Red roses, chocolate hearts, love declarations - Valentine's Day is about all these, but it can also be the start of an honest and direct conversation about what responsible & healthy love means.
Sex Education statistics in Romania
As of 2024, Romania still sits at the top of the unfavorable European statistics regarding how the public understands and applies information related to sexuality and intimate life.
- Romania ranks second in the EU for the birth rate among teenage mothers.
- 77% of Romanians believe that sex education should be taught in schools.
- In 2021, 560 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in Romania.
- In Romania, approximately one in thrid of reported HIV diagnoses were among individuals under 30 years old.
- Romania ranks 41st among the 49 European countries in terms of achieving and granting human rights to LGBTQI+ people.
A worrying number of cases of sexually transmitted infections or teenage pregnancies and a conservative mentality that strengthens sex-related myths are just enough arguments to declare sex education, at any age, a necessity.
Electric Castle chose to team up with SEXUL vs BARZA Association, an NGO actively involved for over 10 years in promoting sexual and reproductive health to launch ginfospot.ro.
With over 16 million views, and more than 130K Subscribers on the official YouTube Channel, SEXUL VS BARZA is the go-to NGO shaking up sex ed in Romania since 2013. Following the World Health Organization's playbook, it provides spot-on, factual sex education that's all about keeping things real, promoting healthy relationships, and respecting sexual health.
"In Romania, children are still brought by the stork due to shame and lack of accountability around sexuality. Campaigns like G-Info Spot have the power to bring information where there are still too many prejudices and fears. We can change mentalities at any age and in any context, and Electric Castle is a perfect place for that," says Adriana Radu, president of the SEXUL vs BARZA Association.
What is G Info Spot?
As a sex education platform for the public in Romania, it offers information about healthy practices, hygiene, consent, stereotypes, sexual myths, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. Six essential sex ed lessons, straightforward, no-nonsense guides to help you enjoy a healthy sex life.
All 6 sex education lessons have been curated to be useful in the context of a music festival but also essential to create a foundation for a well-informed sex life, regardless of where you’re at: how to prioritize safety even in moments when you feel carefree, how important it is to respect each person's personal space, and what you can do specifically to go back home with only beautiful memories.
And since these are just the foundational lessons, just the tips, you have the option to contact sex education experts to get answers to particular questions or simply get deeper into the complexities of sex education, explore beyond the basics, ensuring you're well-informed and prepared for a healthy sexual life.
Sex Education at Electric Castle and other music festivals
G-Info Spot isn't just about making SexEd the talk of the town; it's about making a difference in the everyday sex lives of 250,000 festival-goers.
The movement starts with the EC fans and community, so then it can be passed on forward, to break the bubble and spark significant change far beyond the festival grounds. The idea is to leverage the EC fan base and help those closest to us get accurate & factual info, so they can lead a healthy sex life themselves and then spread the word by bringing everyone on board for sex education to become mainstream in Romania.
G-Info Spot is set to enhance t the initiatives already in place at the last editions of the festival, such as the "Angel Shot" alert code and Safety Line (a dedicated telephone line for reporting potential aggression situations), which Electric Castle offers to the public for their own safety.
"We understand that a festival can be a place where inhibitions fade out, but this should not lead to irresponsible behavior," says Tudor Costinaș, Electric Castle's Head of Communications.
"G-Info Spot is our way of telling people that we care about their health and safety. It's a way to learn together, even while having fun, things that make our lives better beyond the music festival experience."
With the debut of the 10th edition of Electric Castle, G-Info Spot also will become an Info Point at the festival, an actual place where people can ask for advice and informational materials.
Become an Official Partner and make Sex Education mainstream
It is big. Bigger than the Castle.
G-Info Spot's mission is to echo beyond the Electric Castle confines, pushing past the music festival scene and outside Romania's borders. To make this happen, it’s gonna take a bit more than just our voice. Tackling such a big issue means getting together to come up with a solution that will be around for a while or, at least, get people talking. The idea is not to presume we’re going to solve everything in a split second, but to set the ground for a wider shift in perspective and maybe even change a few minds in the process.
This is why the Sex Education G-Info Spot platform welcomes anyone who wants to promote it as the message is more important than the messenger
Whether you're a Music Festival, an NGO, a Student Organisation, a business, big or small, or any group with a community ready to amplify the message and bridge the existing gap in sex education, you can just reach out.
Let's team up to fill in those sex education gaps together.
All the materials and information available on ginfospot.ro will be sent directly to you so you can have your own Sex Education starter pack, become an official partner of the campaign, spread the love, break down taboos, and drive positive change.
Visit the sex education platform to see what it’s all about: ginfospot.ro
