarrassed)
Other Safe Places &
Cool Spaces
Young Women
www.gurl.com
Sex & Sexuality
www.spiderbytes.ca
http://positive.org
Aboriginal Youth
www.ayn.ca
Suicide
www.youthsuicide.ca
Cool & Interesting
www.mediawatch.com
www.connectingcfyouth.ca
www.homophobiaday.com
Just for Teens
Kid's Help Phone -
1-800-668-6868
en français
www.teenwire.com
www.deal.org
