There are many innovative ways to make condom usage more appealing. Exotic flavors, ultra-thin latex, and textured condoms “ribbed for pleasure” all make condoms more exciting.

However, their rate of usage remains inconsistent.

Launching the Condom Design Contest

Faced with this challenge, Say It With A Condom partnered with Frannie Peabody Center to help make condoms more fun.

Frannie Peabody Center, a nonprofit in Portland, Maine, invited a class of students at the Maine College of Art to design condom packaging that raises awareness of testing and prevention on World AIDS Day.

Donna Galluzzo, the Executive Director of Frannie Peabody Center, sees World AIDS Day as an occasion to honor those lost during the AIDS crisis while raising awareness for modern prevention methods.

Creating the Condom Designs

For the graphic design class, this was an opportunity to gain real-world design experience. “This class treated us, Frannie Peabody Center, as their client,” says Galluzzo, “It’s a very real-world experience for them. We all meet together, they interview us, and they talk about what we are looking for.”

The more visually interesting a condom package, the more likely someone will pick it up to find out what it is. Frannie Peabody Center understood this, so they instructed the design students to combine positive messaging with unique patterns and colors.

After giving the class direction at the beginning of the fall semester, they had a mid-semester meeting to present their drafts and receive constructive feedback. This feedback culminated in the students’ final designs.

“We wanted the designs to be attractive and colorful, but they also had to spread the right message, respect our clients, and appeal to a large variety of groups,” Galluzzo notes, “That was a very fine line to walk, but I think the folks at Say It With A Condom really understood that. The class really got it as well, the designs all had something unique about them but they were all very respectful.”

Rocking the Vote

Once the entries were submitted, Say It With A Condom developed an online voting platform that allowed the community to vote on their favorite design. Not only did Frannie Peabody Center send people to vote online, they also went to events throughout Portland to conduct in-person voting sessions.

“It was really fun to engage the public,” says Galluzzo, “people of course were picking up the condoms and reading the messages. We got to hear what their thoughts were in real time. Some thought it was all about the style, while others thought it was more about the positive messaging. We even got to see parents explaining condoms to their kids right in the moment, so it was definitely quite the engagement!”

In total, over 850 votes were cast. The competition was close, but Hayden Jones’s “Every Connection Counts” design won!

Who Was Frannie Peabody?

Frannie Peabody, the namesake of her eponymous nonprofit, began her work as an activist at the age of eighty following her grandson’s AIDS diagnosis. “I wish that I had met Frannie,” says Galluzzo, “every time I talk to someone who did know her, she becomes a larger than life figure.”

Following the death of her grandson, she became involved in visiting support groups to meet with others who lost friends and loved ones during during the AIDS crisis. “She became an incredibly staunch advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS in the state of Maine,” Galluzzo says, “she went on a longstanding community campaign to raise awareness, to engage her personal community, to give, and to help.”

Asked what Frannie Peabody would have thought of the contest, Galluzzo says that “I’m sure she would have loved it.”

Visit Frannie Peabody Center’s Website, Facebook, and Instagram

Email contest@sayitwithacondom.com to Launch Your Own Condom Design Contest!

The post Frannie Peabody Center Hosts Condom Design Contest appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Revolución Con Don P Reaches a New Audience

The ubiquity of social media has created duality in health promotion. Raising awareness through traditional tabling methods remains crucial, but no campaign is complete without a visible online presence. Social media allows healthcare providers to overcome barriers in disseminating information to patients, and can also drive patient uptake for organizations like Fenway Health. Fenway Health is a healthcare, research, education and advocacy organization in Boston, Massachusetts whose mission includes serving the LGBTQ community. As social media grows more integrated in daily life, some providers have evolved their digital strategy to reach new audiences. Ricardo Holguin, the Bilingual Outreach Navigator at Fenway Health, has revolutionized outreach to the Latinx MSM (Men that have Sex with Men) population by developing an approachable persona on Snapchat.

