31st Oct2014

Let’s Not Get Caught In the Weeds: Marijuana Legalization Doesn’t Change a Thing about How We Navigate Consent

by co9to25

By Tyler Osterhaus, Guest Blogger & Sexual Violence Prevention Unit Coordinator at the CO Dept. of Public Health & Environment

You’ve probably heard by now that recreational marijuana use is legal in Colorado, but you might still have questions about the impacts of marijuana use and sexual consent. It’s important not to get too caught in the weeds, per say. While different substances do affect users in different ways, the rules of consent don’t change from substance to substance.
Consent is based on the idea that all parties involved in a sexual situation have given their full and enthusiastic permission as participants, and that they are free to opt out at any point. To consent to sexual activity means that you are of sound mind when you give permission, and that you are doing so under your own free will – no one is pressuring, threatening, or forcing you to do so.
While drugs and alcohol are often used as tools by perpetrators of sexual assault to incapacitate and increase the vulnerability of their victims, drugs and alcohol in and of themselves are not the cause of these violent acts – the choices and actions of the perpetrator are. Unlike drunk driving laws, there is no clear set limit (such as a BAC of .08) when it comes to substance use, consent, and the law.
So whether we are we are sober or under the influence, how do we ensure that we are navigating consent correctly? First and foremost, consent is based on communication. Ideally verbal communication is best and leaves less room for misinterpretation, but we also communicate nonverbally by our body language and actions. We might be tempted to rely solely on the actions of our partner(s) as cues for consent, such as when you both begin mutually undressing each other, or when they reciprocate your touch, but these nonverbal cues aren’t necessarily enough. The only definitive way to know for sure is to ask. For many people talking about sex, even with their partner(s), can feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Here are a few simple tips:
1. Consent is an eager and enthusiastic “Yes”. Not the absence of “No.” Let’s start by affirming the positive. Sex should be safe, fun, and enjoyable for everyone involved. The only way to know for sure if someone is consenting to sex is by asking them AND waiting to receive back their affirmative response.

• “Do you want to go back to my place and have sex?”
• “Would it be ok if I kissed you?”
• “Is it ok if I take your pants off?”

2. Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Your partner may have given you that enthusiastic “yes” 10 minutes ago, and things are really starting to heat up, but now they’re reconsidering. Maybe they aren’t communicating this directly, but their body language shows that they aren’t that into it or seem uncomfortable. It’s your responsibility to continually check in with each other and respect each other’s limits at all times.

• “Does this feel good?”
• “Do you want me to keep going?”
• “You don’t seem like you’re into this anymore. Do you want me to stop?”

3. Consent for one activity is not consent for all activities. Just because someone has given you consent doesn’t mean it’s a sexual free-for-all and you have full, unlimited access to their body. Talk to your partner(s) about what they’re into, what turns them on, and what their limits are.

• “Wow! That felt really good. I’ve been curious about trying this new position. Is that something you would like to try with me? It’s ok if you don’t, but I think it might be fun. We can stop at any time if you aren’t enjoying it.”

4. The responsibility for misinterpretation of consent when either party is under the influence falls on the initiator of further sexual activity. There’s no doubt that using any substance can impair our ability to make good judgments, but for too long our culture has blamed victims of sexual assault for getting too drunk or too high. That’s not how consent works. If there is any doubt whether or not someone who has been using drugs or alcohol is of sound mind to give consent it is our responsibility to err on the side of caution. This might seem disappointing in the moment, but chances are if they’re really into you they’ll appreciate the care and respect you show them by waiting and revisiting the topic when everyone is sober.

• “Hey, I was so hot for you last night, but I was worried that you had too much to drink and then you smoked that joint so I didn’t try to make a move. Now that we’re both sober I wanted to see if you might still be interested in hooking up sometime. What do you think?”

