SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - When it comes to sex, young people face a steep learning curve. A new French-language game show aims to help francophone students in the NWT access accurate information with confidence.

Actors Kenya Parent, left, Cliff Tuyishime and Jamie Cannell share a laugh on the set for Sex-O Quiz. Portions of the educational video were shot in Old Town last weekend. The comedic young actors are helping to share positive messages about sexual health with their francophone peers across the NWT. - Daron Letts/NNSL photos

Sex-O Quiz is an initiative of the NWT French Federation. It is being developed through a partnership between the organization's health and youth services with support from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

In Sex-O Quiz, three francophone students compete on a fictional television game show hosted by Radio Taiga program director Rudy Desjardins and Yellowknife actor Valerie Gamaute. Grade 7 Allain St. Cyr student Kenya Parent, Grade 10 Allain St. Cyr student Cliff Tuyishime and Grade 10 Sir John Franklin High School student Jamie Cannell act as contestants on the half-hour game show.

The students field candid questions about how to respond to abuse in a relationship, the diversity of sexual orientation, condoms and HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The video is geared for youth aged 13 to 21.

"We might as well talk with young people instead of trying to forget that some of them will be involved in sexual relationships at that age," said Rachelle Francoeur, NWT French Youth Co-ordinator for the NWT French Federation. "The show presents the information people need to make healthy choices when entering a sexual relationship for the first time. By having lots of different answers and questions, it will bring up some debate or conversation among the kids. We want the kids to ask themselves some questions, as well."

The game show segments cut to video vignettes illustrating various aspects of sexual health. In one such scene, students pour liquid from cup to cup to represent how quickly HIV can spread across a community through sexual contact. In another dramatization, a young woman struggles to overcome shyness while shopping for condoms at the pharmacy.

"We wanted to put a little bit of humour in there," Francoeur said.

The video encourages viewers to identify safe boundaries in a relationship and practice safe sex if they choose to become sexually active. The script also suggests ways the students can approach professionals for support or gather more information on their own from other resources.

The filmmakers consulted youth for their input throughout the writing process, said production manager Alex Beaudin of Yellowknife-based Karma Productions.

Beaudin is working with Francoeur to oversee the shooting and editing of the project. He identifies video as an effective vehicle for reaching youth through new media. Sex-O Quiz will eventually be posted on a website and spread over popular social networks such as Facebook.

"We wanted to create an educational tool that was funny and appropriate and that the youth would want to watch and share with their friends," Beaudin said. "As a filmmaker, I think using audio-visual information is the best way to get information across to students, rather than just having a formal classroom discussion or distributing literature."

Beaudin was assisted by sound designer Travis Mercredi and camera operators Pablo Saravanja, Jeremy Emerson and Davis Heslep at the Sex-O Quiz shoot in Old Town last weekend. Professional set designer Gilles Amyot developed the elaborate and colourful game show backdrop.

The Sex-O Quiz video will be circulated online at the end of the school year or early next school year. Copies will be distributed to teachers at the territory's francophone and immersion schools, as well, said Jean de Dieu Tuyishime, co-ordinater of the NWT French Health Network.

"We hope that schools and students will share the information," he said. "We hope also that parents will be informed by this and become involved by having conversations with their kids."

To find more information about sexual health education for youth in the NWT, see www.respectyourself.ca.