Holguin built his campaign with a federally funded grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The grant’s name is “Llegando a Cero,” which translates to “Getting to Zero” in English. This project was awarded to Fenway Health to enhance targeted outreach, social media marketing, and on-the-ground navigation services in order to help increase awareness of HIV and substance abuse prevention services, in part through the creation of Holguin’s current position as Bilingual Outreach Navigator. “Many campaigns adopt a very serious tone which can scare people away,” Holguin notes. “I asked myself how I could best engage with 18-24-year-old Latinx MSM.” Holguin knew that the best way to spread information is through social media, but he wanted to create something different. After weeks of deliberation, Holguin had a genius idea: Revolución con Don P. “Condom in Spanish translates to condón,” Holguin explains, “I separated the word and realized it translates to ‘with Don.’ In Spanish, Don is the male form of a courtesy title placed before the first name of someone as a way of showing respect. The name Don P is a play on words. Revolución Con Don P means ‘Revolution With Condoms.’” The “P” in Don P is variable, it can mean prevention, precaution, or even PrEP.

Don P is the face of Holguin’s social media campaign, which spans across Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and dating apps such as Grindr. The persona primarily targets young Latinx MSM , a population that’s disproportionately affected by HIV. Research from the CDC projects that “one in four Latino gay and bisexual men will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetimes.” Holguin’s goal is to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV while providing them with links to needed services. The anonymity and transience on Snapchat provides Holguin’s followers with a sense of privacy and freedom, emboldening them to ask questions they may otherwise feel uncomfortable asking.

Holguin acquires followers through word of mouth, but he also spreads awareness of Revolución con Don P by attending outreach events in person. As he began attending more events, Holguin realized he needed a memorable way to stay in touch with people. Fenway Health already provides safe sex kits, but Holguin needed something that included information about where people can get tested.  Holguin says that “as I began researching potential options, I found Say It With A Condom! It was exactly what I was looking for.”

After enlisting their services, Say It With A Condom connected Holguin with Gilberto Perez, the manager of the company’s graphic design team. “What I like about Ricardo is that he knows exactly how to approach the target demographic,” says Perez, “I found that his Snapchat campaign is a great way to interact with young people.” Benjamin Sherman, the founder and CEO of Say It With A Condom, remarked that “We’ve worked on a lot of campaigns, but this one is something that’s really special and what I hope will be very successful. It’s a lot different than everything else that has come to us or that we’ve designed.” The design, which includes Don P’s snapcode image on the back of the trifold, makes it easier for Holguin to gain followers.

“If people don’t want to give me their information, I have them follow Don P on Snapchat and let them know that they can always speak to him confidentially,” says Holguin, “Once that happens, I can build rapport with them and gain their trust. The more I start posting, the more people relate to the content.”

Add Don P on Snapchat by Using this Snapcode

The Don P condoms have already helped drive patient uptake. “People love the engagement,” says Holguin, “I get lots of people asking where they can get tested. Fenway Health has already had an influx of Latinos aged 18-24 coming in for testing since we launched the campaign.” Holguin hopes that by providing a space for people to engage his health expertise anonymously, he’ll be able to prevent risky behavior. Additionally, the campaign was created to bring more resources to the large population of Spanish speakers throughout Boston. By providing culturally sensitive care, Don P is able to confidentially connect more people from the Latinx MSM community to the resources that they need to protect their sexual health.

The post Fenway Health Maximizes Outreach with Custom Condoms appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Throughout recent American history, those who suffer from addiction have been systematically imprisoned without receiving medical intervention. With no access to treatment, stable housing, or career opportunities, these individuals often find themselves in an ongoing cycle of abuse without the resources to begin recovery. While the United States spends upwards of $74 billion on “incarceration, court proceedings, probation, and parole for substance-involved adult and juvenile offenders,” just $632 million is spent on prevention and treatment initiatives.

Phoenix, Arizona in 1969 wasn’t immune from this public health crisis. Many young people were in “desperate situations, because of bad trips on drugs, overdoses, and drug-related suicide attempts.” Due to fear surrounding the police and hospitals, these young people had nowhere to turn, but a small group of friends “responded to their need and reached out to help them with a belief that people can change and with a commitment to not give up on them. That was the beginning of Terros.”

Terros, derived from the Latin root word “terr” meaning earth, serves to help “people high on drugs come down to earth and become grounded.” Today, Terros Health is a multi-faceted health organization specializing in primary medical care, mental health care, HIV/STI prevention, and addiction recovery. With four integrated clinics and eleven additional sites across Maricopa County, Terros Health meets a diversity of needs in the Phoenix region. With their new series of branded custom condom products, Terros has amplified their outreach capabilities. 

