By Danielle Jenkins
Forbes High School Youth Wellness members made a short film about chlamydia to help educate young people about their sexual health. Pictured is (back) Forbes Shire Council’s youth liaison officer Natalie Walker, Sam Williams, Cameron Herbert, Forbes High Youth Worker Trudi Weyman, (front) Carly Morrison, Elly Cheney, Paige Godden and Alex Coles. Absent is Bronte Haynes. 0614chlamydiafilmMost people have heard of chlamydia, but many don’t actually know what it is.
Some students at Forbes High School have recently participated in a project that might just clear that up.
Forbes High School Youth Wellness participants and Forbes Shire Council, with support from Forbes Community Health and Orange Sexual Health Community Centre, applied for funding through the Sexual Health Youth Initiative Project Seeding Grants.
The idea came from Forbes High student and member of the committee, Bronte Haynes, who attended the 2013 Youth Week forum where the topic related to sexual health and raising awareness of the issues of STI’s (sexually transmitted infections) among young people.
One STI identified as “increasing in young people” was chlamydia.
So what exactly is chlamydia?
Chlamydia is bacteria and is sometimes known as a “silent disease”, because symptoms often aren’t obvious.
This makes it very easy for an infected person to pass it on unknowingly to their sexual partners.
Research suggests 50 per cent of men and 70 to 80 per cent of women don’t get symptoms at all with a chlamydia infection.
This also makes it one of the most common STIs.
Statistics show young people aged 15 to 29 account for over 80 per cent of Australia’s chlamydia cases.
The aim of the project is to educate young people about their sexual health and the importance of staying healthy during youth and adulthood.
It is also used to encourage young people in the central west to take responsibility for staying sexually healthy.
As part of the project, the students involved developed a film which they screened at other schools in the region to help raise awareness.
The road trip was called “Can’t Catch Us – spread the word, not the infection”.
On June 16, Bronte Haynes, Cameron Herbert, Alex Coles and Paige Godden hit the road, along with Forbes High School youth worker Trudi Weyman and youth liaison officer Natalie Walker, visiting Cowra, Canowindra and Henry Lawson (Grenfell) high schools.
Over 200 young people from years 9-12 were presented with a talk from the Wellness Committee, a screening of the film and a follow-up discussion from Tina Cooper, an Aboriginal sexual health Worker from Orange.
Ms Cooper discussed the rise in STIs in this region and told students where they can get support and information about being sexually healthy.
The presentation was also made at Forbes High School and the Lachlan Health Council.
There were other outcomes from this project including the testing of STIs in some sporting groups and training with teachers and youth workers in the game chlamydiastic.
This game can then be played in health classes and throughout the region in youth programs.
It will give those who play it a greater understanding of the infection and the consequences of their decisions if they are not being responsible for their own sexual health and wellbeing.
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