SHE SOARS

New youth hosts speak about their Sexual and Reproductive Health journeys

• CARE Canada • Season 3 • Episode 1

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Meet CARE Canada’s new group of Youth Champions who are speaking out about their Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) experiences and welcoming youth to share their stories. In the first episode of season 3, co-hosts Jacqueline and Paniz share the impact of SRH on their personal lives and the inspiration behind their advocacy. Jacqueline recounts an eye-opening personal experience that sheds light on the challenges and stigma that surround Sexual and Reproductive Health. This conversation offers valuable insights into the importance of sexual health education across the globe while highlighting how advocacy can combat shame, stigma and misinformation.

Find out what to expect this season and tell us what you want to hear!  

*SHE SOARS, funded by Global Affairs Canada, is the Sexual and reproductive Health and Economic empowerment Supporting Out-of-school Adolescent girls’ Rights and Skills project. Learn more at: https://care.ca/shesoarsproject

Episode transcripts are available in French and English at: care.ca/shesoars.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the SHE SOARS podcast are the speakers’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, standards and policies of CARE Canada. The SHE SOARS podcast is a youth-led initiative that provides space for young people to discuss global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights with the purpose of raising awareness in Canada. Listeners acknowledge that the material and information presented in the podcast are for informational purposes only and do not constitute advice or services. The podcast is for private, non-commercial use and speakers do not necessarily reflect any organization they work for.

[00:00:00] Paniz: Hi and welcome to SHE SOARS. Her voice. Her rights. 

[00:00:05] Jacqueline: We are CARE Canada's Youth Champions, a group of young people across Canada who are passionate advocates for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).

[00:00:13] Paniz: We're excited to discuss and raise awareness about young women's rights and choices in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. ​

[00:00:18] Jacqueline: Together, we will explore how these global issues connect to our lives as Canadian youth and discover ways in which we can all take action.

[00:00:26] Paniz: We will also talk about the SHE SOARS* project, which improves access to health and education, which are areas we want to see change in. Join us! 

[00:00:37] Hi everyone. Welcome to the new season of the SHE SOARS podcast. We are so excited to be here and introduce ourselves as part of the new Youth Public Engagement Champions (YPEC) here at CARE Canada. So I would like to introduce myself. My name is Paniz. I go by Iz as well as my nickname.

[00:00:53] Jacqueline: Hello everyone. My name is Jacqueline.

[00:00:58] Paniz: We're here as part of the six new Youth Public Engagement Champions, among whom are also Lauren, Olivia, Shreya and Sophia, also known as YPEC. We are a group of six Canadian youth aged between 16 and 24. Our ultimate goal is to raise awareness of global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights through the SHE SOARS project here in Canada. So we wanted to share a little bit about how we got involved in this. So Jacqueline, do you want to go first?

[00:01:29] Jacqueline: Sure. So I studied Health Sciences at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and I completed a one year fellowship with the Pathy Foundation and Cody Institute after that, which addressed reproductive health, equity and education in northern Tanzania. So that is where most of my inspiration came from in joining the Youth Champions at CARE Canada. I'm currently working as part of the Queen's Global Oncology Program, which is focused on improving equity in cancer care and control through global engagement. I have always really been passionate about health equity, especially when it comes to amplifying youth voices in this space. So I could not be more excited to join this team and the SHE SOARS project.

[00:02:15] Paniz: That's amazing. For myself, I've always been very much into advocacy and speaking up for people from a youth perspective. And I know that in my community and just growing up in general topics such as Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights were not very common. They were not very talked about.

[00:02:32] And to me, it was something that deserved attention and deserved the chance to be information that is widely available in Canada as well. So when I saw the opportunity to join CARE Canada as a YPEC to be able to amplify that voice and be that voice for other youth in Canada, I thought it was an amazing opportunity. So that's why I'm here today on this podcast. I think we're going to go ahead and talk a bit and explain what SHE SOARS is and why it's so important.

[00:03:02] Jacqueline: Yeah. So if you're new to this podcast, SHE SOARS stands for Sexual and reproductive Health and Economic empowerment Supporting Out-of-school Adolescent girls’ Rights and Skills. This project is aimed at delivering inclusive and holistic health and rights, life skills and financial literacy programming for girls and boys between 10 and 19 years of age in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. There are so many goals that SHE SOARS is tackling. Some of them are to increase the use of health services and information to do with sexually transmitted infections, contraceptives and menstrual health, but also to improve the delivery of services. 

[00:03:46] There are capacity building and training for healthcare practitioners, and girls’ and boys’ groups, which provide comprehensive education and empowerment sessions. All of these different initiatives have brought such transformative impacts like strengthening health systems, fostering community engagement and advocating for policy change. There are so many positive outcomes within the participants as well including increasing confidence and uptake of reproductive health services, an increase in knowledge and even in school enrollment. Girls returned to school after attending sessions that were aimed at enhancing decision-making to make informed decisions about their education and health. 

