The voice of young people’s
sexual health and wellbeing
Changing attitudes.
Challenging prejudices.
Championing equality.
We fight tirelessly every day for the rights of young people.
Our vision
Brook wants a society where all young people are free to be themselves.
The reality is that societal stigma limits young people’s ability to take control of their sexual health, enjoy healthy relationships and explore their identities. We are committed to changing attitudes, challenging prejudices and championing equality so that all young people can lead happy, healthy lives.
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FeaturedHow I got here: Brook Director of Digital and Communications
Laura Hamzic, Director of Digital & Communications at Brook, is responsible for the digital strategy and transformation of the organisation. Here, she talks about her journey into a digital career in sexual health. When I think back to careers conversations at school, I have to laugh. Admittedly it was the late 1990s and careers in ‘digital’ just weren’t… Read more
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FeaturedA week in the life of a Brook Education & Wellbeing Specialist
Amber Newman-Clark, Education & Wellbeing Specialist for Brook in London, works hard every day to challenge stigma around sex and sexuality so that young people feel empowered to take control of their own lives. This is a week in Amber’s shoes… Why I do what I do The message that sex, bodies and certain aspects of… Read more
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FeaturedContraception and endometriosis: an arduous journey
In this guest blog, 27-year-old Bima Loxley compares the lengthy journey she went through to reach an endometriosis diagnosis to the challenge of finding a method of contraception that was right for her. She explains why we need better education for young people to equip them to successfully tackle these issues. A new report has… Read more
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FeaturedAbortion pills save lives
For International Safe Abortion Day, Laura Hurley, Programme Advisor at the Safe Abortion Action Fund writes on why abortion regulations should be based on health needs rather than stigma and explains why abortion services should be more widely available by telemedicine. The majority (73%) of all abortions which take place in England and Wales are… Read more
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FeaturedHow Relationships Education supports children and their parents
For Sexual Health Week 2020 and throughout September, Brook is celebrating the introduction of mandatory RSE in all schools in England. Dr Kerry Ashton-Shaw, talks to us from the position of being a parent and psychologist, about the ways in which RSE is beneficial for children’s development. What if there was something that we could provide for our… Read more
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Featured‘Relationships’ must be at the forefront of RSE
For Sexual Health Week 2020 and throughout September, Brook is celebrating the introduction of mandatory RSE in all schools in England. Brook Education and Wellbeing Specialist, Viccie Hamlet, talks to us about how Brook makes teaching about relationships a priority of our RSE model. At Brook, we have used the term ‘Relationships and Sex Education’… Read more
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FeaturedRSE might have helped me realise I was in an abusive relationship
For Sexual Health Week 2020 and throughout September, Brook is celebrating the introduction of mandatory RSE in all schools in England. Molly Lawrenson, 20, talks to us about how important RSE is in helping young people identify abuse in their relationships. I believe that mandatory RSE is essential if we, as a society, are ever… Read more
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FeaturedFrom frogs and diaphragms to the modern world of RSE
For Sexual Health Week 2020 and throughout September, Brook is celebrating the introduction of mandatory RSE in all schools in England. Here, award winning fatherhood and lifestyle blogger John Adams talks to us about his experiences of sex education growing up, and why he thinks mandatory RSE is good for young people. It’s 2020 and… Read more
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FeaturedWhy we need better representation of people with learning disabilities
For Sexual Health Week 2020 and throughout September, Brook is celebrating the introduction of mandatory RSE in all schools in England. In this blog, Richard Lawrence, Project Support Assistant at Mencap, tells us why it’s so important that we see better representation of people with a learning disability in education and the media. I have… Read more
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Featured5 ways for teachers to talk to parents about mandatory RSE
For Sexual Health Week 2020 and throughout September, Brook is celebrating the introduction of mandatory RSE in all schools in England. Here, Brook’s Helen Dring suggests helpful ways for teachers to navigate talking to parents about mandatory RSE. With mandatory RSE finally arriving, you might find yourself answering more questions from parents about what you’re teaching, when and why. As a former… Read more
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FeaturedWhy all young people deserve RSE
For Sexual Health Week 2020 and throughout September, Brook is celebrating the introduction of mandatory RSE in all schools in England. This anonymous blog is from a young person whose lack of relationships and sex education (RSE) at school meant she had to turn to porn for information. She hopes the introduction of mandatory RSE… Read more
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FeaturedHow to make sure your RSE is LGBT+ inclusive
For Sexual Health Week 2020 and throughout September, Brook is celebrating the introduction of mandatory RSE in all schools in England. Here, Brook Education and Wellbeing Specialist, Emilie Cousins, talks to us about what teachers can do to make their RSE curriculum inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community. “What if I say the wrong thing? I’m… Read more
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Featured10 top tips for your first time teaching RSE
For Sexual Health Week 2020 and throughout September, Brook is celebrating the introduction of mandatory RSE in all schools in England. In this blog, Jo Quinn draws on her experience as a Brook Education and Wellbeing Coordinator, to give her top tips on how to approach teaching RSE for the first time. Research the topic Be sure… Read more
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FeaturedWhat does mandatory RSE mean for my child?
