Island Parent Magazine Oct-Nov 2021
Victoria, Vancouver Island parenting and family resource Special Feature: Tweens & Teens 6 Simple Strategies to Handle Stress A Weekend Away:Top 5 fall activities for families in Whistler Mixing Neurodiverse with Neurotypical Family & Friends
Victoria, Vancouver Island parenting and family resource
Special Feature: Tweens & Teens
6 Simple Strategies to Handle Stress
A Weekend Away:Top 5 fall activities for families in Whistler
Mixing Neurodiverse with Neurotypical Family & Friends
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knowledge, they are better able to compare their observations<br />
and follow through any gaps between what they’ve observed<br />
and what they understand to be happening.<br />
Ensure that youth understand all of the anticipated developments<br />
and ways to manage these changes as they present (i.e.<br />
pubic hair, chest tissue development, and periods, etc.) whether<br />
they will happen specifically to their own body or not.<br />
Creating space for community-held knowledge is one of<br />
the reasons current school-based sexuality education sessions<br />
involve youth of all sex assignments and gender identities<br />
together in sessions. Commonly held knowledge encourages<br />
responsibility, compassion, and empathy and normalizes all<br />
bodies and experiences.<br />
In order for body literacy to be a useful skillset, we must<br />
partner observation and factual knowledge with an inventory<br />
of local reliable, accessible community health resources for<br />
youth. Offering youth resources such as youth centred websites,<br />
texting lines, print materials, and access to community-based<br />
clinics for youth will support their factual knowledge and help<br />
translate their skills and knowledge into action should their observation<br />
and knowledge inform them that they require health<br />
services for themselves or a friend.<br />
A great place to start for youth-based health resources is an<br />
organization called The Foundry (foundrybc.ca) as they offer<br />
full service health services for youth in many communities<br />
throughout Vancouver <strong>Island</strong> and elsewhere in B.C.<br />
Observation, factual knowledge and knowledge of youth<br />
specific resources make body literacy the ultimate antidote to<br />
the fears of not being normal can cause. Body literacy reminds<br />
youth that they are ultimately the experts of their own normalcy<br />
whether they choose to advertise it on a fridge magnet or<br />
not!<br />
Jennifer Gibson, MA, is also known as<br />
“The Sex Lady”—officially now for over 17 years<br />
in Greater Victoria!—to the thousands of amazing<br />
youth and adults she is lucky to educate and learn<br />
with through her job as the Coordinator of Community<br />
Education at <strong>Island</strong> Sexual Health. She’s<br />
passionate about making sexuality education as<br />
positive, fun and non-cringe-able as possible.<br />
<strong>Island</strong><strong>Parent</strong>.ca <strong>Oct</strong>ober/<strong>Nov</strong>ember <strong>2021</strong> 19