[00:04:28] Paniz: We are now in the fourth year of the project. In year three alone, the SHE SOARS project reached over 264,000 participants. This is one of the reasons why Jacqueline and I got involved with CARE Canada and the YPEC in the first place. 

[00:04:43] Jacqueline: Yeah, so Paniz and I are the first co-hosts of the new cohort of Youth Public Engagement Champions at CARE Canada for the SHE SOARS project. And we are taking over from a past group of Champions that did an extraordinary job of touching on so many different topics in the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights space. We are so fortunate to be bringing you a brand new season. We would love to hear from you about what you want to learn. 

[00:05:11] Paniz: So we aim to cover a couple different topics this season. Notably we want to talk about period poverty, how you as a Canadian youth can engage in SRHR, so Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights advocacy, and so much more. These stories touch us all and it could be something that your neighbor has experienced. It could be something that your friend has experienced. And I think Jacqueline is also going to touch on a personal story that will show you that it's not on the other side of the world. It happens everywhere all around us.

[00:05:40] Jacqueline: So the first time that I remember ever being fully aware of what reproductive health was when I was 13-years-old and I was hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for something called severe idiopathic menorrhagia, which is a bunch of fancy words for excessive menstrual bleeding but with no known cause. While I was there, I had about 11 blood transfusions and experienced a bunch of complications, which kept me in the hospital for about two months. After that, when I was released from the hospital was when I started to learn about the different gaps in the social context of women's Sexual and Reproductive Health, about how little we talk about these topics and how much fear I had to share my experience with others, especially my friends and male students. I was terrified of sharing this information with anyone. 

[00:06:42] Paniz: So Jacqueline, how did you know that there was a problem?

[00:06:46] Jacqueline: So when I was 13-years-old, I was playing a really high level of soccer. I was super busy every single day, a super active kid, and all of a sudden my period started to get really heavy. And one day I actually completely passed out cold and had to be taken to the hospital.

[00:07:10] Paniz: Did you know beforehand that these symptoms or this excessive menstrual bleeding was a cause for concern? Or was it really after when you passed out, when you went there, that they really told you?

[00:07:21] Jacqueline: That's a great question because I had no idea that my level of bleeding was so abnormal. It's something that you don't really get taught in school or it's not a topic of conversation that is normalized so I had no idea. Only when it got so bad that I passed out was it actually taken seriously. And when I got to the hospital I was so far gone that I actually was unconscious for about the first week because of how much blood I had lost.

[00:07:55] Paniz: Take me through that. What happened? How did you feel when you woke up?

[00:08:00] Jacqueline: I don't think I remember fully understanding what had happened to me when I woke up. I have small blips of memory here and there in the ambulance and once I got to the hospital. I do remember waking up and having my parents there with me, which was the most incredible support ever. I could not have done it without my family's support. I remember waking up and immediately there were consent forms being shoved in my face saying we need to give you blood transfusions. Here are all the risks and why we need to do it. We can't tell you what is happening to you but all we know is that this is the only thing that is going to save your life.

[00:08:45] ​First and foremost, so much fear. But I think being in that hospital bed, the first thing on my mind was the survival mode aspect of it, just getting through it and trying to make sure that I stayed awake and conscious. That was for about three days until it got so bad that the transfusions were coming in and coming out. Then I was transported for almost two more months. And I had so many more complications happen. My appendix ended up rupturing so I had to stay longer and go through multiple operations. I had lost so much blood that they weren't even able to operate on me fully unconscious. So I was like half awake for one of the operations. It was this huge whirlwind of trying to stay positive and stay conscious for most of it but then also trying to figure out what the heck is going on, right? 

[00:09:47] That was the major theme of my hospitalization that every time a doctor would come in they wouldn't really have any answers for me. To this day, we still don't even have answers. I'm considered a bit of a medical mystery but so many women have similar experiences like that where there is no proper diagnosis or maybe their symptoms are overlooked. It gets to a point where it's too serious because we don't have enough information about women's health to notice these things in advance or prepare for them or be able to treat them properly. So who knows there might be a great reason out there for why this happened to me but to this day I still have no idea.

[00:10:31] Paniz: Prior to your own experience, had you heard about SRHR issues or diagnoses or was this new to you? 

[00:10:37] Jacqueline: This was the very first time that I ever even fully became aware of my own body as a woman and my female anatomy. All I really knew about was that you get to a certain age, you get your period as a woman and you have it for X amount of years until it stops. So dealing with an issue this severe I definitely was not prepared for what was to come, especially socially in the context of talking about reproductive health. I went back to school and did not want to tell anyone. I lied to so many of my friends. 

