Kate Stickland : Testing times
Library and Information Studies BA (1991)
UNISEX founder
When the Love Bus, a small camper van emblazoned with the mission statement, ‘Making safer Sexy’, rolled into Freshers’ Fairs across Sussex in 2007 it certainly turned heads. And that’s exactly what its organisers intended it to do. The Love Bus is just one of many unique initiatives pioneered by UNISEX, a joint initiative between the universities of Brighton and Sussex to promote positive sexual health, drug and alcohol awareness within the student community.
Set up from scratch nearly 17 years ago by two-time graduate Kate Stickland, there is no other university in the country offering a service to higher education students like UNISEX.
With a fun and friendly image which reflects the nature of the service, UNISEX hopes to engage students with the help of student volunteers and the Love Bus is doing just that. With its wi-fi connection and conference-style seating, the mobile vehicle can offer a full range of services, from safer sex resources to chlamydia screening, at all university sites across Sussex.
Also evoking the tongue-in-cheek tone of UNISEX and breaking down taboos, was the successful Christmas Chlamydia Cracker campaign which achieved over 150 tests in one week, UNISEX offers free screening to students as part of the national chlamydia screening programme aimed at the under 25s. In the last year alone, 415 students have taken the test and other statistics from UNISEX user surveys are proving to be just as encouraging.
In excess of 20,000 condoms reached over 9,000 students through UNISEX services last year and Kate says attitudes are shifting for the better: “I believe students’ attitudes have, in general, changed and there is more openness when it comes to talking about sexual health. We certainly get a good response from students in relation to chlamydia screening and UNISEX is the most successful local service in terms of screening men.
"Over the years, it has become clear that students respond better to HIV prevention messages if they are framed within the broader spectrum of sexual health. It is also clear that the unique setting of higher education has had an impact on the relevance and effectiveness of health promotion nterventions."
Inspired by her success Kate returned to the university in 2003 to study for a masters in health promotion. It was an experience which helped Kate use her practical knowledge to test the theory and consolidate her achievements at work into a qualification.
But getting UNISEX to where it is today has been a huge learning curve for Kate and one that was not without its difficulties. Back in 1991, when the post for the AIDS education research officer first caught Kate’s eye, attitudes towards sexual health were very different and so was Kate’s level of expertise.
Back then Kate was a Library and Information Studies graduate fresh out of university. Though passionate about HIV prevention, having volunteered at the Sussex AIDS Centre in her undergraduate years, Kate’s knowledge of sexual health education was limited.
"I consider myself very lucky to have fallen into this career. It was my first ‘proper’ job and I found myself working on my own with an extremely vague brief from three separate institutions who had different expectations of the role. To say that I was naïve and a little out of my depth would be an understatement. I realised I had to make the job my own and find the support I needed, most of which came from colleagues in the local voluntary HIV/AIDS sector."
Kate’s initial role, which was jointly funded by the University of Brighton, University of Sussex and an external trust, was focused on HIV and AIDS and researching the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of students in relation to this, reflects Kate.
"My original research brief from the external trust was to focus on heterosexual students, but I never felt comfortable with this because of the epidemiology of HIV in the UK and my support for re-politicising HIV to get funding where it was needed."
So in 1994, after the research funding finished, the local health authority started to provide funding and Kate’s role changed for the better. Instead Kate began to focus instead on work within the context of a local HIV prevention strategy. It was at this point that a volunteer programme began to emerge:
"I knew that involving the community was a key to success and it was then that UNISEX was launched."
Seventeen years on, having gained the support of the local voluntary sector, Kate’s efforts are now paying off. The organisation that Kate runs today is supported by a team of three and the active volunteer programme continues to be integral to the success of UNISEX, says Kate.
"One of the most important elements of UNISEX is our volunteer programme. Students who get involved not only help us to deliver our services to their peers, but have the most fantastic opportunity to be creative and develop their personal and transferable skills by initiating and managing their own projects.
Interest in UNISEX volunteering is phenomenal and every year we have to turn many interested students away because we do not have the capacity to provide the support that will make them an effective volunteer. Many of our volunteers have found that their experience has helped them get onto their chosen career path much faster."
Student volunteers help with all manner of day-to-day business. The website, offering information about every aspect of sexual health, is written by students for students. Volunteers also help with the drop-in services and the 24/7 message service, where students can leave a text or voice message at anytime and a volunteer will respond as soon as possible. The University of Brighton (UBSU) and University of Sussex (USSU) Students’ Unions also continue to help fund certain projects. Most recently the UBSU helped to fund half the cost of the Love Bus. But it’s Kate’s own passion for the organisation which has perhaps been most instrumental to the day-to-day running of the business.
"I love my job and working with students, especially as volunteers, is extremely rewarding. Considering my initial contract was for three years, it’s amazing to think that the funding has continued and the work just keeps getting more interesting. I consider myself very lucky."
