Raise Your Voice Blog | Nicole Clark Consulting

24 Jul, 2013

Try This: Including Pleasure in Youth Sex Education

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2021-08-19T18:13:59-04:00July 24th, 2013|Categories: Workshop, Program, & Curriculum Design|Tags: Try This, Youth|0 Comments

When we talk with young people about sex and sexuality, pleasure is often the last thing we want to focus on, especially because we often correlate discussions of pleasure with a higher increase in risky behavior. Whether you’re a service provider, a parent, or a young person, it’s always helpful to know that, while discussions on unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections are important, talking about pleasure is also a great way to help build a healthy mindset around sex and sexuality.

I recently attended a training at Planned Parenthood of New York City called “Don’t Forget the ‘Pleasure’ in Sex Education”. The focus of the training was 1) how pleasure plays a role in how we view sexuality within a variety of lenses, including society/culture, sexual behaviors, sexual/reproductive health, and sexualization/objectification; and 2) how to effectively incorporate pleasure with sex education (which often focuses more on avoiding pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections). It was a really great training, and I invite you to check out PPNYC’s Training Institute calendar for future trainings.

During the training, we were given an exercise: create a one-on-one role play or a group activity that generates discussion on making sex education more fun and appealing. I decided to create an activity for an adolescent co-ed group between the ages of 15-18. My activity focused on what could enhance pleasure and what could decrease pleasure, making sure that the answer choices had the potential to encourage discussion with participants.

Here’s how to set up this activity: (more…)

12 Jul, 2013

Self Care Corner: Create a 30 Day Gratitude Jar

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2021-08-19T18:12:59-04:00July 12th, 2013|Categories: Self & Community Care|Tags: self care, Self Care Corner|0 Comments

In order to raise your voice for others, you have to take care of yourself first. That’s where self care comes in. If you like this tip, be sure to sign up for the Raise Your Voice newsletter to receive your copy of The Revolution Starts with Me! self care zine for more tips and self care resources.

It’s easy to become focused on the things that didn’t go well throughout your day. This week’s quick and easy tip will fix that:

1) Get an empty jar.

2) Before going to bed, write down one good thing that happened that day. If multiple good things happened, write them down on separate pieces of paper. (Feel free to list the date as well).

3) On the evening of 30th day, empty your jar and read through all the cool things that happened throughout the month.

4) Repeat for the next 30 days.

*Extra Credit: Save all of your pieces of paper, and look over them every 3-6 months, or even at the end of the year.

This exercise will train your brain to not only seek out a positive aspect in a situation, but it will also heighten your expectation of something great happening throughout your day.

RAISE YOUR VOICE: What you think about this week’s tip? Share your experience with this exercise below in the comments. Do you have a self care tip? Contact me to have it featured in an upcoming Self Care Corner post.

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10 Jul, 2013

How Can “Red” States & “Blue” States Work Together for Reproductive Justice?

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2021-08-19T18:12:28-04:00July 10th, 2013|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: activism, reproductive justice|0 Comments

Recently, The Texas State House of Representatives voted to pass Senate Bill 537, a law to ban abortions after 20 weeks. This law would have closed 37 of the state’s 42 abortion clinics. Given that Texas is a conservative (aka “red” state), it was nearly certain that the law would pass.

That’s when Wendy Davis, backed by an army of pro-choice activists and lawmakers, launched the most epic filibuster, standing from 11am until midnight to express how this bill would impact Texas women, ending a 30-day special session called by Governor Rick Perry. All over social media, supporter of Texas’ abortion clinics, and pro-choice advocates nationwide sent their support, many donating money to buy food and other items for the activists that stood outside while Wendy spoke. However, as of yesterday, the Texas House has begun debating on House Bill 2, essentially doing what Senate Bill 537 hoped to do. The House must approve the bill again on before it will be sent to the Senate.

It brought me back to something that I often don’t think much about: I’m a southerner, born and raised in Georgia (another red state) for over 25 years, before moving to New York in 2008. In a progressive state like New York where access to abortion, birth control, and other reproductive services are accessible for the most part, it’s often easy to remain in a bubble, neglecting to pay attention to what’s happening elsewhere. I may not think about my southern roots often, but one thing I do ponder is where my activism is most needed: in progressive states, or in what’s considered “red” or “flyover” states, where some of the worst policies against women’s reproductive rights are being introduced to state legislatures. At times I do wonder if I would I be considered an outsider, coming in to help “save the day?”, despite my southern upbringing.

