YOU MAY have heard of Rag Week, but last week it was Exeter College Student Union’s S.H.A.G. Week – Sexual Health And Guidance Week – aimed at raising students’ awareness of safe sexual practice.
Charged with wearing an eight-foot inflatable condom costume to draw attention to the good cause, 17-year-old Politics, Classical Civilisation, English Literature, and Mathematics student Jake Kelleher of Honiton certainly succeeded.
Creating amusement to passers by, the ECSU Education Officer and his peers handed out hundreds of goodie bags and leaflets – in doing so, successfully conveying the very serious message behind the publicity.
In addition to free condoms, students were also given leaflets about pregnancy, safe sex, and sexually-transmitted diseases, as well as useful contact details for anybody requiring further help in relation to issues affecting themselves or others they know.
Stepping out of his unusual outfit for a breather, Jake said: “Watching people’s reactions to what they were seeing was quite funny. There were students coming up wanting a cuddle, and others taking photographs of their friends with me.
“Personally, I think the costume is a great way of raising awareness about sexual health, because it has made people stop and take notice and pick up the leaflets we have been handing out. By putting people at ease, we are also ensuring they understand the message behind it is no joking matter.
Exeter College Students’ Union (ECSU) President Kurtis Schofield added: “Sexual health is a very serious issue, but by making our promotion of it more light-hearted, and having our own students approach their peers with the vital information they may need now or in future, we have veered away from the traditional, medical ways of raising awareness.
“In doing so, we have made the subject matter far less daunting for young people to talk about or learn about, and as a result I believe last week was a great success, and one from which hopefully students will have learnt some valuable knowledge.”