[00:11:10] With the level of reproductive health education that we got in school, it definitely didn't feel like a topic of conversation that was normalized enough to feel comfortable talking about. Still so much stigma. 

[00:11:23] Paniz: For other people to understand? 

[00:11:25] Jacqueline: Exactly. 

[00:11:26] Paniz: Yeah, it's a very bad experience and I'm sure that you're not the only one that's been through it. I am sorry and I know that so many other girls and women in this country, but also around the world have to go through similar stories and there is not enough resources or education regarding that.

[00:11:41] I actually really related to what you said about what you learn about periods in school. I think it shows and highlights the fact that we're just not talking about it. Personally, in my own experience at school, we still are not talking about it. To this day, I have not yet been in a class at school where we have talked about periods or things similar to that. 

[00:12:04] Jacqueline: Yeah. And for so many women and girls, it's a topic that we're so ashamed of. We're socialized to feel ashamed of having a period or even using those words. They're considered such dirty words in our society. And if there is one message that I can share to girls who are maybe experiencing something similar or sharing similar feelings it’s this: It is a superpower to be a woman. It is nothing to be ashamed of. It is so powerful what our bodies can do And talking about it is even more empowering. The more you talk about it the more you realize just how special we are as women. And similar with men too. Everyone is impacted by reproductive health and can join in on this conversation whether it is yourself, whether it is people you care about in your life, we are all impacted by it. And it's a topic that is hidden and swept under the rug and totally overlooked in so many different contexts. Reproductive health is an important issue when it comes to mental health. It's important when it comes to even climate change. There is an intersection of reproductive health in so many different contexts.

[00:13:20] Paniz: So after the transfusions and such, after those two months, you were able to go back home. Did they figure anything else out or was it just because you had reduced the symptoms?

[00:13:30] Jacqueline: So we were able to control the bleeding with contraceptives and different treatment options that we explored but even after that there were lots of complications like scarring along the uterine lining that I experienced a lot of pain from. Then there was the whole appendix issue, if it was correlated to what had happened.

[00:13:51] There was a lot of recovery and being so aware of my reproductive anatomy and what that now means for me going forward in life. Not only the physical experience of it, but then the socio-cultural experience of going through a hospitalization and an issue like this. Then having to navigate conversations where it's a topic that is so stigmatized. This experience was such a self-defining moment in my life, which paved the way for most of my passions in life. But also so much self-transformation from that and I developed so much resiliency from it. So being able to talk about it now and share this experience I hope that maybe it shows other women and girls what we go through as women.

[00:14:44] Paniz: You certainly inspired me and I'm sure everybody else that was listening to this podcast and you are the example of what it means to demonstrate strength and resilience and to really go down a path that is undiscovered.

[00:14:57] And I think that is what SRHR was for a while and continues to be in many places around the world. So it is thanks to people like you who have decided to step up from their experiences that we're here today on this podcast talking about this and hoping to influence and help other people around the world spread the message and also learn more about these topics.

[00:15:22] Jacqueline: Thanks Paniz! Those are very kind words. I really appreciate that. I also think that for myself, going through something like this made me realize that if I had gone through such a life-threatening event to do with reproductive health here in Canada, with all of the resources and support that I had, and it was still such a life threatening position, what would that look like for a young girl who is living in a low-income or low-resource environment that doesn't have access to healthcare services, who doesn't have the proper medical system or services to get her through that? 

[00:16:09] Paniz: I think that is why the SHE SOARS project is so important and why we really want to raise awareness about it. 

[00:16:16] Jacqueline: Yeah, it just goes to show how many similar experiences we have as women and girls, but also how that can look so different in different contexts. And that is why it's so important to learn about global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and learn about how we can advocate for individuals who are experiencing those inequities or who are living in vulnerable, marginalized populations that need awareness. 

[00:16:49] Paniz: I think that Jacqueline sharing this story on here is absolutely amazing. I'm sure everybody is so proud of you as well for speaking up. And it demonstrates the power and the impact that youth can have in this space. So if Jacqueline never pursued this afterwards, she wouldn't be in this setting with CARE Canada, and I just think that it is so important to know that we have a right and responsibility to help those around us and help bring these things to light. And as you said, normalize these conversations and make sure to assure everybody that it's okay to not know everything, but we have a responsibility to always gather more information and pursue everything further.

[00:17:30] Jacqueline: Thanks Paniz. That means so much. And I think there is a lot to say about being in a supporting role as well. You don't have to have a story like mine or have experienced inequities or have a big life-changing event to become an advocate or join these conversations or to even learn more and actively pursue knowledge and information that can support other people in your life. I think it is also really easy to shy away from these conversations because maybe we think they are uncomfortable or weird, or maybe we feel like we might say something wrong. But I believe that as humans, we have a lot more in common than we do differences.

