Hundreds of universities and students throughout the world use Say It With A Condom to start memorable conversations. Condoms are a powerful tool for engagement. Visually striking imagery on condom packaging not only makes safe sex exciting, it also draws excitement to your message. Universities in particular are an ideal sphere for custom condoms. Youth between the ages of 15-24 make up half of all new STI infections, and condoms are the most expedient method of protection. If you want to develop a branded campaign that leaves a memorable impression while keeping your audience safe, Say It With A Condom.

Here are 15 unique ways that universities used custom condoms as school promo products.

#1 How Do You Mustache For Consent?

This creative condom was created by Florida International University’s Victim Empowerment Program. Representing one of the largest public universities in the country, the Victim Empowerment Program sponsors awareness activities, prevention education, and peer education. These custom condoms help the program keep FIU’s student body safe while providing them with an accessible link to more information.

#2 It’s Time To Vote!

Candidates for Arizona State University’s undergraduate student government mobilized their peers to vote by creating this promotional condom!

#3 Need A Lift?

College Cabs was founded by a group of entrepreneurial college students who saw an opportunity to provide affordable, safe, and reliable transportation to the student body at Washington State University. These funny promotional condoms are a great way to ensure safe roads and safe sex!

#4 Compassionate Care At An Inclusive Center

The Centre for Women and Trans People at Wilfrid Laurier University created these custom condoms to spread awareness of the unique services they provide on campus. The condoms are a creative addition to the center’s referral services, community events, and sexual health awareness initiatives.

#5 What Services Does My School Provide?

Vanderbilt University created these custom condoms for their sex ed program. Vandy Sex Ed offers workshops on topics ranging from general sex ed, BDSM, queer sex, and virginity. 

#6 What’s On Your Checklist?

Indiana State University created these condoms for the Culture of Care campaign. Culture of Care provides students with resources for sexual health awareness, drug and alcohol responsibility, and mental health services. We profiled the campaign in greater detail on our blog!

#7 Parachutes & Protection

University of Connecticut’s Skydiving Club created these witty condoms to keep their members safe in the dorms and in the skies! 

#8 A Different Kind Of Entertainment

The Campus Events Commission at UCLA is a student-run organization dedicated to bringing the best entertainment to campus. With CEC branded condoms, the fun doesn’t have to end at the show!

#9 For Alumni Too

UCSD’s custom condom for alumni is a great way to show school spirit after graduation!

#10 Enhance The Student Experience With A Gold Foil

The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Students’ Association customized this gold foil condom to promote safe sex among the student body.

#11 Building A Better Campus At MIT

This classic white foil condom was created by MIT to protect students’ sexual health. It is a great example of how a school used custom condoms as a promotional product.

#12 A Creative Way to Get an A

Gerda Ziogelyte, an art student at the University of Huddersfield, created these condoms for her final project on “The Perception of Modern Intimacy.”

#13 Affordable Housing, Safe Sex

College Houses is a nonprofit organization that makes finding affordable housing easy! 

#14 Don’t Forget To Show Up On Game Day!

Clarkson University students created these promotional condoms to show support for their hockey team. Go Tech!

#15 An Entrepreneur’s Condom

Draper University, a Silicon Valley program that teaches crash courses in business, created this custom condom to creatively brand their school!

To create your own custom condoms, visit Say It With A Condom’s website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The post 15 Ways To Use Custom Condoms On Your Campus appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

How do you ask for consent? Did your grade school sex-ed class offer any guidance? At a time when rates of STD transmission continue to rise while half of American schools don’t mandate comprehensive sex education, consent can often fall by the wayside.

These ten custom condom packages allow Title IX coordinators, healthcare providers, and parents to engage young people in a conversation about asking for consent. Used by universities around the world, these condoms make the topic of consent memorable while also providing students with the resources they need to stay healthy.

University Of The Pacific, Weber State University, and SUNY Oswego are just a few examples of the universities who have customized our predesigned Consent Condoms. Creating custom condoms with your university’s contact information gives students the resources they need to get in touch with your office while giving them the tools they need to protect their sexual health.

