Sexual Health Weeks take place from May 30 to June 12 in Occitania. In Cahors, the Maison des adolescents et des jeunes du Lot is taking part in these prevention actions, by organizing a marauding this Thursday, June 9th.
This Thursday, a team from the Maison des adolescents et des jeunes (MDA) du Lot will stroll through the streets of Cahors. Purpose of this marauding: to meet young people to approach, discuss, exchange around subjects related to sexuality. If the MDA regularly organizes this type of action, that of Thursday is part of the weeks of sexual health, organized from May 30 to June 12 throughout Occitania. Stéphanie Boyé, director of the Maison des adolescents et des jeunes, details this initiative.
What is the purpose of this action?
On this marauding, which has been called “info/intox marauding”, the idea is to be able to provide first-level information. To deliver this information, our working method is that of “going to”: a psychologist and a specialized educator will go to young people, where they are, when they are there, with the aim of being able to take stock with them of the knowledge they may have about sexual health. Everything is done in a fun way, with cards or educational videos.
Why intervene in the form of marauding?
It makes it possible to answer questions from young people that they do not necessarily dare to ask in more institutional settings, such as in the classroom. There, it’s a very small group. My colleagues will go to young people who already know each other, and who can be comfortable with the idea of discussing these issues together. This allows the subject to be discussed, in a more anonymous and confidential way.
What can be said about the risks to which young people are exposed in terms of sexual health?
My answer is not going to be universal, nor supported by sociological studies. But what we see is that we have young people who engage in particularly risky behavior, sometimes through ignorance of information, although there are programs in schools, particularly on the risks associated to unprotected sexual practices. We also observe that there are young people who are very exposed to pornographic content. This exhibition is done without them being able to say anything about it, because it is a subject on which there are still few possibilities for discussion. In general, young people have always been considered as a priority audience on these issues around sexuality, since they are experimenting.