Welcome back to Six Minute Sex Ed, the podcast that helps people talk about sex, relationships, and growing up. Created and hosted by Sex Education Teacher Kim Cavill. Find her at www.teaandintimacy.com - https://twitter.com/sexposparenting - https://www.instagram.com/sixminutesexed/

This week’s episode is level two, making it perfect for tweens, teens, and adults. We are going to learn how to talk to people about wearing masks.

Theme song is "This Year" by the Mountain Goats

What does wearing masks have to do with sex education, you might ask? The answer is, a lot! Effectively talking to people about the importance of wearing masks is a lot like talking to people about the importance of using STI protection, like condoms, or birth control, like the pill.

Masks, condoms, and the pill are all protective measures that reduce the risk of infection. The principles of public health can help us to educate one another about how to reduce risk in our communities.

Public health is the science of preventing disease and promoting health through influencing the choices we make both collectively and individually.

We know effective public health messages are non-judgmental, easy to understand, consistent, and connected to the communities they target. Ineffective public health messages are fear based, complicated, inconsistent, and irrelevant to the communities they target.

When we as individuals try to influence people we care about to comply with protective measures, whether it’s STI testing, condom use, or wearing a face mask, it’s important remember to be non-judgmental, easy to understand, consistent in what we say and do, and connected to the person we’re speaking to.

We also need to remember we are entitled to our boundaries and setting boundaries with the people we care about. Setting and maintaining boundaries is a central part of healthy relationships.

Thanks for listening! If you have a question for the question box, email me at [email protected]