Here are ten ways that you can start a conversation about consent with custom condoms

#1 What’s On Your Checklist?

Before you spend the night with someone, you’ve got to bring the essentials. Don’t forget your keys, wallet, and iPhone, but also make sure you’ve checked off consent before making the first move! 

#2 Let’s Talk Things Through…

Consent is rooted in communication. Not only is it sexy to talk about what you want to do with your partner, but it’s also a good way to establish boundaries. Attaining consent doesn’t have to feel like you’re consulting with a lawyer, it can also be a form of foreplay!

#3 What Are You Asking For?

People go into hookups with all sorts of different expectations, so if things are unclear, it’s important to speak up! Ask your partner what they want to do. By keeping several options on the table, relationships are allowed to develop at their own pace and with mutual involvement.

#4 Consent Is Sexy

Asking your partner for consent doesn’t have to feel like a grave proposition. Consent is sexy because it’s also anticipatory, it makes the buildup to sex more exciting! For some, this can also produce a more feverish and impassioned performance in the bedroom.

#5 How Do You Express Consent?

While implied consent can be a healthy and normal part of one’s long-term relationship, it’s absolutely necessary to receive affirmative consent if one’s partner expresses even a hint of apprehension. Especially in new relationships where sexual chemistry is still being experimented with, one must establish a healthy and open line of communication with their partner.

#6 When Should You Receive Consent?

If she’s wearing a short skirt and a revealing top, she must be down for whatever, right? Wrong! One’s choice of clothing can certainly be a fundamental expression of personality or desire, but it’s still not an invitation to make an unsolicited advance. Always get a “Yes!” before you take it further.

#7 What Do You Wanna Do?

Wanna go out for Indian food? Go to the beach? Watch a documentary about The Vietnam War? Wear a mask and try out these fuzzy handcuffs? Consent applies to even the most mundane facets of daily life. If you don’t ask, how will you know what your partner likes?

#8 There’s No Gray Area Here

When it comes to sex, what does consent look like for you? Is it asking every time before you escalate intimacy? Or is it establishing a framework before any clothing is removed? People are comfortable and uncomfortable with different things, so you’ve got to determine what works for your partner before you create an awkward or inappropriate situation.

#9 How Do You Overcome The Influence?

Are you able to consent to sex if you’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol? Well, that depends on how intoxicated you are. If you witness or suspect that a person under the influence could be taken advantage of, it’s important to stand up for the intoxicated person to protect their safety and dignity.

#10 I Love Consent

Love these custom consent condoms? Want to start a conversation about consent at your university or clinic? You can shop our entire line of pre-designed consent condoms by following this link, and you can also create your very own custom-designed condom on our website!

The post Ten Custom Condoms That Open A Dialogue About Consent appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

While rates of STD transmission have never been higher among American youth, the abysmal state of sexual health education suggests that public schools share culpability in these epidemic trends. Twenty-seven states require that an abstinence-only approach in sex-ed classes be stressed, and only thirteen states mandate that curricula be medically accurate. These unsettling facts have forced many students to take sexual health into their own hands.

Enter KC Miller, a high school senior who leads a movement advocating for comprehensive sex-education in Pennsylvania. At just seventeen years old, Miller founded Keystone CASE (Coalition for Advancing Sex Education), which aims to implement a standardized program of sex-education. According to Miller, comprehensive sex education promotes “the idea that sex is a healthy and normal part of the human experience.” Rather than stressing the debunked merit of abstinence, Miller hopes to put an end to abstinence-only education. “An absence of information is not education,” Miller emphasizes in his 2018 TEDx Talk, “it’s harmful to public health.”

In its place, Miller has drafted legislation entitled The Pennsylvania Healthy Youth Act. Based on The California Healthy Youth Act, Miller’s bill would require that Pennsylvania schools provide “ consistent, medically accurate, and unbiased instruction” that encompasses STD/HIV prevention, sexual orientation, contraception, and consent. To ensure the information remains up to date, Miller notes that “there are provisions in the bill that require curriculums to be reviewed consistently by medical professionals.”

