SI Riverside – International Women’s Day

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For members of Soroptimist International of Riverside and their guests, this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8 provided a unique opportunity for education.

Sexuality Educator Sue Dimitrijevich was the guest speaker at a special International Women’s Day event hosted by the club. Sue is the Coordinator of Respectful Relationships at SARC (Sexual Assault Resource Centre) and Education & Training Consultant with WA Health Education Services.

Soroptimist International of Riverside and Sue invited the 35 guests to discover some of the issues facing our young people as they try to navigate their way through the minefield of hormones, media and peer influences, parental advice, website information and school sex education. In a light hearted presentation about a serious topic, Sue presented some thought-provoking ideas about a subject that is constantly in the media.

In the spirit of ‘Soroptimists for education and leadership’ and the International Women’s Day theme of ‘equal access to education, training and science and technology’, Sue’s informative talk allowed the women present to learn something valuable about sex education both for themselves and to share with the young people in their lives.

Sue urged all audience members to realise that they have more influence than they think when it comes to the young people in their lives. For example, young people rate their mothers and female friends as people they are most likely to go to for advice about sex and relationships. They also rank as some of the most trusted people they go to for accurate information.

Soroptimist International of Riverside President Jan Olivieri says “Article 29 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child recognises the right to an education that prepares a child for a responsible life. This includes sex education, so we are interested in ensuring we know how to talk to young people about sex in an open, constructive way”.