Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
EduKating through Caribbean Cultural Expectations and Mindsets
As a Hispanic-American woman of Immigrants, there are expectations and mindsets that are put upon me that I have no control over. It has taken a while to understand but I understand that now. On July 26th 2019, I was on my way to an interview when an older gentleman from the Dominican Republic kept eyeing me. I had my headphones on, but something told me to take the off when he asked me if I was Dominican.
By Kathleen Blanco6 years ago in Viva
What Is Birth Control?
Birth control is any number of methods that work to prevent human sperm from reaching and fertilizing an egg inside of the vulva. The basic goal is to prevent pregnancy. There are a number of different types of birth control and each varies in effectiveness, expense, and method.
By Teela Hudak6 years ago in Viva
My Second First Time
Your first experience with anything dictates your feelings subconscious and otherwise. My first sexual experience was a rape. I didn’t want to be scathed in any way. So I decided I wouldn’t be. I was young, I still had time to have impactful experiences. I’d just make an effort to do a bunch of other stuff and effectively knock this one out of the ring. I was desperate to have a sexual experience that could replace the assault. I wanted a first time story I could tell in drinking games. It had to hold up while reminiscing with friends, laughing about how short it was, how uncomfortable, how I had grown frustrated with fumbled buttons and clasps and done the damn thing myself. Unfortunately life and I weren’t on exactly the same page on that front, so I would create one.
By Verdabelle Stoness6 years ago in Viva
Can Psychedelics Reduce Domestic Violence?
We are starting to learn much more about the impact of different types of drugs. In recent years, a lot of research has gone into the impacts of psychedelics on mental health. We have some solid research showing success in treating PTSD and depression with mushrooms.
By Teela Hudak6 years ago in Viva
Lucy Green Eyes
It was going on eight in the evening. The church meeting had let out late, but I didn’t mind because I got to play with my friends and talk about the upcoming Halloween party that the teacher was going to have for us. While we waited for Uncle Lee to hitch the mule to the wagon to take us home, Mama realized she’d left her brown paper bag containing such items as peppermint balls, Vaseline, her handkerchief and some medicine on one of the pews.
By Paulette Benjamin7 years ago in Viva
How I Realised I Am a Part of the Me Too Movement
When the #metoo movement surfaced, I first didn’t think I had anything in common with it. "That hasn’t happened to me, I don’t know what they mean.” My second approach after reading countless stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and everywhere else all these strong women were sharing their stories was, “Okay, well, maybe I have some experiences, BUT I’m too shy and embarrassed to let the world know.” I’m obviously all for women empowerment and women rights, but it was different when it was about me. I didn’t have the courage, and what would my parents say? Would they be disappointed? Embarrassed?
By Hanna Renevi7 years ago in Viva
What Is Abortion?
An abortion is a termination of a pregnancy. It stops the baby from continuing to grow and develop. In many cases, this is done through by medical professionals and the majority of abortions are completed in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. When someone is considering this decision, counseling is often an important part of the process. The decision can be made for a number of reasons and often not made lightly. The decision and counseling process is best explored in greater depth at another time.
By Teela Hudak7 years ago in Viva
5 Badass Female TV Characters
What we watch can almost influence us to be better or act like the characters we see. This is probably the reason parents don’t like when their kids watch Spongebob and rather they watch shows with more dynamic characters. Characters are on of the biggest part of the storytelling—actually scratch that, they’re the biggest. Some characters we don’t like and want to punch them through the TV; others we love the point we’re on the verge of tears. Today I would like to touch on female characters, but not just any females—the badass female characters who have the attitude we wish we had when we’re lying on the couch with popcorn. Now what makes a female character badass? To me, a female character is bad ass when she stirs away from the normal and has new thoughts and does risky things that we may not like. She isn’t a perfect character and reflects a real person and not just a fantasy. Badass doesn’t mean they don’t cry or show emotions, it instead means they make choices for themselves and later on can accept responsibility for those choices. Here are some tv female characters from shows I love that I find badass.
By Dakota Thomas7 years ago in Viva
What Is Sexual Assault?
Sexual assault can take many forms. The legal definition will change a bit from place to place, but it is generally defined as any action that is sexual in nature and violates the sexual integrity of the victim. It is an unwanted and non-consenting action performed by one person on another. In many cases, sexual assault is defined by its lack of freely given consent. It is used as more of an umbrella term that includes a wide variety of unwanted actions.
By Teela Hudak7 years ago in Viva
When Can Consent Be Withdrawn?
When is it okay for consent to be withdrawn in a given situation? Is there a point of no return where a person must simply follow through? No matter who you speak to, everyone will have a different opinion about this aspect of consent. There are a lot of different opinions based on people's experiences and their upbringing, but the truth is that most people haven't really learned about consent. Most people have not taken the time to learn about and explore the topic. They feel they have a good understanding just because they have a basic understanding. Research actually shows that most people aren't able to correctly identify the finer points of consent. This is why it's important we continue to have the discussions exploring the different aspects of consent. So when can consent be withdrawn?
By Teela Hudak7 years ago in Viva
