Health Education
Why are we Providing Health Education:
We want to make sure that all people, at any age have access to the important pivotal things about maintaining a healthy balanaced life. It's very difficult to get education on the things we assume our parents or guardians may be teaching us. Rarely do the older-adults in our young-adult life, give us the kind of parental information we may have missed out on (sometimes we have to also look out for this behavior if it's presenting inappropriately). Not every person has parents/guardians, and not every parent/guardian has access and ability to provide this education for their children.
We know that health is a widening topic every moment. Whether to choose a variation of hollistic, modern, or convention medical practices, there is always room for growth. We know that some of the health information/product companies are not always keeping our best interest in mind; however, trusting the masses of scientific data and repetitive testing is important. Many doctors, pharmacists, and scientists, would agree that hollistic and modern medicine both have something to learn from one another. The reasons that some hollistic measures work, is because of its molecular compounds and pharmacology.
When trying to formulate safe and confident medical decisions for yourself, you need to have all the information. Understanding, that having a basic wide-spread knowlegde of situations, allows us to prepare mentally, physically, and emotionally, before facing the situation. It also doesn't hurt to know that what you feel is valid, and may be something you are not alone in facing. Finding resources can be difficult in the realm of any an all medical questions. We try to provide you with the least-discussed aspects of health that impact each of us at a higher rate. Destigmatize the medical issues we face as a part of our human condition, allows a bit of freedom and recognition to anyone who may be facing or knows someone who is facing a similar issue. Mental Health, Sexual Health, and Drug Health, are huge factors to our health as we grow up; yet, they are also the least discussed and recognized among regular society. Increasing our awareness and willingness to communicate about these topics, allows for people to believe they are not alone. Seeing someone else face a really difficult thing/difference and surivive, can typically make others feel better about their differences. (Like when you would see someone get a vaccine before you did, as a child; it made you feel better about the outcomes.)
Health in its bigger context, is a privilege that many of us take for granted. This doesn't mean that if you're healthy your life is easy and great, it simply means that you take on life without having to worry about your inability to do certain things. For people who are chronically-ill or differently abled than a typical healthy individual, these parameters of social interaction change due to the lack of accommodable social spaces. There is a lot to learn about aging, but something we learn even as children is that our bodies are constantly changing. (You may break your arm, and it may heal perfectly; for someone else is may not. These things differences between us as a beautiful reflection of our genes and environmental influence.)
It's important for us to remember that the label disabled is important but also holds some distain from the differently abled/disabled community. The label of 'disability' in its social context is a medically and government associated system of necessity for help or accommodation. Without said label, establishments and police do not have to accommodate your differences. The label in its reality suggests that people do not have the ability to do something, whereas many people believe that they are still able- just differently that the typical person. Differences are often overlooked or unseen in the public eye, especially in relation to learning differences (dyslexia, ADHD, Autism, etc. ). Learning Differences don't diminish your abilty to be smart, but change the ways in which you learn.
Medical Care is NOT free in the United States, and we use an insurance system. Due to the insurance system, prices for medical care have risen to amounts that are unreasonable, and receiving care as a person without insurance may not seem available or reasonable. Many people don't go to the hospital because of this reason, but please remember that medical bills cannot effect your credit score, and they can not make you pay the bills. For younger individuals, and those under 18, you can typically receive state health care for free or lost cost health insurance. Due to the lack of access to medical insurance information and other issues with health-related care, we developed a research-guided page for users to find some answers.
All of us are human, and that makes us unique and awesome in our own abilities. If you lost the ability to move your hand right now, how would you have to compensate? Not everyone has someone by their side in all phases of life. (Community Organizing being a key to supporting each other.) Sometimes mentally putting yourself in other people's shoes can allow you to have a better understanding, but it doesn't mean we can understand the Social Discrimination that may come along with a range of undetectable/ detectable health issues in our modern society.
Disclaimer: We are still building the pages on this site, and if you have any questions please email us at thisisactivism2023@gmail.com. We are prioritizing the finishing of this page, but we want to work in a orderly fashion that does not leave out vital information. If you have suggestions on add ons or information we should use to form our pages go to the Comments page and fill out the google form. Thank you for your patience!
A necessary part of each person's transitions in life is beginning to understand your sexual desires or sexual identity. Sexual health is a large piece of our always changing and maturing bodies. It's important for us to keep ourselves and others informed so we can all make safe informed decisions about our bodies. When it comes to sexual health, there are a lot of ways that we can make sure we are being safe and healthy with our sexual actions. There are a lot of sexual acts that don't even include sharing of fluids so that you are not at risk of spreading STD/STIs. We believe that in order to know when others are being inappropriate around the topic or act of sex, we must konw how others should treat us when engaging in these acts. The number one way to silence those affected by molestation, rape, abuse, etc., is to remove their ability to know what is happening to them. Talking to young children about how our bodies work, and the boundaries we have for them, will increase the awareness these youth will have going forward. Knowing how to respect genitalia and bodies of those around us in crucial in our maturing process and sexual health.
It's a large misconception that we shouldn't know about about how our bodies work and what's important about them. There are lots of things to check on as we get older and go through puberty, so it's important that we discuss the genitalia you have as well as others. One day not only may you encounter another person's genitals, but you would want to know how to respect them and get consent for actions involving any genitalia of yourself and others. We make it a priority to discuss these private parts of the human condition with care and respect, because of the lack of respect often given to both typical female and male genitalia. Also important to keep in mind that there are no people who should touch your private parts or genitalia without your consent or need for medical emergency.
As we grow up we encounter new people and experiences, so even if our mental health is in a good state, being aware of how to help, and also how stand back when it comes to the mental health issues of those around you is crucial. We could all stand to be kinder and more caring to one another; but understanding someone may have trouble putting together their thoughts into words, or that the way they are communicating may be(/not be) expressing how they really feel. You can't predict the way that people are going to engage with you, because you can't predict what they are going through in that current moment. You should always take time to assess the situation and think about what social systems, and life differences may have impacted this person you are enaging with. If you are worried about your, or someone else's mental health please check out our Suicide Harm Prevention Guide. We also put together an Emotions and Feelings Guide so that if you are having trouble with the way that your emotions are presenting themselves, you can check it out for a little bit more information.
It's likely that at some point in life, everyone will have at least seen one of these drugs. Especially when discussing Alcohol, Marijuana, and some street and commerical drugs. This education is important so you know what to look out for, and also hear from people with direct experience from using these drugs during difference periods of life. It's important also to note that drug dealers and obtaining drugs is often one of the most dangerous parts of participating in illegal substances. So making sure you know the people you buy from, and trust their sources, is a huge hurdle to move past. Lastly, making sure that even if you didn't participate, or don't plan on it, that you know what to do in the event of a friend or person around you has an adverse drug reaction.
Also some drugs like Alcohol, Marijuana, and Psilocybin are legal or decriminalized in some areas and it the information should be available and accessible so that everyone can learn about these substances before ingesting them.
Youth will always find a way to get involved in the things they shouldn't, and even if they don't they can still encounter drugs with friends or peers. Making sure any and all drug users or peers can access this information is necessary.