Volunteers march with signs provided by Say It With A Condom, a proud sponsor of Keystone CASE

Currently, no such provisions exist. “Due to a lack of requirements by the federal government and individual states,” Miller says, “ it’s up to states and schools to choose what they teach. Unfortunately, these schools don’t have experts advising them with the best information.” Consequently, Miller believes that the federal government must mandate comprehensive sex education to ensure that the youth are receiving factual information.

While critics of comprehensive sex education claim that furnishing the young with this information would be equivalent to openly encouraging them to have sex, research indicates otherwise. Miller’s website cites a study which shows that comprehensive sex education programs “help delay the initiation of sex, lessen the frequency of unsafe sexual contact, reduce the number of sexual partners, and increase the use of FDA approved contraception among sexually active partners.” In California, the only state that has passed comprehensive sex education, data shows that thirty-two percent of California high school students have ever had sex, compared to forty-one percent nationally.

Despite the overwhelming evidence in his favor, KC Miller’s efforts remain politically controversial. Recently, the Trump administration announced that federal grants will be awarded to sexual health programs that favor abstinence as the best means of STD and pregnancy prevention. In his TEDx Talk, Miller cites “a study from the government reform committee, which looked into the thirteen most commonly used abstinence curriculums in the nation. Only two of them were factual. The other eleven, used by twenty-five states, contained ‘unproven assertions, subjective conclusions, and outright falsehoods.’” Outrageously, the federal government has spent two billion dollars on these programs over the last twenty years.

KC Miller, right, leads Keystone CASE at Philly Pride

The consequences of abstinence-only education extend beyond that of spreading falsehoods to children. The CDC reports that “half of the 20 million new STDS reported each year were among young people, between the ages of 15 to 24.” Moreover, a study from the National Survey of Family Growth finds that “teens who received comprehensive sex education were 50 percent less likely to experience pregnancy than those who received abstinence-only education.”

In addition to combatting abstinence-only education, Miller’s comprehensive sex education also promotes inclusivity among the LGBTQ community. “In some states, LGBTQ issues must be discussed in a negative way,” says Miller, “In some states, they are being taught that sexual orientation is harmful to society.” A study from 2015 finds that 12 percent of millennials said that same-sex relationships were covered in their sex-ed classes, and only twelve states require discussion of sexual orientation in sex education.

Miller, who tabled at the June 10^th Philadelphia pride parade, says that one of the biggest parts of his work is “reaching out to the LGBT community to distribute free information, free contraceptives, and free condoms… Pride is always a great time for those conversations because it’s always been a time to be proud and to express who we are.” Following his graduation from high school, Miller will attend UPenn to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing. He plans to continue this important fight at the college-level, and perhaps one day at the congressional-level.

The post Abolishing Abstinence-Only Education with KC Miller, an 18-Year-Old Sexual Health Activist appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

“The condoms are hilarious, but they’re also an educational tool…”

Not only are pets largely considered members of the family, but they’re also the subject of a niche economy. This year, Americans are projected to spend more than $72 billion on pet-related expenditures. Increasingly, young American couples opt for fur babies over real babies due to the reduced financial commitment offered by dogs and cats. Beyond the market for chew toys and gourmet food, dogs also play an unfortunate role in a far more sinister industry: consumer product testing.  

Despite America’s broadly positive attitude toward pets, they’re still used as unwilling subjects in animal testing. Approximately 60,000 dogs are used in laboratories for testing each year, and they’re subject to inhumane conditions and painful procedures. The breed of choice in animal testing is the Beagle, taken advantage of for their naturally docile behavior.

Based out of Los Angeles, The Rescue + Freedom Project makes it their mission to rescue these abused Beagles and to put an end to animal testing. The organization recently attended RuPaul’s DragCon to raise awareness of animal testing and the implications it has on the cosmetics industry. Using Say It With A Condom’s custom condom wallets, The Rescue + Freedom Project culminates a hilarious design with the educational resources needed to put power back in the hands of the consumer.