How can “red” states and “blue” states work collectively for reproductive justice? Here are some important things to consider: (more…)

5 Jul, 2013

Self Care Corner: Identify Your “Breathe” Supports

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2021-08-19T18:13:12-04:00July 5th, 2013|Categories: Self & Community Care|Tags: Self Care Corner|0 Comments

In order to raise your voice for others, you have to take care of yourself first. That’s where self care comes in. If you like this tip, be sure to sign up for the Raise Your Voice newsletter to receive your copy of The Revolution Starts with Me! self care zine for more tips and self care resources.

Here’s a great resource from the University of Buffalo School of Social Work designed to help you identify the people in your life you can turn to in times of stress and overwhelm, and how you can check-in to see where your stress level is.

Your “Breathe” supports are people who can recognize when you are feeling worried or stressed, and who you can rely on to let you know when you need to chill out.

“Identify Your ‘Breathe’ Supports” asks five important questions:

*Who supports you, and what kind of support do they provide? (This can include physical, emotional, spiritual, etc.)

*Who is in regular contact with you to be able to notice visual signs of you becoming stressed?

*Do you feel that the people you’ve chosen as your ‘breathe’ supports are sufficient, or do you need to expand your circle of support?

*Can you recognize when you’re becoming stressed?

*What do you need to be able to recognize when you’re becoming stressed?

Having people in your corner to gently let you know when you’re becoming stressed is very beneficial. Sometimes, all we need is someone in our corner to say, “Just breathe”.

Download the “Identify Your Breathe Supports” worksheet.

RAISE YOUR VOICE: Who do you identify as your “breathe” supports? What are some ways you can identify when you’re becoming stressed?

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14 Jun, 2013

Self Care Corner: Intentional Boredom

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2021-08-19T18:13:23-04:00June 14th, 2013|Categories: Self & Community Care|Tags: self care, Self Care Corner|0 Comments

In order to raise your voice for others, you have to take care of yourself first. That’s where self care comes in. If you like this tip, be sure to sign up for the Raise Your Voice newsletter to receive your copy of The Revolution Starts with Me! self care zine for more tips and self care resources.

This is one of my favorite self care exercises (and actually one of the most difficult to do)!

Created by Christine Kane, singer/songwriter and president/founder of UpLevel You , this self care exercise drives home how we often try to keep ourselves busy, fitting in so many activities to make ourselves believe that we’re being productive. What we need to realize, however, stillness (i.e., “not doing anything”) is when things start to happen. Christine says, “[We] think it’s all about the “doing.” And yes, there is some “doing”…But just as composers believe that a great piece of music is a lot about the rests in between the notes– I believe that a creative happy life is a lot about the rests between the activities.“

Christine calls this ”intentional boredom“, a period where you allow some down time in order for ideas and thoughts to flow. It’s where things begin to build. Think about strength training. When you lift weights, you damage the muscles fibers. However, your day of rest from lifting weights is when the muscle actually repairs itself, becoming stronger.

Intentional boredom can be very uncomfortable because we feel that we have to do something with our time. However, as author Echkart Tolle writes, ”As you bring awareness to the feeling, there is suddenly some space and stillness around it. As the sense of inner space grows, the feeling of boredom will begin to diminish in intensity and significance. So even boredom can teach you who you are and who you are not.“

So, try out this self care exercise for the next 7 days:

1 – Take out your calendar.

2 – Schedule in 10-minute blocks of “Intentional Boredom” time for 7 consecutive days, starting today.

3 – Show up at your scheduled time. Turn off distractions (your phone, the TV, etc.) and be still. It will feel uncomfortable, but think to yourself, “It’s only 10 minutes!” Allow whatever comes into your mind to flow in and out effortlessly. Consider this your me-time away from the everyday distractions in life.

RAISE YOUR VOICE: After at least 3 days of intentional boredom, share 3 things you noticed as you did this exercise in the comments below.

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Try This: Including Pleasure in Youth Sex Education

Self Care Corner: Create a 30 Day Gratitude Jar

RAISE YOUR VOICE: What you think about this week’s tip? Share your experience with this exercise below in the comments. Do you have a self care tip? Contact me to have it featured in an upcoming Self Care Corner post.

How Can “Red” States & “Blue” States Work Together for Reproductive Justice?

Self Care Corner: Identify Your “Breathe” Supports

RAISE YOUR VOICE: Who do you identify as your “breathe” supports? What are some ways you can identify when you’re becoming stressed?

Self Care Corner: Intentional Boredom

RAISE YOUR VOICE: After at least 3 days of intentional boredom, share 3 things you noticed as you did this exercise in the comments below.

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