How do you end an amazing experience?

How do you end an amazing experience?
This project has been our life blood for the past five years. We gave birth to it, nurtured it and now being responsible parents it’s time to let it go.
But we haven’t been alone in this project. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing extended family. So, before we cut loose the apron strings we thought it was a good opportunity to reflect and to thank those that have made this project what it is, so here goes…
1. What do we know now about student sex work that we didn’t know when we started?
Well thanks to the amazing students who took the time to fill out the ‘Student Sex Survey’, we know that almost 5% of students had/are working in the sex industry and that almost 22% had considered it.

We also know that the motivations for working in the sex industry are multi-dimensional

And that male students are as likely to work in the sex industry as females

But we also know from our inspiring student sex workers who became project members and peer researchers that their biggest fear was that the Universities in which they studied would find out about their work and they would lose their place at University. We also learned that some student sex workers need support and that others don’t.
For those that did need support the project was enhanced beyond our aspirations by Sam Geuens a clinical sexologist who we ‘picked up’ at a conference and never let go!
But we were also incredibly grateful to University services across Wales who have worked with us to provide improved and informed services for students who work in the sex industry.
2. What were the benefits of combining research with service delivery?
For those of you familiar with the project you know it is unique and innovative, but endeavouring to combine academic research with service delivery wasn’t easy. How do you ensure the safety of service users? When do the research questions end and service delivery begin? But in the end it did work. We got to know our project members really well. Online data collection/service provision afforded the opportunity for people to speak to us in total anonymity and with confidence. This process/experience was undoubtedly enhanced by our enthusiastic student volunteers, who gave up their time to support the project and support student sex workers. We can’t list all of you here but you all made such a valuable contribution but we do have to ear mark two people, Gemma Morgan and James Plant. Nothing was ever too much trouble for either of them.
3. How do you make research findings interesting and accessible to the public?
This is an easy question to answer, you work with Professor Chris Morris (http://christophermorrisfilms.co.uk/film/). Chris and the production company Visual Influence (http://www.visualinfluence.co.uk/) worked tirelessly to produce ‘Fog of Sex’. The most wonderful thing about this film is that it is based on the real testimonies of students working in the sex industry and that those who shared their stories were thrilled that they had been represented in a way they wanted.
4. Who do you get to work on a complicated project like this?
We have been so lucky to work with some inspiring and motivated people of this project.
Dr Jacky Tyrie, Dr Katrien Symons and Emma Brooks who worked on the data analysis.
Jo Bowring, Dr Bille Lister, John Bair, Loz Galatowicz and Steve Jones from Terrence Higgins Trust who provided knowledge and support around the service delivery element of the project.
Professor Roger Tarling and Dr Ron Roberts who provided academic expertise.
Cardiff and Vale UHB Sexual Health clinic which provided support in relation to sexual health advice.
And finally, NUS- Wales who not only provided all of the translation services for the project but advised on Higher Education policy.
Of course, the project was also very well supported by Dr Teela Sanders http://www.sociology.leeds.ac.uk/people/staff/sanders and Rosie Campbell http://www.sociology.leeds.ac.uk/people/staff/rosie_campbell , who as external evaluators, acted as sounding boards throughout.
5. What’s the future?
I started this Blog by saying this is the end, well it is in a way, the project officially ends in November 2015. But we still have work to do. We are developing a training package in relation to student sex work and this will be rolled out before November. We will continue to disseminate Fog of Sex and some of the service element of the project will hopefully be continued by THT.
In November we will also launch ISSC – an Innovative Sexuality Studies Consortium – which will look to find innovative solutions to social issues. http://www.swansea.ac.uk/law/innovativesexualitystudiesconsortium/
So is this the end? We hope it is to be continued……

But we wanted to finish by saying thank you to everyone that has supported this project but especially to one very special young woman, Belle/Holly, this project was about you and for you. You inspired us, thank you…. Debbie Jones and Tracey Sagar