Say It With A Condom spoke with Nately Sych, who works as a Finance and Administration Associate for the Rescue + Freedom Project, about why her organization attended Rupaul’s DragCon and the ways consumers can embrace a cruelty-free lifestyle.

This interview has been condensed and lightly edited

                                                Nately Sych Displays the Rescue + Freedom Project Booth at DragCon

I’d love to start by asking you about DragCon! How did people respond to your booth and why did you choose DragCon specifically?

We understand that drag culture is heavily focused on makeup. This year, there were upwards of 40,000 attendees at DragCon, and many people who stopped by our booths had makeup on to complement the unique looks that they created specifically for the event. It’s great for us to be there not only as a support group, but also to talk about where your beauty really is, where your money is going, and to inspire a compassionate community.

We want to create a cruelty-free lifestyle by promoting companies that are no longer testing on animals, and luckily a lot of the vendors there were cruelty-free. We’re very inspired to see that new companies are choosing to be cruelty-free. They’re not using animals to conduct testing and they’re choosing not to sell in China, where testing on animals is mandatory by law. Unfortunately, many of the common makeup companies are no longer cruelty-free, or they’re bought out by a parent company that isn’t cruelty-free. For example, Estee Lauder, which sells in China, purchased MAC Cosmetics. Once they sold MAC in China, we deemed that they were no longer cruelty-free.

We’ve also created an app that you can download for free called “Cruelty-Cutter,” which allows you to scan the barcode on any cosmetic or household product and it will show you right away whether it’s cruelty-free or not. At DragCon, we showed people how to use it with live demos featuring an array of products that are and aren’t cruelty-free so that attendees could see how instant the results are. Whether you’re going to Target or Sephora, our app makes it super easy to determine whether or not a product has been tested on animals. This is how we inspire a cruelty-free lifestyle.

And of course, we wanted to give the attendees something to remember us by. You go to DragCon to create memories, so we wanted to give them something that’s memorable. The condoms are hilarious, but they’re also an educational tool and something to look back on and say ‘this is amazing. I can’t believe animals are still being used in laboratories.’ It was great to utilize such a unique way to raise awareness, and the condoms have always been my favorite.

When you showed the Cruelty-Cutter app to the attendees at DragCon, were they surprised to learn about the scale of products that aren’t cruelty-free?

We created a graphic that outlines brands that test on animals and brands that do not test on animals. When the attendees see logos on the poster, they’re often shocked because the brands are very familiar, but we’re able to show attendees which products to buy if they want to be a passionate consumer.

The goal is to give that inspiration at the end of the conversation where they want to become cruelty-free. People are making these changes, and they want to do the right thing and do right by these animals.

Tell me more about the pending legislation that Rescue + Freedom Project has in the works.

We are the creator of the Beagle Freedom Bill. What most people don’t know is that most laboratories are funded by our taxpayer money, we’re funding these places. We created this piece of legislation that prohibits laboratories from euthanizing animals once their studies are finished. Once the testing is completed, laboratories are instead required to adopt the animals out to either a rescue group or a family. Ideally, that rescue group would be us.

Unfortunately, these laboratories don’t like us. They don’t like what we’re doing because we’re trying to stop them. We’ve been able to pass the Beagle Freedom Bill in California, Nevada, Connecticut, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, Delaware, and Rhode Island. We’re introducing this bill in as many states as we possibly can because it protects the rights of these animals. It’s the first step of our overall goal, which is to end animal testing altogether. There is no other legislation out there that protects laboratory animals, we’re trying to get these animals out safely and provide them with homes.

Other legislation includes Cruelty-Free LA. We partnered with a congressman in the Los Angeles City Council that introduced a protocol to make sure that all government-funded facilities use cruelty-free products including cleaning supplies, hand soaps, and anything else you might need for a government-funded building. Los Angeles would be the first city to create this kind of legislation. We’re very excited to see if this will go through, and we hope that it will inspire other major cities to go forward with it and create a momentum for cruelty-free initiatives.

 Belle The Beagle, rescued from a laboratory in Northern California, gets some love at DragCon

What can the people reading this do to help support it?