Tyler Osterhaus is an artist, advocate, and anti-violence educator dedicated to promoting concepts of healthy relationships, responsible fatherhood, and gender equality. He has brought his high energy and often humorous approach to anti-violence education to non-profits, schools, human services agencies, military installations, community groups, and most recently to the National Sexual Assault Conference. He has also served in the trenches as a front line Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victim Advocate and has worked with the Department of the Navy’s Family Advocacy Program and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program. Tyler currently serves as the Sexual Violence Prevention Unit Coordinator at Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Category : access, Co9to25, connected, educated, healthy, informational, youth, youth sexual health

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31st Oct2014

Here’s what CBS4 had to say about the CO9to25 Youth Summit Puts Students On A Path To Success

by co9to25

Colorado Youth Summit Puts Students On A Path To Success

From Denver (CBS4)

DENVER (CBS4) – Just one day after a deadly school shooting in Washington state, mentors and students in Colorado were taking action to keep students safe.
The 2014 Colorado Youth Summit took place Saturday at North High School with the focus on empowering teens and getting them involved.
Organizers said the summit was about helping youth be a part of the solution — one that will keep them in school, away from drugs and violence, and on the path for success.
The classrooms of North High transformed into stages of dance and theatre improvisation with direction from adult leaders and mentors. The students are building confidence through performing arts.
“We need to make sure that youth are connected so that they’re able to make good choices,” said Ana Soler with Colorado 9to25, a group of youth and adults working to align efforts and achieve positive outcomes for all youth.
Soler said the youth summit was aimed to create community in hopes of preventing poor choices, such as Friday’s deadly school shooting in Washington state; or the plight of three Overland High School students under investigation for allegedly trying to join Islamic State forces in Syria.
“We start with safe, healthy and educated as the bottom level of the hierarchy of needs, and then we want to focus on connected and contributing, because everyone needs to feel connected to something or to somebody,” Soler said.
It’s a connection teaching interpersonal skills to help teens communicate with peers in crisis.

Link to the video: http://denver.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10777136

Category : access, Co9to25, connected, contributing, educated, entertainment, healthy, informational, resources, youth

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24th Oct2014

#thisismyplace CAMPAIGN!

by co9to25

What’s YOUR place?

Where do you feel alive, inspired, comfortable, confident? Where do you feel understood and supported as a young person?

Maybe it’s somewhere you go alone to chill or somewhere you go to hang out with friends. Maybe it’s a business, a youth-serving organization, a community recreation center, or a park. There’s no right or wrong answer.

Wherever your favorite place to be is that’s the right answer and we want to hear about it. Most importantly, we want to hear what’s special about this place, why it’s the place where you feel safe, comfortable, understood, cared for.

Go on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tell us about YOUR place using #thisismyplace and you could win!

During the #thisismyplace campaign you’ll have chances daily to win a prizes (gift card!) Each day there will be a question you can respond to or feel free to just tell us about your place in whatever way you want. Just remember to use the hash tag #thisismyplace and tell us WHY.

Questions that will be asked throughout the week to get you thinking…

I feel welcome here because_____
I like this place because _____
My friends and I go here because _____
I feel safe and comfortable when I’m here because_____
I like it when I walk in here because _____
This place helps me out by _____
This place understands youth because _____

What did you say about winning?!?!

Youth (ages 9 to 25 ) are eligible to win when they use the hashtag #thisismyplace in a meaningful way to talk about their favorite place.

A prize will be randomly awarded to one participant peach day a question is posed. The daily prize will be given to a young person randomly drawn from the pool of people who participated on that day. Participants are only eligible to receive a daily prize once.

What’s this about and who is behind it?

CO9to25 is a collective, action-oriented group of Colorado youth and adults working in partnership to align efforts and make positive outcomes for all youth, ages 9-25, so they can reach their full potential.

