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Brook welcomes the news that the Wales education watchdog is to conduct a review of sexual harassment in schools. No young person should be subject to the behaviours described on Everyone’s Invited, particularly in schools and colleges, which should be a place where they feel safe. Sadly for many young people that is not the case, as… Read more

Sarah Simons, Participation Coordinator at Brook, talks about her experiences of youth social action during the pandemic as part of Power of Youth Day. Power of Youth Day is an annual celebration of the contributions children and young people make to society through volunteering and social action. It’s a chance to spotlight the achievements of… Read more

My Broken Vagina by Fran Bushe is one woman’s funny, moving, and sometimes awkward quest to fix her sex life. But it’s also the story of millions of women everywhere – half of all women have felt pain during sex. The below extract is taken from the introduction of the book. Introduction  My name is… Read more

Lucy Dabner and Amber Newman-Clark are Education and Wellbeing Specialists at Brook, and are in the Brook staff working group on RSE for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. In this blog, they talk about the importance of inclusive and fair RSE for disabled and neurodiverse young people. Working at Brook, we always talk about sex… Read more

Brook has been at the forefront of providing relationships and sex education, and clinical sexual and reproductive health services to young people for nearly 60 years. Brook staff are experts in safeguarding young people and educating them about consent, the law, and how to achieve healthy, enjoyable and safe relationships on and offline. What is… Read more

Brook Education and Wellbeing Specialist, Ramoya Randall, explains 5 top tips for teaching puberty to young people in an inclusive and effective way. As many of us are aware, puberty is a roller-coaster of changes that everyone experiences. This can be particularly overwhelming for young people if they are uninformed, especially as the speed that these changes happen will be different for everybody.  Education around… Read more

Brook Education and Wellbeing Specialist, Elyssa Rider, explains why puberty education plays a fundamental role in equipping young people to navigate healthy relationships with themselves and their bodies as well as with others around them. Puberty education is arguably foundational to most other sex and relationships education topics. It encompasses not only body changes and… Read more

As part of National HIV Testing Week, Brook’s Assistant Director of Operations Jackie Redding discusses the hit Channel 4 show and reflects on her own work as an HIV counsellor in the 1980s. Within the first half hour of episode one of It’s a Sin, I was fully invested in the lives of the protagonists. I cared about what happened to them and I was routing… Read more

Megan Chambers is a Contraception and Sexual Health Nurse for Brook in Cornwall. She shares her journey of having various health and social care jobs before deciding to work in sexual health. Back in school, I was never sure what I wanted to do, I’d always been the “mother” of the friendship group, caring and… Read more

Trans young people must be reassured that the judgment in Bell v Tavistock does not affect their right to sexual and reproductive healthcare. The judgment in the Bell v Tavistock judicial review has caused significant distress to those Trans young people receiving and seeking treatment with puberty blockers. The clinical staff supporting them at the… Read more

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.