Staying Healthy for Life

During the growing AIDS crisis in 1987, Terros expanded their recovery initiatives to include HIV/STD prevention. By keeping their community safe when they needed it the most, Terros Health poised itself to become a leader in primary health care throughout the Phoenix region. Not only does Terros offer a full range of testing options, they also offer a robust assortment of educational programming and PrEP resources. With affordable treatment on a sliding pay scale, Terros recognizes the needs of the vulnerable in their community and makes their health a priority.

Seeking to raise greater awareness for the locations of their clinics and the services they offer, Terros enlisted the help of Say It With A Condom to provide a fun and easy way to engage with prospective patients.

Our Ambitious Project with Terros Health

Working with Terros Health was one of Say It With A Condom’s most ambitious projects to date. In total, we created 15,000 pieces, including:

• Condom Foils
• Condom Trifolds
• Condom Cubes
• Condom Canisters

Gilberto Perez, the manager of Say It With A Condom’s design team, tactfully incorporated Terros’s logo and essential information in a compelling, eye-catching design. This was the first project where Perez had the opportunity to create a custom condom canister. “What I liked about the Terros campaign was their consistent branding,” Perez notes, “the whole project was cohesive and complete, they created a very well-supported campaign!” The Terros logo, a bird taking off for flight, “evokes hope, transformation, and continuous movement, and aligns with the purpose of inspiring change for life.” This meaningful logo is accentuated by a thought-provoking question: “Everyone has a status. Do you know yours?” This encourages prospective patients to take account of their sexual health, potentially catalyzing them to come to Terros for testing.

According to Jose Vega, a Program Supervisor with Terros, the condoms have done just that. Vega notes that a growing number of new patients have sought out testing as a direct result of the information outlined on the condoms, thereby turning a persuasive design into tangible action. “People who received the Say It With A Condom swag items really like the way the information was displayed,” Vega says, “people thought they were really creative.”

For more information on Terros Health, visit their website

The post Custom Condoms Help Inspire Change for Life at Terros Health appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Whitney Bell, a feminist polymath with a distinguished presence on social media, uses her platform to spread conscious messaging that concerns gender equality, consent, and the de-stigmatization of family planning. You may remember Whitney from a number of her widely-publicized events; from challenging the defunding of Planned Parenthood by live-streaming her IUD insertion to participating in an empowering photo series funded by the Amber Rose SlutWalk, Bell is an undaunted voice for social justice.

More recently, Bell made waves by hosting a gallery event that highlights the harassment of uninvited nude photography. “I Didn’t Ask for This: A Lifetime of Dick Pics” features approximately two-hundred framed photographs of dick pics that Bell and other women have received.  “I wanted to show how invasive and pervasive sexual harassment is,” Bell says in a Bustle interview, “and how it affects every part of a woman’s life.”

Modelled after her own apartment, the gallery space uses an eclectic collection of personal items that are juxtaposed with jarring photos of genitalia. This contrast confronts the regularity of sexting harassment. Even when women are alone at home, they are liable to receive a torrent of unsolicited sexts via online dating apps.

While sexting can potentially be a normal, healthy part of burgeoning relationships, it’s still necessary to receive consent before sending explicit images. Although women are equally capable of sending an unwanted sext, statistics indicate that the trend is heavily skewed toward men. Research from McAfee, a software security firm, found that “61 percent of men partake in sexting and suggestive photo taking, while 48 percent of women do.”

What can account for such a discrepancy?

Dr. David Ley theorizes in Psychology Today that “in an anonymous environment, people, and especially men, are more likely to engage in sexualized behaviors,” also noting that “men notoriously misperceive women’s sexual interest in them and project their own sexual interests and desires onto women.”

Frontiers in Psychology research by Evita March and Danielle Wagstaff correlates the likelihood of sending an unsolicited explicit image to “dark personality traits” such as narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism: “the positive association between dark traits of personality and sexually exploitative behavior could extend to sending unsolicited explicit images, which have previously been defined as a form of online sexual harassment.” Interestingly, the study also notes that sending explicit images “may act as a signal of one’s willingness to engage in risky behaviors,” such as not using protection, which is corroborated by research from The Journal of Adolescent Health.

Bell emphasizes in a Vice interview that her gallery isn’t about “dick-hating or man-hating,” it’s about harassment. “All of these dicks are unsolicited,” Bell says, “they didn’t come from requests.” Underscoring the issue of unsolicited dick pics is the suppression of female sexuality and a fundamental misunderstanding of consent, which Bell hopes to alleviate through educational programming at future gallery events.