One of the current efforts of CO9to25 is working to build a comprehensive, youth endorsement system that can be used across businesses, nonprofits, and government organizations as a way to identify themselves as youth-friendly. The #thisismyplace social media campaign will offer one source of information used to explain the creation of the criteria that will be used to determine if an organization is youth-friendly, as defined by Colorado youth and Positive Youth Development.

Category : Co9to25

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22nd Oct2014

Colorado Service Learning Council is holding their November Networking Event: RACE, are we so different. Be There!!!

by co9to25

The Colorado Service-Learning Council’s mission is to increase statewide capacity for high quality service-learning implementation. One of our key strategies is to provide networking opportunities to service-learning practitioners and enthusiasts. Please see the below invitation to our next networking event on November 4^th. We will gather to tour the Understanding Race exhibit at the History Colorado Center and debrief over drinks at Stoney’s Bar and Grill. Please feel free to join us for either portion of the event and invite any friends and colleagues who might be interested.

For more info on the council, please visit www.coloradoservicelearning.org

Category : access, Co9to25, connected, contributing, denver, diversity, entertainment, events, healthy, informational, opportunities, safe, youth

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21st Oct2014

A Definite Must See: I’m Not Racist… Am I? is a feature documentary about how this next generation is going to confront racism.

by co9to25

About the Film

I’m Not Racist… Am I? is a feature documentary about how this next generation is going to confront racism. We asked 12 teenagers from New York City to come together for one school year to talk about race and privilege in a series of workshops and in conversations with friends and family members. We hope that by documenting their experience, the film will inspire others to recognize and interrupt racism in their own lives.

The film is part of a larger initiative – Deconstructing Race – developed by The Calhoun School to create a multimedia platform to get young people, their teachers and their families talking – and doing something – about structural systemic racism.

In the film we’ll get to know:

Anna, adopted from Korea by white parents, who says that if she never had a mirror, would think she was white;

Martha, whose family is the only white one in her subsidized Harlem building, and who sometimes wishes she were black;

Kahleek, nicknamed “white boy” by friends and family, who describes the way people breathe differently as he nears them on the subway;

Abby, who is biracial, but only knows the white side of her family and has always felt uncomfortable talking about race;

And Sacha, from the city’s affluent Upper West Side, who wants to speak up when his friends who are white say the “N” word, but doesn’t yet know how to do it.

None of these teens think that the racial rules of their parents’ generation apply to them today. They know the US is not post-racial – and they don’t want it to be. They know there is no such thing as being colorblind – and they don’t want to be. But they’re also very clear that the most sought-after schools in New York have mostly white and Asian students and the neighborhoods they want to get out of are black and Hispanic. They know. They just don’t know why.

Join them as they plunge into a year-long journey to get at the heart of racism. What unfolds over the course of the year will challenge their relationships with their friends, within their own families and, most of all, within themselves. We’ll watch as they have the conversations most of us are too afraid to have and we’ll struggle right along with them as they try to make sense of it all in their daily lives. As they push through naiveté, guilt and some tears, we’ll see these remarkable young people develop deeper bonds, a stronger resolve and a bigger, more significant definition of racism than any of us ever imagined.

By the end of their time together, we’ll realize the hard work has only just begun, and these courageous teens won’t be the only ones asking, “I’m Not Racist… Am I?”

Category : Co9to25, connected, diversity, educated, entertainment, healthy, informational, resources, safe, youth

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16th Oct2014

From 9News 18-year-old runs for city council!

by co9to25

DACONO - If he wins the election for one of two open city council seats in Dacono, he won’t be celebrating at the bar.

Jory Coates, 18, spins pizza dough at a shop in nearby Frederick. The Dacono resident recently threw his hat in the ring along with two other, older, more experienced candidates.

“Campaigning terrifies me in all honesty. Because I am so young, I feel like they think I’m just a joke,” Coates said. “So I really want to get back out and prove myself.”

Running against him is current Councilmember Peggy Randolph and another woman named Deborah Nasta who has no problem running against the young man.