Whenever the bill is introduced in a new state, we always ask our supporters to call their local representatives and show support for the bill. Another way is to live a cruelty-free lifestyle and not give money to companies who are testing on animals. If enough people stop buying Tide, for example, they’ll see that money is being lost. We want to encourage the public to understand that their money matters to these companies, and if we no longer give them our money, then they’re going to have to listen to us at some point and understand what consumers care about. If we show them that we care about cruelty-free products, we can help them to make that change.

Why should people care about animal testing?

The FDA doesn’t require laboratories to test on animals for cosmetics, it’s something that companies decide to do. We like to focus on the stories that we create after what the animals have gone through. We’re trying to make a positive change in the world, and if we keep focusing on the negative we don’t feel that we’re creating an inspiring change. Instead, we show the dogs with their families, stepping on grass or water for the first time, getting a treat for the first time, or getting their own dog bed that’s theirs. That’s the kind of footage and emotion that we like to focus on because it’s inspiring, it’s positive, and it makes you want to make that change for these animals.

Condom Graphics Designed by April Arrington, Brand Manager With The Rescue + Freedom Project

To learn more about The Rescue + Freedom Project, visit their website and follow them on social media:

Website: www.rescuefreedomproject.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rescuefreedomproject

Twitter: https://twitter.com/beaglefreedom

IG: @rescuefreedomproject

The post Condoms, Cosmetics & Cruelty: Putting an End to Animal Testing with The Rescue + Freedom Project 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.

Brandy described the office as a resource center for students that provides education that encourages students to make low-risk decisions. Their purpose is to empower students to make informed decisions regarding their health and wellness by providing evidence-based education, inclusive resources, and non-judgmental support.They have a number of professional staff in the office as well as student peer educators who do a lot of the outreach and implementation of events. Some of their services and events for students are:

• • Health Huts: Monthly awareness/tabling events that focus on a different health and wellness topic each month
  • Gotcha Covered: Volunteer-based condom distribution program
  • Be Wise Party Packs: Party packs for students who live off-campus and throw parties
  • Stress Less Fest: Stress relief events held fall and spring semesters; the week before finals week
  • Safe Spring Break: Programming the week before spring break; topics usually include sexual health, alcohol, sun safety, and travel safety
  • Tobacco Cessation: Free tobacco cessation classes
  • Peer Financial Coaching: Free one-on-one financial coaching sessions, led by a trained peer educator; focuses on making a budget, credit, saving money, etc.
  • Sexual Assault Awareness Month
  • HIV testing: Free, rapid HIV testing for students
  • Free products in the office, including internal and external condoms, lubricant, bandaids, dental floss, chapstick, hand sanitizer, and more!

The Student Wellness Center was founded in 1992 and has evolved over the years. The professional staff members tended to be generalists and were able to educate students on a variety of topics, but in 2017, they hired a Program Coordinator for Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs, and also a Sexual  Violence Prevention Program Coordinator. Now their staff members are able to focus on a specific topic, and give more attention to student needs.

Brandy mentioned that she doesn’t think their office would be as successful without the partnerships that they have. They currently partner with a number of offices on campus such as Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Conduct and Community Standards, Resident Education and Development, Fraternity and Sorority Life, and Women Helping Women who are on-campus advocates. They are working on building stronger off campus partnerships, but they currently partner with Caracole, which is a Cincinnati AIDS service organization, and the Cincinnati Health Department to offer and promote STI and HIV testing.

Brandy explained that their biggest challenge is physical space. “This makes it difficult to do day-to-day work, as well as to grow. We don’t have any private space, which is a challenge with meeting with employees, student workers, and students who have private questions.” But Brandy also said that they’re making the most out of their situation, by being intentional with their programming, and by doing what they can with their space. She also noted that their staff tends to get along really well, because they’re always working so closely together.

When asked about their biggest success, Brandy said, “Our peer educators. We couldn’t do 75% of the outreach and the work we do without them.” They’re active on social media, and do a lot of outreach by doing presentations, events, and tabling. She continued by saying, “They’re great representatives for our office. I think I’m most proud of them!”

