On June 18^th to the 20^th, the 29^th Annual Guelph Sexuality Conference took place. This year the conference wanted to "bring the issues of social justice, particularly as they apply to sexuality and gender." In particular, space was made at the conference to address the issues of youth and sexuality. I sat down with Lisa Middleton, the coordinator for Youth for Choice, a Canadian network of young people between the ages of 13-29 who advocate for the sexual and reproductive rights of youth, to talk about her participation at the conference.

PP: Can you tell us a bit more about Canadian Youth for Choice?

LM: Canadian Youth for Choice (CYC) envisions a country where sexual and reproductive rights are guaranteed, along with non-biases and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and services are available freely and equally to each and every youth. CYC is supported by the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health (CFSH).

PP: Why did CYC want to participate in the Guelph Conference?

LM: CYC wanted to present on our Know Your Rights Tour in which CYC members are traveling across Canada to talk to youth about their sexual and reproductive rights and sexual education. CYC has also created a Charter of Sexual and Reproductive Rights for Youth that they will have Members of the Canadian Parliament endorse as well other Canadians. At the Guelph Conference on Sexuality we were presenting the charter as well as emphasizing the need for youth advocacy, and discussing what can be done to remove the barriers which inhibit youth from being advocates. Additionally we emphasized the importance of self-analysis and examining whether the health professionals that worked with youth are advocates for youth.

PP: Did you feel that the conference adequately addressed the needs of youth?

LM: Overall I do not think the conference addressed the needs of youth. The high cost of the conference inhibited the majority of youth and any other non-professionals from attending the conference. Furthermore some of the presentations seemed to be far from many youth's experience. CYC is made by youth, run by youth and delivered by youth. This is important in order to ensure that the programs/campaigns are relevant to Canadian youth's needs and interests. I found that some programs which were being proposed at the conference were not relevant to youth and were clearly created by adults for what they think youth need. The red flag issue with this tactic is youth will not use what they do not want or need. The conference was also very academic, which had its benefits, but left many people in silence as they tried to figure out the academic jargon that was being thrown around in presentations. The conference was not designed for youth, which is fine, but there needs to be awareness that many of the people that attended the conference work with youth and require skills in order to deliver the message of the importance of healthy sexual and reproductive choice to all youth.

So it seems that even at conferences that are trying to make space for young people, the programs and policies that they are creating are not necessarily in keeping with the realities that most youth face. Perhaps it is time that we get youth engaged in conference and policy influencing opportunities so that they can bring their thoughts and voices to the forefront.