“More power to him!” Nasta said. “Maybe he’ll be president when he’s 40.”

9NEWS could not reach Randolph for comment.

Coates doesn’t really have a platform or any specific issues that he’d like to tackle.

“There is nothing that is a rallying cry for me. There is nothing specific,” he said.

However, his more experienced opponents do.

Nasta sees water rights as a problem and feels promotion of the city of 4,300 is lacking. Since there are two open seats there is a chance she could be working next to him come November.

“I believe if you haven’t had those experiences it will be hard to relate. It doesn’t mean an 18-year-old’s input is not valuable. They have their own view of what they need. They are looking at the future. They will replace us,” Nasta said.

The pizza delivery guy knows he’s not the typical candidate and knows he lacks experience. He’s just looking to bring a new, youthful view to city leadership and to gain some experience, win or lose.

“You have to earn your experience. You have to earn it somehow. If I stayed home all the time what would I learn,” Coates said.

He’s scraped together about $100 that he’s earned making and delivering pizzas to put towards campaigning. He’s planning on posting signs and going door to door in the next couple of weeks leading up to the election. He’s quickly learning what being a politician is all about.

“It takes a lot of hard work to actually get people to like you. Some people are mean and other people are amazing,” he said.

Some of his critics are his closest friends. Jokingly, they remind him how crazy they think this sounds.

“My friends think I am an idiot. Like, ‘why are you doing this? We should be going to the hookah bar or something. C’mon dude,'” he remarked.

Beyond trying to become an 18-year-old councilmember, Coates plans on heading back to school to train to be an EMT.

Category : access, Co9to25, connected, informational, young heroes, youth

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15th Oct2014

Don’t Call Them Dropouts: UNDERSTANDING THE EXPERIENCES OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL BEFORE GRADUATION

by co9to25

A Report from America’s Promise Alliance and its Center for Promise at Tufts University with support from Target

“Don’t Call Them Dropouts”, the largest nationwide study of its kind to date, found students who leave high school without graduating do so not out of boredom or lack of motivation, but because they are overwhelmed by the effects of toxic living conditions on their daily lives, including homelessness, violent surroundings, abuse or neglect, catastrophic family health events, and the absence of caring adults who can help them stay in school.

The study was conducted by America’s Promise Alliance’s research arm, the Center for Promise at Tufts University and was sponsored by Target.

Read the full report here: http://www.gradnation.org/NotDropouts
Join the conversation on social media by using #NotDropoutsate:

05/20/14

Category : access, Co9to25, educated, entertainment, informational, resources, youth

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06th Oct2014

The newly updated Speak Now website focuses on alcohol and other drugs #Speaknow #awesome #new #website #hititup

by co9to25

A letter from Speak Now

We hope this finds you well. We want to thank you for your support and promotion of the Speak Now, talk with your kids about the dangers of teen drinking statewide social marketing campaign for the past three years. Thanks to you all, it is now a known resource for parents and caregivers throughout Colorado on starting or continuing to have a conversation with their kids around alcohol.

As we move into the next phase of the Speak Now campaign, we have redesigned and updated the Speak Now website to focus on having conversations around alcohol and other drugs. A few highlights of the new site include -

- How to talk to your child at each stage of their life.

- A list of other drugs

- For communities that want to post on their FB, Twitter, etc about this important topic, we have created downloadable graphics for social media and for websites.

Check out the new updated Speak Now website at www.speaknowcolorado.org and please continue to share and promote this important topic of having parents/caregivers talk to their child about risks of alcohol and other drug use.

Thanks again for your support!

Category : Co9to25

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Let’s Not Get Caught In the Weeds: Marijuana Legalization Doesn’t Change a Thing about How We Navigate Consent

Here’s what CBS4 had to say about the CO9to25 Youth Summit Puts Students On A Path To Success

Colorado Youth Summit Puts Students On A Path To Success

#thisismyplace CAMPAIGN!

