Since I joined the LACE Campaign way back in February, I've talked to a lot of women about Paps- friends, family, strangers at parties, people on the bus.
From all those conversations, I've learned that many women are confused about Pap tests- what they test for, why they're important, how they differ from other types of tests. With Pap Awareness Week only 12 days away, I thought it was time for a post. If you're not sure whether you need a Pap, read on! Then find your nearest clinic and plan to drop in.
A Pap is not an STI test. A pap will only check for pre-cancerous changes to the cervix. It's a great time to ask your doctor about any other tests you might need, but Paps won't detect STIs- and STI tests won't detect cervical cancer.
Even if you get the HPV vaccine, you still need a Pap. The HPV vaccine is a great way to lower your risk of cervical cancer, but you still need to get regular Paps. To learn more about the HPV vaccine, visit I Have Immunity.
Michelle is a freelance writer and anthropologist with a Master of Public Health from UBC. Her passions are promoting health and building community. She's worked in grassroots community organizations in Vancouver, Victoria and Oceania.
The LACE Campaign has been busy all June, getting ready for our Underwear Affair 10K. Not only has Team LACE/OFF been training hard, but we've also been getting ready for our comedy show fundraiser, Girls Girls Girls! on Wednesday, June 29th. Featuring an almost-all-female line-up of hilarious comedians and performers (including last year's LACE Outreach Coordinator Lizzy Karp, and myself, making my first appearance on a stage since 1998), it's probably the most fun you can have donating to the cancer-fighting research of the BC Cancer Foundation.
However, we know not everyone who wants to help out the BC Cancer Foundation and fight cancers-below-the-waist will be able to make it out to the show. So we created a LACE Campaign Reusable travel mug, and 100% of your purchase will go towards our fundraising goal! It's just as easy as donating online, but you get this adorable doughnut-featuring mug in exchange for helping to support BC Cancer Foundation! Click here to get to our store, and select "Other Cool Stuff" to buy the mug.
Bella and Michelle came down with a table full of goodies to attend the Opt Sexhibition, a part of the Opt 50th Anniversary Celebration. We chatted with some lovely attendees about our sexual health campaigns, including LACE, Around the Kitchen Table, and I Have Immunity. Then we thought we would make a little video to share with everyone!
PS - We know our video text is backwards but we did that deliberately. Just to be interesting.
Want to see who else was at this event? Read more!
Bella and I couldn't be more excited about attending the Sexhibition that Opt is hosting tomorrow at the Radisson Hotel, in Richmond. The Sexhibition is a part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations, which include the Opt Gala on Saturday.
The Sexhibition, according to Opt's website, "is a 'sexploration' of organizations and small businesses whom we consider to play an integral role in healthy sexuality and sexual health in British Columbia." At Hello Cool World we feel like that describes many of our projects- that's why we created That's So Sexy, to showcase all our sex-positive campaigns!
Vancouver social marketer touts sexy messages and grassroots involvement. Argues fear-based campaigns don't work as sexually transmitted infections on the rise.
Vancouver Courier's Cheryl Rossi writes about Hello Cool World...
Check out today's Vancouver Courier for the article on our campaigns around sexy sex ed! The article talks about our favorite client cohorts -- Opt, LACE Campaign and Cindy Masaro's new research project!
As quoted HCW founder Katherine Dodds says: “It’s about wanting to actually have an impact on peoples’ sexual behaviour in a sense that positively impacts their lives and makes safer behaviours desirable, not all about disease and dreadfulness".
Katherine Dodds AKA "Kat" is the founder of Good Company Communications and HelloCoolWorld.com. Trained in renegade advertising & branding through her work with Adbusters in the '90s, Kat's early induction into the possibilities of the web-world was inspired by the term hypertext, which she immediately found comforting. She is dedicated to cause-related communication and to the development and use of tools that promote democratic processes.
This website & blog is a space to showcase our Sex Ed clients and reflect on our work and philosophy around sexual health and advertising. It's a portal to campaigns, but it's also an exploration of our process, as well as our beliefs around what works to promote safer sex, healthy relationships & sexual rights, and why we think the key to being effective is to address "the pleasure deficit" in sexual health education.
Since I joined 
Michelle is a freelance writer and anthropologist with a Master of Public Health from UBC. Her passions are promoting health and building community. She's worked in grassroots community organizations in Vancouver, Victoria and Oceania.
Bella and I couldn't be more excited about attending the 
Katherine Dodds AKA "Kat" is the founder of Good Company Communications and HelloCoolWorld.com. Trained in renegade advertising & branding through her work with Adbusters in the '90s, Kat's early induction into the possibilities of the web-world was inspired by the term hypertext, which she immediately found comforting. She is dedicated to cause-related communication and to the development and use of tools that promote democratic processes.
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