A New Promotional Campaign

Last March, Bell took on a new project. Utilizing the services of Say It With A Condom, Bell created a clever campaign that uses custom condoms to celebrate the virtues of consent and sexual positivity. The condoms are designed with the intention to make people consider feminism, LGBT equality, and the risks of unprotected sex.

The condoms, which include slogans such as “pleasure is power,” “open with consent only,” “don’t be a dick,” “respect women,” and “women don’t owe you shit,” are an easy and fun way to initiate a conversation about important feminist issues.

With a cute retro design, Bell’s condoms also serve to de-stigmatize female sexuality: “women were embarrassed to carry condoms,” says Bell, “but I’m going in the other direction by demanding that there be no shame.” In addition to spreading an important message, 100% of the proceeds from Bell’s condoms are donated to  amfAR (The Foundation for AIDS Research).

The condoms are sold on Bell’s unique online clothing store.

Getting The Word Out – Custom Designed Condoms

With the help of a “dream team of sexologists, activists, and influencers,” Bell organized a professional photoshoot to promote her charity campaign. Photographer Brandon Barnhart shot the series.

Kiran Gandhi, an activist and musician who toured as a drummer with M.I.A

GabiFresh, a businesswoman and blogger who runs a popular online store

Stephanie Beatriz, an actress famous for playing Detective Rosa Diaz on Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Jazzmyne Jay, a producer at BuzzFeed

Curly Velasquez, a writer for BuzzFeed

Dewanda Wise, an actress who plays Nola Darling in Spike Lee’s Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It

Gaby Dunn, the New York Times best-selling author of I Hate Everyone But You

Arisce Wanzer, a transgender supermodel

The post Learn How This Activist Uses Custom Condoms to Fund AIDS Research appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Below is a lightly edited transcription of an interview we did with Brett:

What exactly is WeHo Life?

WeHo Life is a program that is specifically targeted to gay men’s and transgender women’s health.

The overall organization targets much more than that, but it is divided up into specific branches in order to implement the most effective strategies in advocating for LGBT rights. The entire program is actually funded by the city of West Hollywood, and they are very proactive in making sure that everyone is receiving the proper care they need.

What are some services offered by the center?

The program offers services for testing, PrEP, mental health services, programs targeting homeless youth, transgender services, and more.

This organization really is all encompassing. WeHo life specifically also offer strip surveys, which is a unique and fun way to interact with the program. For every question on the survey someone answers, a porn star takes off one article of clothing. Who wouldn’t want to participate in that?

How has this organization influenced the West Hollywood area?

People have learned to become more accepting to this culture. The gay population in WeHo is a very prominent one, and being able to advocate for them has allowed people to become more open-minded and accepting to this community.

Our online programs have reached people in all fifty states, and even different countries. People in Russia are watching our videos, and it’s incredible because gay men there don’t have a safe haven like this, but we can give them that through our online program. It’s amazing what technology can do nowadays!

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced while working with the Los Angeles LGBT Center?

West Hollywood is not a very diverse area. It consists of mostly caucasian people, and the majority of the gay population here is muscular, white males. However, there is a latino population as well, and they do not receive the proper attention that they need due to their background.

The LGBT Latino population between the ages of 19-25 still has a disproportionately higher rate of HIV, but it is something that the Los Angeles LGBT Center is actively working to change!

How did your partnership with Say It With A Condom help enhance the delivery of your message?

The customized condom foils provided by Say It With A Condom are terrific and actually very popular. People want to take them because of the creative packaging. And that accomplishes our goal of making sure people have access to and are making use of these tools.

Where do you see the program going in the future?

I am focusing on pushing the use of condoms despite the introduction of PrEP. I also want to make sure that there is a continued sense of awareness surrounding the LGBT community and HIV. People need to stay informed so that they don’t feel ashamed. Inclusion is key, especially in West Hollywood considering the discrimination people face due to their body type or ethnicity.

The post Getting People On PrEP With Brett Holland of the LA LGBT Center appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Spearheaded by Belle Ursa, an HIV Prevention Education Coordinator, the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland uses an arsenal of 10,000 custom condoms to spread knowledge of not only safe sex, but also the benefits of using PrEP. The idea was to introduce the drug to the community, which if taken daily, can reduce one’s likelihood of acquiring HIV by 92%. The custom designed condoms are on the frontline in an aggressive ground crusade to directly empower people with knowledge.