For Sexual Health Week 2020 and throughout September, Brook is celebrating the introduction of mandatory RSE in all schools in England. Brook’s Emma Gardner and Kelvin Leighton-Julian talk us through what mandatory RSE will mean for your child, whether they are at primary school or secondary school. What is Mandatory Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)?… Read more
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FeaturedSupporting your child’s PSHE education
From September 2020, all schools in England schools will be required to deliver relationships, sex and health education and some schools will be teaching this as part of a wider PSHE curriculum and approach. In this blog Brook Education and Wellbeing Specialist, Margaret Searle, explores what PSHE is, how it’s taught, the impact for children… Read more
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FeaturedWhy young people on social media are a force for good
Brook’s Media and Communications Officer, Eliza Bell, writes about why young people on social media are a powerful driver for inspiration and change. Young people and social media are two things that don’t always get the best write-ups. Both are (at times) accused of being vain, disinterested in the bigger picture, and of wanting to… Read more
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FeaturedBusting myths about female masturbation
Brook’s Education and Wellbeing Specialist, Paulina Wawrzynczyk, shines a light on common myths and challenges societal stigma surrounding female masturbation. Over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, a lot has changed in the societal view of masturbation. Development of sexology as a separate scientific study has helped people throughout the world to consider… Read more
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FeaturedMasturbation as a tool for sex education
Sexual and menstrual health activist, Terri Harris, writes on why we should talk to young people about masturbation, and why it is a powerful tool for education on anatomy, pleasure, and sex.
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FeaturedRSE Day: Relationships Matter
For RSE Day, Chief Executive of fastn, Catherine Hine, highlights why Relationships Education is so essential for children right from the start, both in and out of school.
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FeaturedWhy we must not forget the history of Pride
Brook Education and Wellbeing Specialist, Elyssa Rider, writes on the history of Pride and why we must fight to protect marginalised identities within the LGBT community in order to achieve true equality for all.
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FeaturedCome together for Pride
For Pride month, Brook trustee Laura Russell writes about the importance of tackling discrimination both against the LGBT+ community and within it, as well as how we can still celebrate Pride from our homes.
