Vis-à-vis, Spring 1996, Volume 13, Number 3: A National Newsletter on Family Violence
Canadian Council on Social Development
Innovative Ideas
Rubberware Night Out Party
Creating a safe, fun place for women to express themselves about taboo issues is a challenge. The
Rubberware Party helps women learn about safer sex, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
diseases. A fantasy card game and funny sex toys generate both laughter and serious talk about a
variety of sexual practices. They also help women make the links to their own sexual practices
and identify their own level of risk. Participants become more aware of the barriers to making
safer sex choices (such as violence from a partner). At the same time, they learn new skills to help
them deal with these barriers in the future. Another focus of the workshop is to discuss the lives
of HIV+ women and the everyday realities they experience.
Julia Barnett is an AIDS community worker. She can be contacted at:
City of York Health Unit
Sexual Health Program
662 Jane Street
Toronto, ON, M6N 4A7
Tel: (416) 394-2808
Fax: 394-2816
Telelink
Telelink is a telephone support network for women in Ontario living with HIV/AIDS. It is based
upon the values of respect, equality, choice, self-worth and personal empowerment and was
developed by the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo and Area (ACCKWA).
There is no cost to the participants for teleconferencing.
For women who are HIV+, issues such as confidentiality, energy level, travel expenses,
child-care and geographic location can be roadblocks to receiving support. With Telelink, women
living with HIV/AIDS can discuss, for an hour or two every two weeks, such concerns as safer
sex, physical safety, sexuality, children, doctors, grief, anger, medications, family relations,
alternative therapies and stress management. Women in Ontario who wish to join Telelink should
call Trish Noordstra at (519) 570-3687 or write to her at:
123 Duke Street East
Kitchener, ON, N2H 1A4
Fax: (519) 570-4034
The URL for this document is: http://www.ccsd.ca/v_innov.html
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