Mae’r prosiect hwn wedi bod yn anadl einioes i ni ers pum mlynedd. Roeddem yno ar ei enedigaeth, rydym wedi ei feithrin, ac nawr fel rhieni cyfrifol mae’n amser i ni ei ollwng yn rhydd.
Ond dydyn ni ddim wedi cynnal y prosiect hwn ar ein penau ein hunain. Ni fyddai wedi bod yn bosib heb ein teulu estynedig anhygoel. Felly, cyn i ni ei adael yn rhydd, roeddem yn teimlo fod hwn yn gyfle da i adlewyrchu a diolch i’r rheiny sydd wedi gwneud y prosiect hwn yr hyn y mae, felly dyma ni…
1. Beth ydyn ni’n ei wybod nawr am fyfyrwyr sy’n gwneud gwaith rhyw nad oeddem yn ei wybod ar y dechrau?
Wel, diolch i’r myfyrwyr hynny a fu’n ddigon caredig i gwblhau’r ‘Arolwg Rhyw Myfyrwyr’, rydym yn gwybod fod bron i 5% o fyfyrwyr wedi, neu yn, gweithio yn y diwydiant rhyw, a bod bron i 22% wedi ystyried gwneud hynny.

Rydym hefyd yn gwybod fod sawl dimensiwn i gymhelliannau myfyrwyr dros weithio yn y diwydiant rhyw.

A bod myfyrwyr sy’n ddynion yr un mor debygol o weithio yn y diwydiant rhyw â myfyrwragedd.