[00:18:15] And it is these similarities that we need to use to unite us, but also use what makes us unique and the knowledge that we have gained from these lived experiences to then step up as leaders in our community. I think it takes a lot of courage to do that but the impact can be so powerful, especially when it comes from youth voices and we unite together with what makes us similar.

[00:18:39] Paniz: I completely agree. And when you touched on the fact that it could be a little weird to talk about it kind of reminded me of my childhood as well. When you get your first period, you're scared of asking for help or even going to the store and buying a box of pads. You would hide it because it's always been seen as something that is a little embarrassing or it's not normalized enough to the point where you can just grab a box and go.

[00:19:02] I think that confidence that I gain is because of, like you said, getting involved, doing your research, finding out your rights and responsibilities as a youth and what we can do to learn more about the female physiology. So much of the knowledge of our human body comes from research done on men. And then advocacy in this space, I find it super important for especially young girls that are growing up and wanting to find out more about their body having access to this database of information to learn more about themselves and really be able to feel good about themselves and not feel like they have to shy away if a topic is slightly uncomfortable to talk about.

[00:19:39] Jacqueline: Absolutely. And like you said, so much of our knowledge of a woman's health is coming from medical systems and regulations that are built on historical inequities. And our knowledge is based on what we know about the male body. In Canada, it wasn't until 1997, so less than 30 years ago, that the government made it a requirement to include women in all phases of clinical trials. So this basically means that the foundation of the information we know about health is biased towards men and it is only in recent years that we are starting to slowly uncover sex-related differences in certain treatments and principles that we know about health. There are even still inequities in funding and focus on female-specific topics in health research. Across so many measures progress is being made, but there are also areas where progress is stopping or even reversing in some cases too. It was recently recognized that there is no country that will accomplish Sustainable Development Goal number five, which is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by the target year 2030. So it is another reason why it is so important that we push back on these barriers and we actively engage in conversations about what is going on and how we can make a difference.

[00:21:05] Paniz: I completely agree. All of this is to say that we have so much to unpack and so many different topics that we would like to talk about. And if there is anything that we have learned from this episode it’s that you can always learn more. There is always somebody around you who has a story they have to share and they need somebody to share it with. And you could be that person. So throughout this podcast, we really hope that we're able to have you participate as well.

[00:21:28] We would love to hear about what topics you're interested in learning about. We're like you, we're also learning every day, we're not experts, but it's something that we're incredibly passionate about, Jacqueline and I, and the other four YPEC members. As Canadian youth you can also get involved and that is why we're here for you to share this project through our lens from a youth perspective, from people who have lived in the same cities as you, have been to the same education systems, and who really believe that there is a need to share further awareness and to get involved.

[00:22:01] Jacqueline: Yeah, and I think in what you said there, there is an emphasis on the power that empathy can have in this space and how we can show up for people in our lives who are experiencing reproductive health and rights issues, and also share this information with others.

[00:22:24] Paniz: Yeah, I think that this episode showed how much there is to talk about and how much there is still to unpack but this is the end of our first episode as the hosts. However, we would love to talk more about this and you can follow us on our next episodes throughout this season as we unpack more topics that affect all of us.

[00:22:45] Jacqueline: Thank you all so much for listening. We're so excited to keep creating a space where we can feel comfortable talking about these topics and also learn how to be advocates in our own communities going forward. You can follow us @CARECanada, shameless plug for our Instagram account, and let us know what topics you want to see in future episodes. Something new and exciting that we're doing this season is including a special word or fact in each of our episodes that might lead to a special surprise in the future. So if you have listened this far, please remember our special secret word, which is ‘health.’

[00:23:25] Paniz: Thank you, and we'll see you next time! 

[00:23:27] Jacqueline: Bye for now. 

[00:23:28] Paniz: Bye! 

[00:23:30] Jacqueline: Thanks for listening to SHE SOARS. If you like this episode, please share it on social media, connect with us in the comments, or give us a like.

[00:23:37] Paniz: Make sure to catch our next episode by subscribing to our channel and following us wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:23:43] Jacqueline: Follow @CARECanada on Instagram for updates on our show and the project.

[00:23:48] Paniz: SHE SOARS stands for Sexual and reproductive Health and Economic empowerment, Supporting Out-of-school Adolescent girls’ Rights and Skills in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.

[00:23:58] The project is funded by Global Affairs Canada. Check out our global partner organizations: The Center for Reproductive Rights and Restless Development for even more project updates. 

[00:24:07] Paniz: Thanks again for listening. Until next time!