ESRC Festival – Young people, sex and sexuality
Event organiser speakers (l-r) Steve Slack, Dr Eleanor Formby, Dr Jo Woodisiss and Dr Ruth Garbutt
Mon, 14 Nov 2016 12:50:00 GMT
The ESRC Festival of Social Science event was organised by Dr Jo Woodiwiss and Dr Eleanor Formby
THE need for better education to help children and young people understand and explore their sexuality was a key theme that emerged from a social science session in Huddersfield that attracted participants that included teachers, social workers, academic researchers and school nurses.
“As a society, we have a fear of talking to young people and children about sex. We see them as asexual and innocent, but fail to realise that children and young people are sexual,” said one of the co-organisers, the University of Huddersfield’s Dr Jo Woodiwiss. She added that these attempts to protect young people were having the opposite effect.
The event that explored these themes was titled Young people, sex and sexuality: Is there a Problem?. It took place at the Yorkshire Children’s Centre in Brian Jackson House in Huddersfield and was a contribution to the annual Festival of Social Science held by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Dr Woodiwiss – a Senior Lecturer who researches child sexual abuse – co-organised the event with Dr Eleanor Formby of Sheffield Hallam University, who has carried out work in the field of young people’s sexuality. The two decided to combine their areas of expertise, as the basis for an ESRC event.
After an introduction from Dr Woodiwiss, Dr Formby gave a presentation on providing support to young LGBT people and the University of Huddersfield’s Dr Ruth Garbutt discussed the views and experiences of young people with learning disabilities around relationships and sexuality.
There was also a presentation dealing with the issue of sexting, from Steve Slack, who is CEO of the Sheena Amos Youth Trust, a Sheffield charity for young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
After the presentations, the 40 participants in the event took part in a workshop and debate on young people, sex and sexual abuse and exploitation, led by Dr Woodiwiss and Dr Formby.