Say It With A Condom is amazed with the outreach they’re doing to get their students involved and educated about health and wellness! Check out their website here, or their Twitter and Instagram!

The post Say It With A Condom Recognizes the Student Wellness Center at the University of Cincinnati appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Say It With A Condom connected with Motoko (Mo) Kitazumi, the Intercultural Services Coordinator in the Multicultural Dream Center to hear more about how they utilized the condoms they purchased from us a few years ago. Mo said that they purchased SIWAC’s traffic light consent condoms, and LGBTQ Pride condoms.

Mo discussed how her campus is not currently having “the sex talk” and the consent condoms were a start to that conversation! The consent condoms specifically were used as giveaways at events, handed out during tabling, and used as general promotion during the campus’ sexual assault awareness week. Mo continued on and mentioned that it sparked a different conversation than what they were expecting- it was brought up that by just handing out condoms, they’re assuming what students might already know.

Students come to college with different levels of sex education based on what their families taught them, what they learned from friends, and what they were officially taught in school. Each family is different, so those conversations aren’t ever going to be the same, and each school district has different policies and expectations of what they’ll be teaching the students. When they finally get to college, everyone’s level of knowledge is different, and the university takes some responsibility of educating the students as well.

The Multicultural Dream Center purchased these condoms as a conversation starter, and that’s exactly what happened! Mo said that conversations were started around whether students even knew how to properly use a condom, if they knew what consent was and how to get it, and other general sex education conversations. This actually helped the Multicultural Dream Center start to plan Sex 101 events specifically relating to different identities and how there are different perspectives and nuances when different identities are involved.

Mo said that the LGBTQ Pride condoms were used for tabling, National Coming Out Day, and their Lavender Cording Celebration. With the condoms they purchased, there were multiple designs, and students began a quest to “collect them all!” Mo said that this was great marketing for their office, as students would come into their office asking for the other condoms they haven’t already collected.

They also recently purchased Custom Condoms as well! Mo mentioned that the design matches their brochures in the office, and is all part of a new marketing campaign to get students to learn more about Intercultural Services.

The Multicultural Dream Center at California State University Channel Islands has taken unique opportunities to start new conversations on their campus, and get students excited about these educational conversations. Check out their office and other initiatives here!

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On their website, they say: “At BGSU, we hope to create an environment where such behavior is unacceptable and cannot exist. The Office of Residence Life also plays an important role in stopping sexual assault on our campus. As such, the office has been, and will continue to engage in several pro-active initiatives.”

They’re collaborating with the Wellness Center handing out these condom wallets filled with condoms to any student who goes to the Wellness Center or asks their RA for one. Along with handing out these condom wallets, they’re hosting different events and workshops throughout the academic year to educate students even further. A couple of these events include one about how to address sexual violence on campus, and another is about healthy relationships and consent.

To get students more active in the campaign, Stephanie Brinkman, the Coordinator for Recruitment and Communications in the Office of Residence Life said, “We had vinyl mustaches created with the slogan on them and placed them on mirrors in our residence halls, Student Union restrooms and rec center (gym & locker room). We had them cut…so when taking a selfie, the mustache was legible when lined up over the upper lip. We hoped this would be a fun way students could share the message without having to “ask” them to share.”

When asked why they chose to do this campaign at the time they did, Stephanie explained, “Campus partners created a spring semester sexual assault awareness campaign. Each campus partner picked a month to do their part in educating the campus either through an event or some other avenue. Residence Life did a series of educational events inside the residence halls throughout the month of February and then kicked off the “You Mustache For Consent” campaign at the end of February rolling into March. All of the educational messages, mustache stickers, etc. will be up for the remainder of the year. We felt doing a branded campaign in the halls would have a lasting impression beyond all of the training they students went through during the month.”

While they haven’t surveyed students to see what the exact impact has been, Residence Life has received almost 24,000 impressions on Social Media in just the first three days of rolling out the campaign! Stephanie explained, “Because of the ‘fun’ play on words, we did consider some people may think we weren’t taking this seriously. The fact that the play on words made you think a little before you understood the message, added another layer of education and was more memorable.”

