Sex will help "live"

How a store of intimate goods is engaged in education and charity

We help alive collect 10 319 255 R required 15 026 109 r

The collection of funds is over

At thirteen, I became a school celebrity. During the summer holidays, I found in parental bins a diligently rewritten and reset to the camera “Technique of sex”. Actually, I was looking for sweets, but the "technique of sex" also turned out to be nothing. And it’s not that sex, pioneer and Timurovts, strongly worried, I just read everything that I reached. About the feat of Vali Kotik, African tribes, anatomy, musketeers, conquest of Mars.

At school, I secretly shared secret knowledge with a friend, a friend said “Fu”, but at the next change I brought two more. A day later, in the locker room in front of the physical, I already gave a lecture to the girl’s half of the class. A week later, high school students, beautiful and inaccessible adults, caught me between lessons, shared sandwiches and asked to tell how what was there. At the words “orgasm” and “erogenous zones” of the high school student blushed, but they recorded something in their notebooks.

Products in the retail zone of the Center for Sexual Education Secrets Photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD Products in the retail zone of the Center for Sexual Education Secrets Photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

And at the time of the triumph, when I showed on the skeleton from the office of biology exactly where the erogenous zones were located, it turned out that my cool, historian was standing nearby. She seemed deeply elderly, boring and scary to me. Actually, then she was five years younger than I am now.

I froze, realizing that the storm would have been awake now. Perhaps I will even be excluded from the pioneers and Timurovites, they will be kicked out of school, they will call my mother.

“Continue, Leshchenko,” said the historian, “I will listen too. It’s never too late to learn something new. ”

***

I am walking past the store "Point of Love", from the door, looking embarrassedly, two women come out.

“Well, thank you,” one says. - I still have red ears, what a shame.

“Come on,” the second answers. - At least once in a lifetime you have to see, it’s interesting.

-You are ten years old, soon you will nurse the grandchildren, what, did you want to buy something seriously there?

“Maybe she wanted to,” the woman sighs, “only before it was necessary, and now it’s really too late.”

They go nearby - almost my peers, beautiful, no old and nothing is too late. And I am terribly offended for them - and for myself too.

Elena Galetskaya photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD Elena Galetskaya photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

I grew up at the hospital and still remember the stories that the doctors told-about the women who had been abortion, because they were sure that condoms were debauchery, about teenage girls who did not believe that they were pregnant because “well, we didn’t kiss the lips”, about the girl, who, to the question of the gynecologist, lives sexual life, they all sleep on, of course, they all sleep on. Paul because the family is large.

The phrase “there was no sex in the Soviet Union” was stammered. Of course, sex was, but somewhere there, under the blanket, diligently hidden, shameful and forbidden. Then, in the 90s, only the lazy did not write about sex, and the AIDS-Info newspaper was swept away in kiosks, and in stalls next to the Snickers and the Royal alcohol, rubber penis stood cheerfully. Everything became possible. But sex and everything connected with him remained an awkward topic.

More than 30 thousand people were trained in the Center for sexual education "Secrets"

In the center of sexual education "Secrets", which is advertised with the "Point of Love" store, people who are trying to change it work.

“We teach not just sexual technology and skill, we are talking about physiology, anatomy, psychology in the complex,” says Elena Galetskaya, press secretary of the center. - A variety of people come to free trainings, with different requests, they can understand whether they are interesting to choose, take a closer look. And it often happens that then they give their partners. ”

More than 30 thousand people were trained in the center. Even for Moscow, this is a fairly large figure. According to statistics in Russia, sex shops visit from 5% to 7% of the population, and the bulk falls on Moscow and Peter. Someone comes out of interest, look at the “toys”, someone “pinch and neighing”, but there are “constant”, those who come regularly, and this is the main target audience.

Sexual Education Center Secrets Photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD Coach of the Sexual Education Center Secrets Oksana Photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

“In our stores“ Point of Love ”once a month, master classes are held with a consultant who helps make a choice. And if many people are embarrassed to the sellers, then they communicate with the consultant more freely, says Elena. “We want people to recognize themselves, our body and not be afraid of it.”

Despite the years of freedom and accessibility of information, the level of sexual education is still about kindergarten. There are few available and professionally made training programs. In the center of sexual education, coaches sometimes face situations when people do not know elementary things about their own body.

Residents of the houses in which "for adults" opened, they were indignant and demanded to close them

“Our segment is 18+ very fragile. Officially, we are legal, but not legitimate, ”Elena is upset. - I know cases when our colleagues faced the fact that the residents of the houses in which shops opened were indignant and demanded to close them. For many, everything related to sex is still a taboo. We would like to treat us differently to perceive us like any other business built into social life. ”

A year ago, when the center was just starting work, Elena offered the management of participation in charitable projects and was very happy when her idea was supported. It took a lot of time in search of the fund - as it turned out, no one was ready to cooperate with such a “frivolous” business.

Shop "Point of Love" in Nizhny Susalny Lane Photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD Products in the retail zone of the Center for Sexual Education Secrets Photo: Anna Ivantsova for TD

“My hands were already dropped when I met Victoria Agadzhanova, the director of the Living Foundation,” Elena recalls. - We talked for a long time, built a concept. And I am very grateful to Victoria for her desire to cooperate. And for understanding. Yes, we are not the sector that will bring a lot of money at once. But we want to participate in social life and help people. The Live Foundation is one of the few in Russia, which is engaged in raising funds to help adults. Money for the treatment of those older than 18 is difficult to collect. On children and animals, people sacrifice more willing, it is easier to sympathize with weak than the same adult as you yourself. For some reason, adults are not very sorry. I often meet in the comments under ads for collecting adult tools that an adult can take care of himself and his health - sell an apartment, a car, take a loan, and take from friends. ”

Many charitable foundations were not ready to cooperate with such a “frivolous” business

In the summer, in the stores “Point of Love” and the center installed boxes for collecting funds, at the end of October, the center will host an open conference on sexual relations in modern Russia, all the funds raised there will be transferred to the “living” fund.

“I'm very worried,” says Elena. - So far we are not collecting money so far. For people, this is still unusual, it is a breakup-a sex shop and suddenly collecting donations. But this is only the beginning. And I believe that when our visitors get used to it, there will be more money.

Read also Mitya Aleshkovsky: For now, conduct a social experiment on yourself: read this text and confirm or refute statistics

Yes, we are the first in our sector who began to participate in charitable training camps is always difficult to be the first. I think if you can do something for others-do it. And I'm glad that my work colleagues support me. We are growing, developing, growing up. For me, growing up is social responsibility. We are adults. Adults should help adults. "

The Living Foundation provides assistance only to people of working age. It helps those who refused the state or other funds. But today the "living" needs our help: financing problems have put him on the brink of survival. The Help Foundation collects funds for administrative expenses of the Live Foundation: employees' salaries, office rental, postal costs and other payments. After all, if the “living” closes, to whom can we contact in case of trouble?