PReP Awareness with Custom Designed Condoms

The condom-based initiative’s main goal is to engage the community on a personal level. With the help of powerful Public Opinion Leaders (POLs), a team that literally takes to the streets and frequents the cafes, bars, and hangouts of the local LGBT+ community, the idea is to take the information directly to the people who need it most and to speak their language.

“We want to come to your neighborhood, on your terms,” Belle declares, “and to provide outreach to the community from within the community itself about HIV, where to get tested, and especially PrEP.”

Belle describes her tribe of POLs as loud and social, but altogether understanding of the plight of the people they interact with. While bringing this data directly to the people, it is also important for the team to be discreet while interacting with each individual. Gauging the acceptance and playing off of reactions is a powerful skill, especially in a continuously marginalized culture, and that is why Belle believes the condoms help create an olive branch of sorts to illuminate PrEP and its potential to help the community.

“Even if people are not comfortable talking about their PrEP needs,” Belle continues, “we leave pamphlets, pins, and condoms wherever the POLs go.”

The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

Since 1975, the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland has been serving the needs of the LGBT+ community in Northeastern Ohio, and have become a force across lines of culture. The Center’s work and mission remain important and vital in order to help via awareness education and real world tools, like PrEP.

The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland works to enrich the lives of the diverse LGBTQ community through advocacy, support, education, and celebration. With useful, practical tools, such as condoms, the Center is still at the start of its fight of continuing to engage people, and they show no signs of slowing down, even if they have to talk to people one at a time.

Turning Conversations Into Action

Furthermore, the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland partners with Metro Health on regular community dinners to make this information palatable. With the guidance of Dr. Anne Avery, the idea is to steer people to Metro Health to get the help they need to get on PrEP.

With a never-ending focus on helping people live their true self, and to lift up the LGBT+ community in Northeastern Ohio to encourage everyone within to live authentically and successfully.

The post Say It With A Condom Provided the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland with PrEP Condoms appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Caleb Gustin has a strong passion for sexual health and they are an Emergency Room Nurse who also live streams for O.School, teaches in the Seattle school system for a women’s non-profit, and is a drag queen!

Caleb purchased custom condom wallets as a “signature calling card” for their drag persona, SisteRNurseJoy. SisteRNurseJoy is a Catholic nun who is passionate about many things. She stands for self love, joy, laughter, comprehensive sex education, reproductive justice, and queer acceptance.

The wallets have SisteRNurseJoy’s logo and the phrase “Serving doses of Joy, Acceptance, Sex Education, and Queer Fury in the PNW!” When asked about how they use the condom wallets, Caleb said, “I use these condoms as business cards within the sex education community, as a form of outreach to queer people and youth at clubs and bars, and as a merchandising option for myself in order to support all of the work that goes into drag as a performance art. I hand them out, sell them, and even hear stories from people who have used them during their first sexual encounters!”

Caleb’s passion for sexual health was very apparent in their responses. They chose these condoms specifically because they start a conversation. You wouldn’t ever expect a Catholic nun hand out condoms and speak about safe sex, right? Caleb finds it to be very powerful to be handing out these condoms to people when they would least expect it. Since Caleb is a nurse, they also mentioned that they support free reproductive healthcare and making sure people have what they need when they need it.

Custom Condoms As Promo Products

Caleb explained that Say It With A Condom is helping with their promotional goals “by getting my face into the hands of people who might not normally hear of me.” Caleb continued by saying, “Womxn deserve autonomy over their bodies and their reproductive happenings. I hope to be just one small action in the long term goal of reversing the tide of history towards one that values and respects womxn from all walks of life. While I’m at it, I plan to have a little fun, curse a little as a nun, and maybe even save a life outside of the emergency room if only one queer kid somewhere else in the world decides that life is worth living and loving their queer self is the secret to finding joy in this life.”

Clearly, both Caleb and SisteRNurseJoy are having a blast handing out these custom designed condoms and starting these unexpected and educational conversations! Check out SisteRNurseJoy’s Twitter, Instagram, and website! Both Caleb and SisteRNurseJoy are available for lectures, panels, comedy, and performances.  