Ond rydym hefyd yn gwybod o’n myfyrwyr ysbrydoledig sy’n gweithio yn y diwydiant rhyw a’n hymchwilwyr o blith cyfoedion, mai eu hofnau mwyaf oedd y byddai’r Brifysgol roeddynt yn astudio ynddi’n dod i wybod ynglŷn â’u gwaith ac y byddent yn colli eu lle yn y Brifysgol. Dysgwyd hefyd fod rhai gweithwyr rhyw angen cymorth a chefnogaeth, ond nad oedd eraill ei angen.
I’r rheiny oedd angen cefnogaeth, cyfoethogwyd ein prosiect yn sylweddol gan Sam Geuens, rhywolegydd clinigol y bu i ni gyfarfod ag e mewn cynhadledd, a dal ein gafael ynddo!
Roeddem hefyd yn eithriadol o ddiolchgar i wasanaethau Prifysgolion ledled Cymru sydd wedi gweithio gyda ni i ddarparu gwell gwasanaethau i fyfyrwyr sy’n gweithio yn y diwydiant rhyw.
2. Beth oedd manteision cyfuno ymchwil â’r ddarpariaeth o wasanaethau?
I’r rheiny ohonoch sy’n gyfarwydd â’r prosiect, byddwch yn gwybod ei fod yn unigryw a blaengar, ond nid oedd yn hawdd cyfuno ymchwil academaidd â darparu gwasanaethau. Sut ydych chi’n sicrhau diogelwch defnyddwyr gwasanaethau? Pryd mae cwestiynau ymchwil yn gorffen, a’r ddarpariaeth o wasanaethau’n dechrau? Ond yn y diwedd, fe weithiodd. Daethom i adnabod aelodau’r prosiect yn dda iawn. Rhoddodd casglu data/darparu gwasanaethau ar-lein y cyfle a’r hyder i bobl siarad â ni’n anhysbys. Mae’n sicr i’r broses/profiad hwn gael ei wella gan ein myfyrwyr gwirfoddol brwdfrydig, oedd yn fodlon rhoi o’u hamser i gefnogi’r prosiect a chynnig cymorth i fyfyrwyr yn y diwydiant rhyw. Nid yw’n bosib i ni eich rhestru chi i gyd, ond fe wnaeth bob un ohonoch gyfraniad gwerthfawr i’r prosiect; serch hynny, rhaid i ni enwi dau o bobl, Gemma Morgan a James Plant. Doedd dim byd yn ormod o drafferth i’r naill na’r llall.
3. Sut ydych chi’n mynd ati i wneud canfyddiadau ymchwil yn ddiddorol ac yn hygrych i’r cyhoedd?
Mae hwn yn gwestiwn haewdd i’w ateb, rydych yn gweithio gyda’r Athro Chris Morris (http://christophermorrisfilms.co.uk/film/). Gweithiodd Chris a’r cwmni cynhyrchu Visual Influence (http://www.visualinfluence.co.uk/) yn ddiflino i gynyrchu ‘Fog of Sex’. Y peth mwyaf rhyfeddol am y ffilm hon yw’r ffaith ei bod yn seiliedig ar dystiolaeth go iawn gan fyfyrwyr sy’n gweithio yn y diwydiant rhyw, ac roedd y rheiny a rannodd eu straeon yn eithriadol o falch iddynt gael eu portreadu mewn ffordd oedd yn eu plesio.
4. Pwy ydych chi’n eu cael i weithio ar brosiect cymhleth fel hwn?
Rydyn ni wedi bod yn ddigon ffodus i weithio gyda rhai pobl ysbrydoledig a brwdfrydig ar y prosiect hwn.
Gweithiodd Dr Jacky Tyrie, Dr Katrien Symons ac Emma Brooks ar ddadansoddi data.
Darparodd Jo Bowring, Dr Bille Lister, John Bair, Loz Galatowicz a Steve Jones o Ymddiriedolaeth Terrence Higgins wybodaeth a chefnogaeth o amgylch elfen ddarparu gwasanaethau’r prosiect.
Darparwyd arbenigedd academaidd gan yr Athro Roger Tarling a Dr Ron Roberts.
Helpodd Clinig Iechyd Rhywiol BIP Caerdydd a’r Fro gyda chyngor ar iechyd rhywiol.
Ac yn olaf, UCM Cymru, a ddarparodd yr holl wasanaethau cyfieithu ar gyfer y prosiect, yn ogystal â chyngor ar bolisi Addysg Uwch.
Hefyd derbyniwyd cryn lawer o gefnogaeth gan Dr Teela Sanders http://www.sociology.leeds.ac.uk/people/staff/sanders a Rosie Campbell http://www.sociology.leeds.ac.uk/people/staff/rosie_campbell , gan iddynt weithredu fel gwerthuswyr allanol gydol y prosiect.
5. Beth yw’r dyfodol?
Fe ddechreuais y blog hwn drwy ddweud mai dyma’r diwedd, sy’n wir mewn ffordd; daw’r prosiect i ben y swyddogol yn Nhachwedd 2015. Mae mae yno’n dal i fod gwaith ar ôl. Rydym yn datblygu pecyn hyfforddiant ar gyfer myfyrwyr sy’n gwneud gwaith rhyw, a chaiff hwn ei gyflwyno cyn Tachwedd. Byddwn yn parhau i ddosbarthu Fog of Sex, a’r gobaith yw y bydd Ymddiriedolaeth TH yn parhau i ddarparu rhywfaint o elfennau gwasanaeth y prosiect.
Yn Nhachwedd, byddwn hefyd yn lansio Consortiwm Astudiaethau Rhywioldeb Blaengar, a fydd yn mynd ati i ganfod atebion blaengar i faterion cymdeithasol. http://www.swansea.ac.uk/law/innovativesexualitystudiesconsortium/
Felly, ai dyma yw’r diwedd? Rydym yn gobeithio fod hyn yn mynd i barhau……

Ond roeddem ni eisiau gorffen drwy ddweud diolch i bawb sydd wedi cefnogi’r prosiect hwn, ond yn arbennig i un ddynes ifanc arbennig iawn, Belle/Holly; roedd y prosiect hwn amdanot ti ac er dy fwyn di. Roeddet ti’n ysbrydoliaeth i ni… Debbie Jones a Tracey Sagar