It’s hard to believe the Sexual Health and Guidance Society (SHAGS) is only in its first year — they've burst onto the scene with energy, passion, and purpose. From hosting a string of standout events to scooping up two Guild awards, SHAGS has already made a lasting impact on Liverpool’s student community. We caught up with the 2024–25 committee to get the inside scoop on their whirlwind debut year!
What motivated you to set up the society? How did you go about it?
With the amount of people passionate about Sexual Health at UoL, it was only just a matter of time before SHAGS came to life. There is such an incredible, proactive community of clinicians in Liverpool like the amazing Dr Saz, who had been looking for students interested in starting a Sexual Health society. An email through the MedNews Bulletin showed there were plenty of students ready to get SHAGS off the ground. With the support of Dr Saz and Hannah Fowler, the Guild's medical societies coordinator, we put together an application just before Christmas. Only a few days into Spring term, SHAGS was official!
What’s the society’s primary objective and what kind of activities will support that?
We have two major goals as a society: improving student awareness about sexual health, and creating opportunities for medical students interested in sexual health. This year we have attended events like the Refreshers Fair and through social media we have promoted safer sexual health, and are working with the Guild to reach more students next year.
For medical students, events like our Careers Evening have built connections between students and clinicians working in Liverpool. Next year we want to explore more opportunities for student placements in sexual health, so stay tuned!
What are you most proud of since setting up?
What makes us most proud is not only the things we have achieved so far, but also the people who achieved them. Our charity bake sale wouldn't have been so successful without committee members volunteering their time and baking skills, Bake Soc lending us display racks, and of course students showing up to raise over £200 for RASA.
Our first ever collaboration with other societies celebrated Liverpool becoming a pro-choice campus, which started outside SHAGS with people like the incredible Guild vice-pres Holly! Everything we have done so far has been a huge team effort! It comes from our incredible committee, members and the student community at Liverpool. It makes us proud to see SHAGS integrated into that community.
You took home the Guild Values Award this year – what does that mean to you?
We were so honoured to be at the awards, and completely shocked to have won! We were originally nominated for another award, so imagine our surprise when the Guild called us up to the stage for the Guild Values award. Our amazing secretary Jorja also won an individual Guild Values award for her incredible contributions to SHAGS, so it was a great night for everyone.
This award has shown us that the Guild recognises and appreciates what we are doing, and they are ready to see what's next for SHAGS. It has been a very warm welcome as a society, and has given us the drive to push for bigger and better next year.
What are you most looking forward to next academic year?
In a word: collaboration! We have lots planned with the Guild and other societies including SNOGS! We also want to work with the Med School to increase Sexual Health/GUM teaching into the MBChB curriculum and placement. We're very excited to meet our new committee members and organise more events that bring people together!
What advice would you have for students who are interested in sexual health? (E.g. research/intercalation/elective opportunities, networking, contacts etc.)
Sign up for a SHAGS membership, that goes without saying! Beyond our events, we have a number of contacts in Liverpool who can support your interest, whether it be through your RS project, intercalation, or any advice you need for career pathways.
On a national level, STASHH and BHIVA are two incredible organisations offering free student memberships. They're a great way to stay in the loop about things happening around the UK in Sexual Health and HIV. If nothing else, give the STASHH podcast Sexy Health a listen! Episode 9 is a personal fav.
Finally we'd like to highlight the Sexual Health Education Prize. For a chance to win a £100 voucher you get to design a resource for Axess, our local sexual health service. It's a great addition to your portfolio and a way to get involved with local clinicians, as well as making something that could really make a difference for the people Liverpool. Check out details on our Instagram Linktree!
What’s your biggest ambition for the future of the society and sexual health in general?
We want Sexual Health to get the attention it deserves, both from the public and professionals. It's constantly fighting against cutbacks, is underrepresented in medical education, and is surrounded by a social stigma that stems from a lack of information.
On a local level, we can contribute by growing a community of student doctors that take a proactive approach to sexual health in all areas of their practice, and by increasing the knowledge of all students on how to be safe and smart when it comes to their own health. Somewhere down the line we'd like to reach the wider Liverpool community through Societies in Schools teaching, but for now we are excited to hit the ground running in the new academic year!