The post SisteRNurseJoy Doesn’t Want to be a Drag When it Comes to Sexual Health appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Elizabeth Schedl is the Deputy Director of the Hudson Pride Connections Center located in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her organization partnered with Say It With A Condom to spread awareness on PrEP as part of their preventative service program. The Hudson Pride Connections Center caters to the LGBT community within Hudson County, and gives this community a home and a voice. Hudson Pride Connections Center has made some major changes to Hudson County, so read on to learn a bit more about what they do!

Elizabeth Schedl

Condoms Designed by Say It With A Condom

What types of services does the Hudson Pride Connections Center offer?

“We offer so much, but some of our most popular services are peer led social support groups, public events such as the youth prom and holiday dinners, drug and alcohol preventative services and workshops, residential housing, and HIV and PrEP services.”

We can see why so many people consider the Hudson Pride Connections Center a second home.

Luckily enough, this center also has a very good relationship with the police department. The police department offers their time and services at no cost to accompany employees when they do their ‘Ryan White’ HIV late night outreach program. “We’re lucky to have such a good relationship with the police. It makes us feel more safe when we’re doing our work, and considering many of our clients are from the inner-city, they feel a lot more comfortable too. They feel as if they are being accepted.”

How did you get started in this line of work?

“It’s something i’ve been interested in for quite a long time. I actually started the first ever LGBT organization on my college campus, and it received major support. We ended up winning an ‘organization of the year’ award within the first year. Then I worked for the Victory Fund in D.C. before moving back to Jersey. I’ve been working at the Hudson Pride Connections Center since then, and I’ve worked my way up to where I am now.”

It’s great to see that the employees at this center have a comprehensive background and are really devoted to their work.

What have been some major obstacles your organization has faced?

“Thankfully, Hudson County is very accepting of the LGBT community. However, it is very frustrating to see that there are still people out there today that will not acknowledge this community, or do not even know that they exist.”

We agree Elizabeth, especially with technology being at our fingertips every second of the way. Google.com is a beautiful thing.

How did your partnership with Say It With A Condom help enhance the delivery of your message?

“People love the PrEP condoms created by Say It With A Condom. They’re very informative, and I think it’s extremely important that people are being handed a direct solution to some of these issues we’re trying to combat.”

We’re happy to hear that our PrEP condoms are raising awareness and starting important conversations.

What do you hope to see happen in the future?

“I would love to see more awareness regarding PrEP. It is fairly new, but not new enough that people shouldn’t know what it is. People need to get educated and know their options.” Elizabeth also talked about how topics such as bullying and HIV need more attention.

“People still have a 1980’s understanding of HIV, but we’ve come so far since then.”

We cannot wait to see what new campaigns we can launch with the Hudson Pride Connections Center and other LGBT organizations in the future. Stay protected, and Say It With A Condom!

The post Say It With A Condom & Hudson Pride Connections Center On PrEP appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Culture of Care is a student-led, staff-supported initiative at Indiana University, designed to foster Hoosier-to-Hoosier care in the areas of sexual well-being, drug and alcohol awareness, mental health and respect. Culture of Care is not about meetings, talks or events, it’s about spreading compassion and promoting a culture of awareness and courage. It’s about redefining what it means to be a “Hoosier.”

Say It With A Condom is proud to be part of the Culture of Care campaign which began in the spring of 2012 as a one-week outreach initiative and is now a year-long effort to raise awareness in the aforementioned focus areas, and to encourage bystander intervention. Thanks to eye-catching advocacy tools, such as condom packaging with strategic messaging, the initiative is going strong. It is attracting both new and established students, encouraging them to take personal pride in the emotional and physical safety of their school and the student body.

Capturing the Culture of Care in a Unique Way

Emmalee Fishburn, the Assistant Director for Bystander Intervention and Sexual Assault Prevention within the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, has stated that 32,600 students have been directly impacted or reached (not accounting for social media or Big Ten Network impact). Her department chose Say It With A Condom because the company provided the best branded condoms with “spot on” messaging and exemplary client service. Previous partners included major universities and nonprofit organizations, marking the company as both trusted and reputable. Repeat data analysis has shown that students are benefiting from the campaign as they request additional information and condoms.

Emmalee voiced her approval, saying condoms are an integral part of the collective Culture of Care campaign as they break down barriers of safe sexual awareness. She went on to say that she would whole-heartedly advise other colleges to use condoms to promote consent and sexual health. Students are having sex, why not give them the tools for a healthy experience. She used three strong words to describe her experience with Say It With A Condom: Attentive, Efficient, Intentional.

