This month is all about you guys. June is national men’s health month, with Men’s Health week running from June 13-19 (aww Father’s day!).

Questions in this issue: “So my friend told me about this place, what exactly do you guys do?”, “Does it mean anything if you have discomfort in your vagina after unprotected sex?”, and “How long do you have to wait before taking a pregnancy test?”

Summer is upon us! Are you ready?

UAY is so excited about the summer time – because we have a LOT going on! Checkout all of our adventures, camps and day-to-day stuff at our main website. Here’s the fast version!

Are you between 7th and 12th grade? Great! Every Tuesday starting June 7 and ending on July 28 we will have all sorts of art workshops! Come by the Youth Center (and don’t forget to sign up by calling Mickey (319)338-7518

Are you entering 8 or 9th grade? Take on our Creative Leadership Summer Academy from July 11-15! It is a hands-on program designed to give you an idea of what the community has to offer before you enter high school.  Explore opportunities from economics, arts and culture, to health care and environment. Plus how you (yes you!) can make a positive impact in your area.  $175 for the week (includes program, challenge course day, T-shirt and morning snack). Scholarships available! But hurry! Register by June 15 by calling UAY (319)338-7518

We will have some of our usual groups (GLBTQA, Drama, YAP, game nights, Rhinestone Cowgirls, etc) plus some NEW summer-only activities like SPLASH SWIM GROUP (Wednesdays 1-3), THE OUTSIDERS (Saturday 12-5 spent outdoors) DISC GOLF (Fridays 1-3) and more….see you soon!

You can get the rest of our summer activities here.

Don’t forget our summer hours (starting soon)

• Mondays-Groups only
• Tuesday/Wednesday 2-7
• Thursday 2-7
• Friday 2-5
• Saturday 12-5

Now you can ask us questions, enter and respond to questions to win all from the comfort of your computer screen.

So what are you waiting for? hit me!

This month is all about pregnancy prevention. May is the National month for Pregnancy Prevention for youth and unintentional pregnancies.

In this month: “My friend is pregnant – what should she do?”, ” Where can you get free birth control without your parents?” and “What is the first sign of pregnancy?”

Topic of the month: This time around we decided two features – they are that important!

1) It is GYT time! Don’t know what that is? GET YOURSELF TESTED! April is a big month for sexually transmitted diseases (aka STI awareness), and when nearly 1 in 4 young people have one without knowing it, it’s as good as time as any to find out where you stand! Remember, this is the one body you’ve got and there is no one else to take care of it for you. Own it!

2) SAAM: yes, lots of acronyms. SAAM, otherwise known as the Sexual Assault Awareness Month is an important time to reflect on the reality of rape, sexual assault – and how EVERYONE is involved.  1 in 3 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime or know someone who has.  To stop this cycle we all need to do our part to understand why and how it happens.  Check out the Draw The Line campaign, Scarleteen and our own local RVAP organizations to learn more about SAAM and what you can do

Text questions free! (319-438-2829)

We’ve got a questions about IUDs, Blue Waffles and issues with penis size.  It’s also National Nutrition Month and we’ve got a few pointers to consider next time you’re reaching for that bag of processed corn products (hint: that’s nearly absolutely everything that comes in a package!)

Check it out. If you’ve got questions or comments, send them to our free text line: (319)438-2829

SO to get you through this week we’ve got a handy dandy Relationship Bill of Rights that you can think through if you’re in a relationship, or consider before you get into one.  Do you have a BFF who has like the worst boyfriend ever? Maybe this list can help you convince them to get a little more of that R-E-S-P-E-C-T…!

Text questions free! (319-438-2829)

Here’s the new bathroom buzz for February…It’s condom month!

Both partners should share how they feel

Step 1: You gotta TALK it out. Having a conversation with your partner before you strap up can help make each person feel more ready for sex, confident and like you trust one another! It’s bound to lead to a more laid back and fun experience. So before you step out the door to buy some hats, get talking and make sure your partner agrees with what you want.

Get them for free from UAY, or buy at a store/clinic

Step 2: Get the little buggers! This may be more challenging or awkward for some but think about it – you’re responsible &

mature enough to decide to use them, so if anyone sees you *gasp* buy some, that’s what they’re going to see: a young person making a healthy choice for themselves!

Don’t have any cash on hand? Never fear, UAY is here! You can get condoms for free from the UAY bathrooms, anytime we’re open.  Feel free to take as many as your pockets can handle (just don’t leave them there forever or they can get damaged).

If you aren’t able to get to UAY, or prefer a clinic there are some places (like Emma Goldman Clinic & Planned Parenthood) that sell condoms for a good price (8/1$!)

Don’t forget to keep those suckers stored somewhere cool, dry and safe! This means NO wallets unless you’ve got the Trojan 2 Go wallet packs. Also, if you’ve got yourself a car – this does not qualify for cool or warm.  Here in Iowa, chances are you won’t have more than a week where your car would be warm enough or cool enough to store condoms. So here at UAY, we say…just don’t. Find somewhere else.

This box is like 2 years old - and I've still got time left!

Step 3: Double Check…Let’s say you got yourself some condoms ages ago, borrowed from your older brother. Cool. So

before you use them, check the package!! I KNOW you check the expiration date before you open that questionably old jar of mayonnaise, so why not do the same with some questionably old condoms? They need care too! The good news is condoms do last for a few years, and each condom is individually marked with the date – so you know all the details before you wrap your tool.

The process of a woody erection: pencil to serious wood!

