"An educational tent with breasts, testicles and dildos is always a success," says the founder of the LOONO project, which saves lives through targeted education
Katherine, there are several topics you are working on, including cancer. In the "statistics" on your website, you state that you have saved 49 lives in 6 years at LOONO - do you base this on what the participants of the workshops write back to you?
At the workshops we teach visitors how to properly and regularly self-examine their breasts and testicles, but also how to recognize a stroke or heart attack early. Nearly 50 of them have contacted us to thank us for helping to save their lives. But hundreds - if not thousands - of those who attend the workshops let us know that our work has inspired them to take better care of their bodies and get preventive screenings.
Do you know some of the stories of those who have been helped by LOONO?
One of the first people whose life LOONO really saved was Adam. A young man whose girlfriend found a tumour in his testicle after she came home from our workshop. He had just been cooking, and when she said "get undressed", he thought play on the kitchen counter would ensue. But she wanted to examine his testicles like we taught her. And she felt a lump. They didn't hesitate to contact the doctor immediately, and the surgery was done within a week. Thanks to timely medical intervention, Adam eventually recovered.
Can you elaborate in principle - for those who haven't come across any of your activities yet - on what exactly your current Dole Good campaign is focused on?
In the campaign, we teach the public how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, but also where to go when one already suspects that they have a related problem. At the moment we are mainly focusing on education about HIV & AIDS, because thanks to our workshops we have also found that many people still don't know much about the disease and think that HIV is a "90s" thing, which is practically non-existent in the Czech Republic. Which is a big mistake. Until mid-August, our campaign citylights with the slogan "Stay negative" are on display all over Prague .
The campaign claims to be an "HIV education campaign that encourages condom use during sexual intercourse. All in a fun and tasteful way that doesn't scare " - could you elaborate on that?
For example, we are working with practical training. As part of the Down Good campaign, we carry models of the male and female pelvis to show people what their body looks like 'inside'. But we also carry dildos on which visitors practice the correct technique of putting on condoms. The workshops are very interactive, include quizzes, and participants can also ask questions. The atmosphere is usually very open, even intimate, so no one is afraid to ask questions that might be taboo in a normal discussion.
In the context of HIV prevention on the website, in addition to condom use and regular testing, you also mention PrEP (so-called pre-exposure prophylaxis, i.e. medication that a priori prevents HIV infection, ed.). In your opinion, should these drugs (Truvada, etc.) be available on prescription (and covered by insurance) in our country, similarly to other countries (e.g. the UK)? Why do you think this practice is not established in the Czech Republic?
I honestly do not presume to judge why pre-exposure prophylaxis is not yet established in our country. However, I think it should be introduced. I welcome any other tool that can prevent infection. While some may argue that PrEP in particular can lead to a person getting into the habit of not using a condom, we respond that informed choice is always needed. A person who chooses this option should be educated about the positives and negatives.
Who was involved in the actual design of the HIV/AIDS campaign? Did you use any Czech professional organisations that deal with this issue?
We worked with the House of Light on the development of the campaign itself and we regularly invite its representatives to discussions. The head of the AIDS counselling centre at the House of Light, MUDr. Ivo Procházka, Csc., was also a guest on our podcast on HIV, with Mgr. Petr Kalla, and we did a podcast on the topic of discrimination against HIV-positive people. Both of them can be found in their podcast app, just type in Loono Podcast. We also try to make everyone aware of the fact that HIV is not just a gay community issue, as the public mistakenly thinks. And we also shed light on the actual management of treatment for those who are positive, as it has greatly increased the length and quality of life for those infected, something the public is often unaware of.
You also organize workshops. Do you have a specific target group that you focus on?
We organise workshops in schools, companies and festivals where we speak to the participants in layman's terms, i.e. in a clear, positive and, above all, non-intimidating language. We want to build a positive relationship with their bodies and also teach them to listen to their own bodies, not to scare them with messages like "examine yourself or you will die ."
How do students respond to the sexual health workshops? After all, adolescents often consider the topic of sexuality as a source of very specific "humour"...
