For Youth

Divine Sacredness

The divine sacred in each and every one of us calls us to embrace all parts of ourselves in sexual health and wellness. We carry the ability to harbor and produce life, and that is a sacred, beautiful power. We have a responsibility to care for ourselves not only in sexual wellness, but in our minds, bodies, and souls alike.

   Sophie Hernandez (she/her), 22

Bio: As a person and an artist, I strongly believe in the power of creativity as a means of social justice, change, and hope for a better future. My work mainly focuses on bringing forth the stories and lived experiences of the oppressed, and educating others on what it means to be an ally, or to fight for a better world. I truly believe this work is my purpose, and my place in the art world. As a whole, my work represents my specific style as well as the importance of fundamental change, and the power of art in the process of transformation.

Consent

What this artwork is trying to represent is asking for consent before going into sexual intercourse and making sure that it is an okay move to make.

  Mikey Ramirez (he/him), 15

Bio: Mikey is a current 9th grader at Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design (DSISD). He is an outstanding artist who wanted to try something new by entering the 2023 “Sexual Health is Lit” Youth Art Contest, where his artwork depicts the importance of asking for consent. He first drew the picture by using a pencil, then he uploaded it to an application where he digitally outlined and shaded the image to get the final product you see. When he is not drawing, Mikey enjoys listening to music and singing.

For this project I wanted to graphic design a handbill that gave some information on the importance of sexual health, that could educate folx on STDs and STIs, and that showed images of contraception, and sex toys to help destigmatize them!

   Sasha Krause (they/them), 20

Bio: Sasha Krause (they/them) is a student at UNC, studying graphic design. They are passionate about art of all kinds, but enjoy exploring the world of punk and grunge art specifically. Aside from art they are interested in community, education, movies, video games, and exploring! They hope to make a lasting impact with their art that can be a positive influence to all.

Sexual Health is an integral part of individual’s health and wellbeing; it requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality, sexual relationships, and the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences that are free of coercion, fear, discrimination, stigma, shame, and violence.

Adolescence is a time of major physical, emotional, and social growth in youth. Healthy sexuality is an important aspect of adolescent development; young people learn about themselves, their bodies, intimate partners, and relationships. All while mitigating risk and developing healthy positive sexual behaviors that they can carry into adulthood.

Compared to adults, youth are an especially higher risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to stigma, lack of sexual health education, and limited access to health care services-such as contraception, abortion, STI testing and treatment.  While young people, ages 15-24 represent only ¼ of the sexually active population, they make up 9 million of the 19 million (47%) new STI cases annually.

Eligibility: The contest is open to Denver youth 15 - 24yrs old.

Submission Guidelines/Contest Rules:

• One submission per artist Artwork must be original
• Expresses the contest theme
• Artwork must be appropriate for viewing by general audiences
• Submission must be a digitally created image
• Acceptable file types: .png, .jpg, .pdf
• Include a description of your artwork and how it relates to the theme “Sexual Health is Lit”

The Up Close Program promotes awareness of sexual health as a core component of overall health and well-being by engaging with diverse community partners to identify resources and opportunities to create and enhance sexual health programming in the City and County of Denver.