Step 4: Erection time! This may seem like a silly step to talk about…buttrust us. We’ve heard some crazy stories about people trying to use condoms incorrectly. So let me just say…do NOT try to put on the condom before there is an erection present!! Enjoy your self, enjoy your partner and get those engines roaring!

Important note: As soon as you and your partner are ready to move forward (Ie if someone is going to start touching that erect penis), you’ve gotta get the condom on.  THEN have fun.

remember to be careful & no teeth!

Step 5: Open that package: the key thing here is to make sure you squish the condom to the side away from where you want to tear the package – micro tears wouldn’t be noticed by your eyes if you ripped the condom during this step until the condom breaks completely & it’s too late! Using your teeth may seem like a sexy idea, and like a chance to really flash those hawt eyes of yours…but let’s face it. Your teeth are not very sensitive and may not notice if just a little bit of condom tore open with the package. So let’s just not. ok?

What happens if you put it on the wrong direction?

Step 6: Make sure the condom is rolling the right direction. Not a big deal eh? So what if the guy’s got such a raging boner that there’s pre-ejaculate fluid on the tip of his penis? Do you think that would be a good idea to put the condom right-side-down? Even really quick, and then flip it the right way up? No, didn’t think so. Precum, pre-ejaculate, whatever you call it can contain up to 40,000 sperm cells (all you need is one huh?), plus Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs) of all sorts may be present! If you mess up and accidentally put the condom on the wrong way, toss it and start over.  Afterall- you got the condom for free from UAY…right?

Lube inside the condom will drive that guy NUTS

Step 7: Add Lube (part 1). Lubricants are not a negotiable part of using a condom. End of story. Condoms are fragile pieces of rubber (or polysporin or polyurethane – whatever!) that break when too much friction rubs.  How do you solve that problem? Easy! Put some lube on that thing! Adding water-based lubricants to the inside and outside of the condom not only decrease friction and make it less likely to break, it also makes the sex way more enjoyable for both partners. Water-based lube is seriously important because oil-based or other types can cause holes and make the condom tear.

Pinch the tip to get all that air out!

Step 8: Pinch the tip! Removing all the air from the condom tip is important so there is room for the orgasm & ejaculation to take place inside the condom.  Those cum shots are powerful stuff! Making sure there is no air will help decrease the pressure and keep it all contained.

Step 9: Roll on down.  Gently roll the condom down to the base of the penis shaft.  Don’t pull down too snuggly because you want space in the tip for the ejaculate.

Lube on the inside will make it feel more natural

Step 10: Add Lube (part 2). Get the lube out again and put a few drops all on the outside of the condom.  This is the other key part of keeping the bad kind of friction down…Trust us. It’ll still feel like magic, and in fact may be more like not wearing a condom at all!

make sense? Get working!

Step 11: Action time! Hankity pankity! This would be the part where the penis gets working, has sex (oral/anal/vaginal) and heads towards climax. No real guide here…

The right way to pull out: with the condom!

Step 12: Hold on tight…OK Orgasm has happened. Now what?! Right away you want to hold the base of the penis with the condom and pull out.  Be careful not to spill any ejaculate fluid – it can happen fast as the penis loses its erection.

carefully pull/roll condom off

Step 13: Slip ‘n’ Slide that condom off! Be sure to hold all the ejaculate fluid and lube inside. It’s probably best to avoid a mess, plus if you want to be handsy following the guy’s orgasm, it would be best not to have any fluid on your fingers!

Step 14: Garbage collectors. Now you’re free to throw that condom away! If you have pets at home or you want to be more discrete about using condoms, ball it up in a few tissues.  Cats AND dogs LOVE used condoms (odd, no?) so make sure it goes in a trash can they can’t get into.  Other key hygiene issues: do not throw it in the toilet.  Pipes were not made to handle anything besides what comes out of your body and paper products! Condoms won’t make it through the septic system, and in time can build up and cause a huge expensive (and awkward?) blockage.  Just don’t. Do you like to tie a knot in your condoms “to be sure”? If you’re not going to engage in any other sexual activity for awhile (without washing your hands first!) than it’s ok, but really this step tends to be messy and can lead to more awkward moments. Generally we don’t recommend it.

I'm knotty for you!

condoms do not belong here!

These are a No-No for your used condoms!

STIs like Gonorrhea (aka "Clappy" there) love to snuggle up with unprotected people...so be sure to use a condom!

Step 15: Don’t worry, be happy! Our giant microbe of Gonorrhea up there (we call him Clappy) is so excited to cuddle up with an unprotected penis.  But if you followed our how-to guide to the T, then you can rest assured knowing that you’ve done a great job of protecting yourself from STIs and pregnancy!! It is important to note that  you are well covered if you use a condom correctly every single time you have sex buuuuuut it’s not 100% safe.  Abstinence (not having any, any! oral/anal/vaginal contact with another person) is the only way you’ll be 100% sure. And if that makes you go, “huh, then why use condoms at all??” It’s kinda like saying you’ll never wear your seat belt because it’s not going to 100% protect you from injury in a car accident. You still wear that, right?

So that’s it.  Seems easy when you think back on it! 15 short steps to helping protect yourself & your partner from any bad mojo after you have some sweet sweet lovin’. Enjoy!

Text questions free! (319-438-2829)

Checkout the  November Bathroom Buzz!

Each month, questions are collected from the UAY bathroom boxes or from our free online texting service (Got a question? 319-438-2829) and answered confidentially by our Youth Advisory Panel members or the health educator.

As a reminder this service is FREE, and awesome – but if you’ve got an emergency situation it’s best to go somewhere else.  The YAP text line is here for your curiosities!