In general, students react well to reproductive health topics, also because they have a lot of questions that teachers refuse to answer, saying "they won't talk about such inappropriate things as porn or anal sex". Then we also get questions like whether people can get HIV through oral or anal intercourse or only through vaginal intercourse.
But we take all the questions seriously, because it often turns out that it is through jokes that many people try to hide their real interest in learning something. That is why we openly address the topic of "saying no to sex" or how to say "no" to someone who refuses to use a condom. But in this respect we are in a better position than educators. The medical students who are in charge of these lectures are usually only a few years older than the high school students, which puts them more in the role of their "friend".
What is the interest of schools in conducting such workshops? After all, although the Czech Republic is quite liberal, sex education is still missing from the curriculum...
There is interest from the schools, but it always depends on the school preventionist/preventer, if they are enlightened, anything goes. At first we assumed that in Prague and bigger cities there would be no problem to solve anything, but it turned out that sometimes teachers in small towns are much more open and grateful, it is there that they often appreciate our help and equipment.
As for the school workshops, according to the website, you fund them from other activities, donations, training in companies, etc. - isn't it in everyone's interest that workshops on similar topics be funded by the "state", hence the budget of the Ministry of Education? Shouldn't sex education actually be part of the curriculum?
We often encounter such questions. For example, visitors to workshops, especially parents, tell us that they feel that not enough emphasis is placed on this topic in schools. And then they have to explain these things themselves at home. To this we argue that sex education is certainly not only the responsibility of the school, but also of the parents. They should also teach their children.
We are in contact with the Ministry of Education, but changing the school curriculum is not as easy as it might seem. It is a process that will take many years, but we certainly want to be part of it. This year, for the first time, we will also be applying for funding from the Ministry of Education, but more for a project to teach teachers. As far as the pupils are concerned, our HIV prevention project in schools was partly funded by the Ministry of Health, which also made the outdoor campaign possible.
Where do you plan to go "on the ground" with your campaign in the near future? And what kind of response do you get during such events?
Our educational tent with breasts, testicles, hearts, but also dildos is always a great success. (laughs) In the near future, interested parties can meet us at Prague Pride. From September we will start visiting schools and companies again and we will also start webinars and online panel discussions. Our social media campaign will also continue, so be sure to follow @loonocz.
You've come across that you're also dedicated to spreading awareness about breast/variceal cancer prevention - which is a problem even for very young people who don't give the symptoms much weight - what should they focus on?
You are right, there is still a prevailing feeling that "cancer is for the old". But unfortunately, more than three hundred women under 30 get breast cancer every year. Testicular cancer is then a matter only for young men, between 15 and 35, and for older men it is prostate cancer. We therefore explain to young people that it can affect them and their families. And we teach them how to take good care of their bodies, not only in preventing cancer, but also heart attacks and other diseases.
Do you also advise - especially high school students - how to overcome shyness before visiting a doctor, or who to contact for help?
Those who have any kind of problem and suspect that there might be something wrong with their body should, of course, consult a general practitioner or gynaecologist. Unfortunately, parental involvement will be necessary here sooner or later, because if there really is a serious problem, the teenager will need a guardian. Shyness is, of course, a big issue, and unfortunately even we do not have a patent on overcoming it. But we always say that the sooner a health problem is addressed, the better the chances are for a full recovery, so it's important not to delay and to seek help immediately if something starts to happen. This is especially important then with a lump in the testicle, where every day plays a part. In fact, it is not uncommon for men with confirmed suspected testicular cancer to have surgery on the same day.
Overall, then, the public can look at www.preventivniprohlidka.cz, where they can just enter their age and gender and everyone will immediately know where and when they should head for a preventive check-up.
You are trying to 'catch' the current problems of today's society with your campaigns. What else do you have planned besides a sexual health prevention campaign?
We started the Down Good campaign last year in the form of workshops and this year we are rolling out more online education. Then in the fall we will be launching a campaign focused on mental health, sleep and burnout prevention. I'm really looking forward to that because, like the statistics around HIV, the statistics around the prevalence of mental disorders are not favourable. It will then link a lot of what we've been doing - taking care of the body with taking care of the soul. A holistic approach to health is the future; everything is intrinsically linked.