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FeaturedCovid 19: Managing mental health through mindfulness
Brook education and wellbeing coordinator, Viccie Hamlet, explains how practicing mindfulness can help to manage stress and anxiety during the pandemic. We’re living through a global pandemic, an unprecedented time that we’ll tell future generations about. We’ll also talk about how it ended, how we recovered and how everything returned to ‘normal’. For now though,… Read more
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FeaturedBalancing lockdown: mental health & relationships
Nick Ray Morgan is a Mental Health Youth Worker and participation expert, as well as a mental health campaigner in his own right. He works tirelessly to bust the stigma around mental health in men. This Mental Health Awareness Week we spoke to Nick about relationships and how to overcome the challenges of living in… Read more
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Featured‘Dis[covid]nected’: why self-kindness is key in lockdown
Brook Education and Wellbeing Specialist Lauren Pae has two degrees in mental health. This Mental Health Awareness Week Lauren reminds us that it’s important to be kind to ourselves during these times of uncertainty. It feels like the world has stood still. Time doesn’t make sense anymore, and anxiety, constraint and fatigue have weaved together… Read more
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FeaturedCovid-19: Porn in a global pandemic
Brook’s Education and Wellbeing Specialist, Sophie Chase, talks about the porn industry, the relationship between sex in porn and sex in real life, and why it’s so vital that we talk to young people about porn as part of comprehensive relationships and sex education. With the ongoing development of the Internet, and now lockdown, you… Read more
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FeaturedCovid 19: Periods in isolation
As we all adjust to these new ways of living, Brook’s Let’s Talk. Period team in Liverpool, give some practical advice for parents and carers on how to use this time to have important conversations with young people. Written by Education and Wellbeing Specialists Jenny Gilchrist and Emma-Louise Kemp, with support from Education and Wellbeing… Read more
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FeaturedCovid-19: RSE at home
Brook Education and Wellbeing Specialist Francesca Fiennes, urges anyone homeschooling to think about the sex education conversations you could be having with your young people, and offers top tips on where to go for trusted information online. Amidst the panic of Covid-19, we must remember that other health services and education must persevere. Given that government… Read more
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FeaturedLet’s Talk. Period: 5 Key Learnings
Brook’s Let’s Talk. Period project launched in October 2018, working to tackle period poverty in 7 areas across England. Education Manager, Ruby Stevenson, highlights our 5 key takeaways from this essential work. For the last 18 months, Brook has been running the Let’s Talk. Period project in partnership with Plan International UK to tackle period… Read more
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FeaturedCOVID-19: Brook’s agile response requires urgent Government support
Brook’s Chief Executive Helen Marshall celebrates the rapid response of Brook staff, and calls for a better support package for third sector frontline services at this critical time.
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FeaturedCOVID-19: we cannot ignore the needs of those who menstruate
Lota Bantić and Catherine Gabell of Brook’s Let’s Talk Period team explain why the current pandemic shouldn’t silence the conversation around period poverty, and why now more than ever we must fight to ensure period products are accessible.
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FeaturedCOVID-19: Why we must talk about sexual health
Brook’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Lisa Hallgarten, highlights some key steps you can take to protect your sexual and reproductive health during COVID-19, as well as Brook’s key asks for the Government to avert a sexual health crisis. Staying at home during a lockdown sounds like the safest kind of sex – in… Read more
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Featured40 Day for Life: why we need to tackle abortion stigma
Brook’s Media and Communications Officer, Eliza Bell, writes on the harmful and hypocritical nature of the 40 Days for Life Campaign and why it’s a stark reminder that providing abortions is not enough – we must fight stigma at its root.
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FeaturedPHE Innovation Fund: Welcome to Brook
Brook is delighted to have secured funding through the 2020 PHE Innovation Fund to develop a new digital tool to triage young people in our waiting rooms. Below, Director of Digital & Communications, Laura Hamzic, describes how the idea behind the project was developed. The reality is that societal stigma still limits young people’s ability to take… Read more
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FeaturedKeeping young people safe online
For Safer Internet Day, Kelly Harris, Business Development Lead for Brook’s expansion work into Wales uses her 15+ years of experience working with young people to discuss the importance of staying safe online. The internet is a brilliant and innovative space which is constantly evolving – giving us the opportunity to meet new people from… Read more
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FeaturedFree Period Products: Just the Bloody Start!
Terri Harris, Education and Wellbeing Specialist for Brook’s Let Talk. Period project, highlights the successes and shortcomings of the Department for Education’s period poverty scheme that will see free products available in schools and colleges in England.
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FeaturedTackling STI stigma through education
Brook Education and Wellbeing Specialist, Amber Newman-Clark, explains why relationships and sex education about STIs needs to do better than using scare tactics and is key to breaking down stigma and opening up conversation.
