I was at a conference recently and walked past someone with tattoos all over who was sitting alone. A really good friend of mine who is also covered from head to toe recently shared that people avoid her in public spaces because she’s too ‘scary’. Given she’s an altogether incredibly amazing woman, I made a promise to myself that I would go out of my way to connect with people who may otherwise be shunned by those quick to judge. So I grabbed my lunch and came back to interrupt this person’s quiet space and was so glad I did.
- Stop sweeping the topic of porn under the carpet because it’s too difficult to get past the basics, and implement a whole-of-school (or whole of life) holistic relationships and sexuality education approach.
- Question the conversation around porn that is swayed by liberal thinkers who are set on convincing the masses that porn is a wonderfully empowering medium that strips back all inhibitions and makes people sexually ‘free’; yet at the same time, deny the evidence that mainstream porn has countless negative effects on many people’s lives.
- Bring parents up to speed – there’s always a ‘generation gap’ but this one is wider than experienced in generations gone by, particularly given the mass influx of Internet porn and the use of mobile devices.
Thank you Jenny. You are exactly perfect for your work – you connect with young people where they are at, you understand the ramifications of not taking action, and you brave the new frontier faced by every school. I’ll sit beside you any day.