Doubling Down on Dynamic Publicity

Just a few short weeks after placing a massive custom product order from Say It With A Condom, they came back and ordered again, stating that the condoms connect with the students in ways other promotional products did not. At tabling events all year long, they handed out pens, stickers, water bottles, journals, and other relevant promotional pieces, but the custom Culture of Care condoms garnered the most attention and none were to be found after the event.

Culture of Care informs students of the services available to them on campus and trains them in bystander intervention through the Step UP! IU program, which walks students through real-life-inspired scenarios to prepare them to intervene – not just a passive witness – when they see someone in need. Each student has or knows someone who has experienced something related to our focus areas, and we encourage students to connect with one another and to work together to combat these serious campus issues. There is no better way to promote real-life scenarios than with real-life tools such as a condom.

By providing students with the appropriate tools to organically and proactively spread the message, it arms the entire student body with the weapons they need to fight the good fight of awareness. More than proponents of safe sex, condoms not only provide a powerful message, they are a shareable tool in times of need. Friends give friends condoms. This is a good thing. The message on the package should reflect a responsible message and empower the user.

Continuing More Campaigns

Culture of Care’s strength lies in its collaborative approach to culture change. In order to continue making an impact on students’ lives, those behind the initiative believe that support from all levels of IU campuses – administration, staff, faculty, student leaders, and students – is essential to creating a Culture of Care. Say It With A Condom is dedicated to continually assist Indiana University and the Culture of Care promote bystander intervention through four focus areas: Respect, Sexual Well-Being, Mental Health, and Drugs and Alcohol.

Say It With A Condom looks forward to again working with Indiana University. We also look forward to strategic conversations about safe sex, consent, and the campaigns that promote these issues with colleges and universities throughout our country.

The post Say It With A Condom Continues to Provide Indiana University with the Tools to Promote Awareness for Culture of Care appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Every year during Valentine’s Day week, organizations across the country from Planned Parenthood to Advocates for Youth celebrate National Condom Week.

This week long event got it’s start at the University of California, Berkley in the 1970’s and has now expanded nationwide to promote safer sex.

Why promote safer sex? Well, as Emma McGowan wrote in her latest article for Bustle, “the CDC estimates that undiagnosed STIs are responsible for infertility in over 20,000 women each year.” That’s a crazy high number! We know there are dozens of other benefits to using a condom too. Here are some examples:

• Prevents a messy cleanup
• Helps to prevent an unplanned pregnancy
• Allows you to reduce the “risk” factor when engaging in promiscuous behavior
• Great for the casual water ballon fight

We’ve known for quite some time, 1000’s and 1,000’s of years ago (some same 15,000 BC), that condoms are an effective method to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STI/STDS. Back in those days, condoms were made from a variety of materials ranging from sheep or lamb intestines (imagine getting these through the TSA), to oiled silk paper. The invention of latex in the 1920’s allowed for the condoms we’re familiar with using today to be brought to market.

Photo Credit: A Voice For Men

Nowadays, condoms come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. They even have condoms designed for a woman to wear instead of a man. One of our goals at Say It With A Condom is to decrease the stigma around wearing condoms by using them as a tool to start a conversation.

XL / Female Custom Condom Wallet

Ending the stigma around condom usage or just plain old carrying a condom around has gotten easier over the years, but there is still a fight to be had in some of our local communities. We are proud to work with peer educators, prevention coordinators, sexual wellness counselors, volunteers, and 100’s of other people with different job titles to distribute condoms to start a conversation.

We know from the 100,000’s of conversations that we have been part of, that if we can put a condom with a message into someones hands, then that condom becomes all the more powerful because a message has been delivered without any room for misinterpretation (those aren’t our words, but those of hundreds of our clients).

Having been in the condom business for nearly a decade, we are thankful to the people who have been promoting National Condom Week since the 70’s. For without them, perhaps we might not have been able to start Say It With A Condom. We are thankful that our clients choose us to be a part of normalizing condom usage in their communities (or to promote their brand, product, service or event because condoms also make an AWESOME promo item). We’re looking forward to serving everyone for years to come. Happy National Condom Week!

The post National Condom Week is Here appeared first on Say It With A Condom.