ADV: Durex College Programme

I suppose everyone know what Durex is.. Durex is the global leader and world’s number one condom brand. It has been the first choice of protection from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections for over 80 years.

Kuala Lumpur, 14 November 2011 – The government has recently announced that between 2006 and 2010, there were 21 recorded cases of students who got pregnant out of marriage. Statistics from the Welfare Department revealed that this year, from January to April, 111 young girls were pregnant.

High rates of unplanned pregnancies are powerful evidence of the lack of sexual and reproductive health information and education for young people in Malaysia. The need to equip youths with information on sexual reproductive health and inspire them to make informed choices remains a pressing concern.

Sadly but it's the ugly truth that we read about baby dumping cases almost everyday in the newspaper. What have these innocent lives done to deserve such gruesome death? Some are lucky to be found alive, where as some died before having the chance to see the true world.

Therefore, Durex had the commitment to organise Durex College Programme, in hopes to create awareness among youth about sexual health and contraceptive options that leads them to make informed decisions. Themed ‘One Voice, Prevention is Key’, young students between the ages of 18 to 23 years old will be given access to series of information on sexual and reproductive health issues such as unplanned pregnancies, through two platforms – a design contest through a Facebook application and an on-ground college programme.

Note: Don't get us wrong. We are neither promoting premarital sex among the youth nor encouraging youth to have sex but with a condition which is using condom.

The ‘One Voice, Prevention is Key’ college programme kicks off with a design contest that invites contestant to develop their own art and slogans on to a poster or postcard containing their views on unwanted pregnancies. Each message contains a unique thought, motto or design that encapsulates their views regarding unwanted pregnancies. All participants are required to submit their creative design in a format of a picture and upload it on to Durex Malaysia Facebook fan page. The winning design in each category with the most number of votes will walk away with an iPad2. Durex will also be giving out five iPod Touch as consolation prizes for each category.

Besides, Durex made their way to 6 other colleges campuses throughout November namely Taylors Lakeside Campus, Universiti Teknologi Mara Shah Alam, Raffles College, INTI International University, Nilai and IACT College to continue its burden in empowering students.

So since IACT College was the nearest to me, I had the chance to pay them a visit last Friday (:

One voice, Prevention is the KEY!

Informational wall filled with ‘Did you know…?’ facts on sex and interactive storytelling depicted through pictures to provide better understanding to the young students. It also helps to increase the comfort level with the subject and provide access for students to seek consultation about sex-related matters in confidence.  Saw those photos at the down right corner? Way too gross! *close eyes with name* It's even scarier than the name itself sounds, trust me. 

Durex’s main aim is to not only empower youths to create awareness about sexual health and contraceptive options, but also to break the taboo around the issue, to make people more comfortable about the topic. 

It's never too late, THINK BEFORE YOU ACT. 

Useful pamphlets and brochures for sexual health, contraceptive options, family planning and women's health are available too.

Besides, there is friendly assistance given to you throughout the whole programme (: 

Some of the freebies we got from the mini lucky draw;

Durex playing cards LOL IKR! Limited edition cause it's not for sale :P 

I got myself a notepad, coaster and a small fun-facts booklet from Durex.

So what are you waiting for? Let that creative juice of yours start flowing and lend your voice to the Durex One Voice Contest! There's fabulous prizes waiting for you :D

For more information on topics such as youth’s sexual health issues, contraceptive options and Durex campaign initiatives, you can always log on to Durex Malaysia Facebook fan page!
“When youths are given the privilege to access such initiatives, we trust that this will further help youths make smart choices that help them in every aspect of their lives. This also builds a creative avenue for young people to share positive views and shatter negative views surrounding unplanned pregnancies and baby abandonment issues – Nikhilesh Kalra, Marketing Director at Reckitt Benckiser Malaysia.

Hopefully this will be a positive baby-step start in overcoming the issue of unwanted pregnancies and baby dumping nationwide. Like the saying goes, prevention is always, actually no doubt better than cure! We are all in this together, aren't we?

Life is too short to be ruined by your foolish thought and acts.  Love life and most importantly love yourself too ♥ ♥ ♥

xx