Bridging the Gaps in Sexual Health

Sexfluent was created as a direct response to findings collected from CANFAR’s National Youth Survey, which showed the need for inclusive, sex-positive, and comprehensive sexual health education that addresses mental health, harm reduction, and HIV stigma.

Canadian youth reported wanting to learn more about mental health, healthy relationships, and harm reduction as part of sexual health education and prevention. Destigmatizing conversations about sex, testing, HIV and STIs, porn, and pleasure are key elements to contemporary sexual health education that is relevant and responsive to the needs of youth today.

The emergence of mental health education as a critical component of sexual health and wellness education is a key approach in CANFAR’s new Sexfluent resource, which aims to address HIV prevention among youth through a holistic approach. Following youth’s feedback, Sexfluent is offered as an online resource because Canadian youth indicated preferring to access sexual health information online, through their peers, or through healthcare workers and clinics, compared to more traditional settings like school and through teachers.

The importance of introducing sexual health and harm reduction information to youth at an earlier age remains an important approach to HIV prevention efforts.

Sexfluent is a unique and first-of-its-kind resource that addresses HIV and sexual health through a comprehensive approach that addresses: modern dating and relationships, healthy relationships, gender identity and sexuality, online dating, sexual pleasure, mental health, trauma and healing, substance use, harm reduction, and overdose prevention.