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How to endorse the Pleasure Principles

Endorsing the Pleasure Principles means that an organization, at the highest levels, agrees to put the ̦Pleasure Principles into practice through its policies, processes, and activities. It is a formal and public acknowledgment that an organization is committed to adopting a sex-positive, pleasure-based approach in their work.
Formal endorsement is quite easy, and only requires the following:

An Endorsement Letter

We ask that endorsing organizations share a letter [email is fine] with the signature of an executive or senior-level leader formally endorsing The Pleasure Principles and commitment to at least one change by next World Sexual Health Day (September 4). The letter should include the following statement or something that expresses this:
“As an endorser of The Pleasure Principles, we will seek to embody the concepts of the Principles, represented in our work culture and in the policies and processes guiding our activities. We commit to the following action(s) by September 4, 2022: 
  • Action 1
  • Action 2 etc
  •  
We also agree to have our organization mentioned along with our logo on The Pleasure Project’s website as endorsing organization. We would we be happy to have our commitments listed as well (this last sentence is optional)”. 
As an endorsement, an organization can draft their own letter with the above statement included. Letters are also helpful to learn more about organizations and how they envision the Pleasure Principles fitting into their work.
A (non-exhaustive) list of potential actions is presented below : 
  1. Include pleasure-based sexual health or pleasure inclusivity and sex-positivity in the organization mission statement.
  2. Training of staff, volunteers, and/or partners on pleasure-based sexual health [ if you need some tips we can share our training kit and experience or help you run a training].
  3. Sell and promote our products as an aid to pleasurable sex but based on sexual rights, safe sex, and good health. 
  4. Ensure that your customers, viewers, and clients are told about safer sex being pleasurable and relaxing sex.
  5. Include pleasure-based sexual health indicators in our work. [The team at the Pleasure Project will be happy to share some examples with you].
  6. Conduct research that leads to evidence around pleasure-based sexual health, [We have some examples of work we have published here, but again we are happy to help you design work to complement other publications].   
  7. Ensure our communication materials, marketing strategies, campaigns are inclusive, respectful, and rights-based [ here are some examples and some more here to provide ideas].
  8. Author pieces amplifying the evidence on pleasure-based sexual health.
  9. Include endorsement of Pleasure Principles as recommended action for grantees and your partners.  
  10. Put a poster up showing The Pleasure Principles in your office or home or shop and explain how you are a pleasure-based sexual health worker or organisation and then practice good safe sex.
We will be happy to discuss with you and listen to what other actions The Pleasure Principles inspire you to take.
We would also request your organization to provide the Organization’s high-resolution version of their logo for inclusion on our website and information materials. 

Including the endorsement to The Pleasure Principles on your institutional website

We request that endorsing organizations proudly mention their endorsement of The Pleasure Principles on their website.

Designate a Point of Contact

Organizations should identify at least one person who will serve as the Pleasure Principles point of contact (POC). This person will serve as an internal champion to increase awareness and support the integration of The ̦Pleasure Principles in the policies and practices of the endorsing organization. To assist them, The Pleasure Project will share guidance materials as they are released, make connections to other endorsing organization and provide details on upcoming events and workshops.
We hope that embracing the principles of openness and collaboration, will ensure that those organizations will share their successes in implementing the Pleasure Principles in their own work. We are really keen to share your news and successes with the emerging pleasure-based sexual health community.