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FeaturedAccessible sexual health images for all
Dean Milner-Bell is Accessible Information Designer at easy on the i, creating images and resources including leaflets, brochures, banners, etc. as well as running the website, image bank and image request service. He also provides a commissioned design service, supporting any organisation to create their own accessible information. He tells us what lead him to… Read more
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FeaturedLet’s talk about sex: ending STI stigma
Following a herpes diagnosis, Rukiat Ashawe had to confront her own shame around STIs and in doing so realised we need to provide better sex education for young people. As a sex educator, she is determined to de-stigmatise sex and sexual health.
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FeaturedMandatory RSE: welcome but flawed
Brook’s Head of Education, Dougie Boyd, writes on the advent of mandatory RSE in September 2020. He tells us that while definitely welcome and long overdue, the legislation remains fundamentally flawed.
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FeaturedConsent: why education needs to be nuanced
Dr Elsie Whittington discusses teaching young people about consent, and why we have to take a more nuanced approach in education.
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FeaturedTalking to teenagers about consent and pleasure
Education and Wellbeing Specialist, Lota Bantić, explains why teaching young people about consent and pleasure is an essential component of Relationships and Sex Education, and gives some tips for if you’re approaching these topics for the first time.
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FeaturedGeneral Election 2019: Brook’s priorities for a new government
As the nation prepares to drag itself to the polling station for the fourth time in as many years, the media are adding to our ennui by telling us that whatever the party manifestos say this is just a ‘Brexit Election’ *sigh*.
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FeaturedRelationships and Sex Education in Cornwall
Hatty Lawrence, Education and Wellbeing Specialist for the Brook Education Team in Cornwall, tells us what motivated her to work in sexual health and why the work Brook does in Cornwall is so valuable. As a trained nurse I have long wanted to work with young people in the sexual health field. I became aware… Read more
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FeaturedOnline testing: a new way to look after your sexual health
Our first digitally-led service in partnership with SH:24 launches in Cornwall in December. In anticipation of this we hear from Alicia Thornton, Public Health Registrar, about how online testing works and why it holds unique benefits in the context of a diverse population with varying accessibility requirements. Getting tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is… Read more
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FeaturedLiverpool’s Young MP fighting for period equality
17 year old Eva Carroll is a member of the UK Youth Parliament, Former Young Lord Mayor of Liverpool, and an ambassador for Plan International UK. Eva dreams of a period positive and equal world and has pledged to end period poverty and stigma as part of her campaign
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FeaturedA week in the life of a menstrual health educator…
Terri Harris, Education & Wellbeing Specialist for Brook in Bristol, fights tirelessly every day to challenge period stigma and bust myths so that young people feel empowered to take control of their menstrual health. This is a week in Terri’s shoes…
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FeaturedLet’s Talk. Period
Brook’s Let’s talk. Period project is committed to tackling period poverty in England. The project launched in Oct 2018 with seven teams across England, providing vulnerable young people with period products and education.
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FeaturedWe need to talk about vulvas
Brook’s lead clinical champion, 25 year-old Caitlin Gorman, writes of her experience of the shame and stigma that still surrounds young people’s bodies – both in her professional and personal life – and how we can combat this.
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FeaturedNo Health Without Mental Health
Brook’s Head of Innovation and Partnerships, Helen Corteen, shares her experience of the inextricable link between sexual and mental health.
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FeaturedRelationships, sex and disability
This week is Brook’s first Sexual Health Week and we’re proud to be working closely with Mencap to change the dialogue around relationships, sex and learning disability. We spoke to Ellen, the co-chair of Mencap’s sexuality and relationships steering group, about why her work is so important. Can you tell us a bit about the sexuality… Read more
About Brook
Brook creates safe, open, positive spaces where young people can speak freely. We provide platforms to amplify voices, empower choice and build confidence.
Drawing on 55 years experience, Brook delivers a unique blend of clinical services, education and training programmes, counselling and an online hub for sex and relationships advice.
We provide practical and trusted expertise, based on what young people tell us they want and need.
We fight tirelessly every day for young people’s right to inclusive education and to protect their sexual health services. We are committed to changing attitudes, challenging prejudices and championing equality so that all young people can lead happy, healthy lives.