What’s YOUR place?

Where do you feel alive, inspired, comfortable, confident? Where do you feel understood and supported as a young person?

Maybe it’s somewhere you go alone to chill or somewhere you go to hang out with friends. Maybe it’s a business, a youth-serving organization, a community recreation center, or a park. There’s no right or wrong answer.

Wherever your favorite place to be is that’s the right answer and we want to hear about it. Most importantly, we want to hear what’s special about this place, why it’s the place where you feel safe, comfortable, understood, cared for.

Go on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tell us about YOUR place using #thisismyplace and you could win!

During the #thisismyplace campaign you’ll have chances daily to win a prizes (gift card!) Each day there will be a question you can respond to or feel free to just tell us about your place in whatever way you want. Just remember to use the hash tag #thisismyplace and tell us WHY.

Questions that will be asked throughout the week to get you thinking…

I feel welcome here because_____

I like this place because _____

My friends and I go here because _____

I feel safe and comfortable when I’m here because_____

I like it when I walk in here because _____

This place helps me out by _____

This place understands youth because _____

What did you say about winning?!?!

Youth (ages 9 to 25 ) are eligible to win when they use the hashtag #thisismyplace in a meaningful way to talk about their favorite place.

A prize will be randomly awarded to one participant peach day a question is posed. The daily prize will be given to a young person randomly drawn from the pool of people who participated on that day. Participants are only eligible to receive a daily prize once.

What’s this about and who is behind it?

CO9to25 is a collective, action-oriented group of Colorado youth and adults working in partnership to align efforts and make positive outcomes for all youth, ages 9-25, so they can reach their full potential.

Colorado Service Learning Council is holding their November Networking Event: RACE, are we so different. Be There!!!

A Definite Must See: I’m Not Racist… Am I? is a feature documentary about how this next generation is going to confront racism.

About the Film

From 9News 18-year-old runs for city council!

Don’t Call Them Dropouts: UNDERSTANDING THE EXPERIENCES OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO LEAVE HIGH SCHOOL BEFORE GRADUATION

The newly updated Speak Now website focuses on alcohol and other drugs #Speaknow #awesome #new #website #hititup

Search for any topic on CO9to25!

Categories

Donate to CO9to25

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Share this:

Share this:

What’s YOUR place?

Where do you feel alive, inspired, comfortable, confident? Where do you feel understood and supported as a young person?

Maybe it’s somewhere you go alone to chill or somewhere you go to hang out with friends. Maybe it’s a business, a youth-serving organization, a community recreation center, or a park. There’s no right or wrong answer.

Wherever your favorite place to be is that’s the right answer and we want to hear about it. Most importantly, we want to hear what’s special about this place, why it’s the place where you feel safe, comfortable, understood, cared for.

Go on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tell us about YOUR place using #thisismyplace and you could win!

During the #thisismyplace campaign you’ll have chances daily to win a prizes (gift card!) Each day there will be a question you can respond to or feel free to just tell us about your place in whatever way you want. Just remember to use the hash tag #thisismyplace and tell us WHY.

Questions that will be asked throughout the week to get you thinking…

I feel welcome here because_____

I like this place because _____

My friends and I go here because _____

I feel safe and comfortable when I’m here because_____

I like it when I walk in here because _____

This place helps me out by _____

This place understands youth because _____

What did you say about winning?!?!

Youth (ages 9 to 25 ) are eligible to win when they use the hashtag #thisismyplace in a meaningful way to talk about their favorite place.

A prize will be randomly awarded to one participant peach day a question is posed. The daily prize will be given to a young person randomly drawn from the pool of people who participated on that day. Participants are only eligible to receive a daily prize once.

What’s this about and who is behind it?

CO9to25 is a collective, action-oriented group of Colorado youth and adults working in partnership to align efforts and make positive outcomes for all youth, ages 9-25, so they can reach their full potential.

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