We love what BGSU has done to get students interested and involved in these important conversations about consent! Check out their website and information about their other programs happening here.

The post Bowling Green State University says “You Mustache for Consent” appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Say It With A Condom recently discovered KONSNT on Twitter and was inspired by their mission to promote consent culture. They support charities and non-profit organizations that educate about consent and as well as survivors of sexual assault and trafficking. They currently support Project Consent, Consent Crew, and RAINN, but they’re hoping to build their network of organizations.

KONSNT was founded in February of 2018 by Roberta Lindal. She is a survivor of sexual assault and when asked about starting the clothing line, she said, “I decided to launch KONSNT because I, like many other women, have summoned the courage to raise my voice. I have so many females in my life that I care about: my sister, my mom, my friends, and little ladies who are too young to know what sexual harassment is, and I hope never have to experience it. My goal is to educate, and cause people to question their actions and beliefs of what’s ok.”

Roberta Lindal

Roberta has taken on a big project by starting this apparel line: she runs the social media account, creates the designs for the products, develops the website, and does all of the community outreach herself!

Later this year, she is hoping to bring KONSNT to music festivals to spread the message of consent where drug and alcohol use may be involved. Roberta says, “As many as half of all sexual-assault cases involve alcohol. This Vice article outlined the issue of sexual assault and rape at music festivals, and I think there is great opportunity to educate and raise awareness at these festivals to ensure the environments are safe for women.”

No major success comes without its challenges, however. Roberta shared with us that her biggest challenge has been overcoming her own fear of speaking out about her own experience with sexual assault. It’s amazing that she has been able to overcome that fear to help others and bring such an important message to the public, but unfortunately, it’s a fear that affects many survivors.

These statistics explain why survivors may choose to not report their harassment or sexual assault to police, but there are many other reasons why they may not choose to discuss it openly as well: fear of being shamed or blamed, they don’t want friends or family to know, they were friends with or were dating the perpetrator, they didn’t think it was “serious” enough, or they didn’t even realize that what happened to them was considered sexual violence.

The last piece of information that Roberta wanted to leave with readers is this: “I want women out there who have experienced sexual assault to know that they are not alone. I want people to know that I do believe we can change the status quo and the statistics around rape and sexual assault and that the first step is talking about it.”

And we couldn’t agree more. Say It With A Condom stands with survivors of sexual violence, and we work hard to promote a culture of consent as well. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and you need support or assistance, go to RAINN or call 1-800-656-4673.  

Check out KONSNT’s Twitter account, their Instagram account or their official website.

The post KONSNT is Kool: How One Apparel Company is Promoting Consent Culture appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

College is a time of change and growth, but with that comes a great deal of trials and tribulations. It’s a matter of balancing schoolwork with a social life, both of which come in handy throughout one’s life. With those being the major influencers on many college campuses, topics that are equally as important to one’s growth and education may slip away from the reach of many people.

Two topics that play a big role on a college campus are sexual assault and consent, but oftentimes there is not enough awareness about what they really are. The campus health center and certain organizations may offer talks and information sessions, but with the variety in every student’s schedule, it may not be accessible to everyone even though it should be. This is where consent condoms come into play!  Students are always on the go, so we wanted to create a tool that volunteers or organizations could easily hand out to the student body as they’re walking around campus. And a creative condom design is sure to raise questions and start a conversation!

To get a better idea about what the statistics are for the college-aged demographic in the United States, check out the largest anti-sexual assault organization in this country. RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) provides a wide array of tools and services to combat sexual assault.

Here are just some of the sexual awareness and consent campaigns we’ve been fortunate enough to work on with various universities:

Tufts University’s Consent Condoms

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Consent Condoms for their on-campus organization, ‘Sex Out Loud’

Indiana University’s Custom Condoms for ‘Culture of Care’

Florida International University’s Consent Condoms

Custom Condoms for Harvard University’s Sexual Literacy Program

The post Why Consent Condoms?: College Edition appeared first on Say It With A Condom.