What is Lilli?
Lilli is an independent non-profit organization in Zürich, Switzerland, that focuses on the prevention of violence and the promotion of sexual health. Since 2001, our website has offered low-threshold, free-of-charge service to adolescents and young adults. Our website is very popular and currently welcomes around 10'000 visitors a day.
Visitors can anonymously send questions to our question window – a form on the website. These questions are answered by psychologists, sexual therapists, and doctors (gynecology, urology, general practitioner). The entire contents of our online-advice from the last three years are available to the general public, as well as more than 400 informative texts with many tips and exercises and a comprehensive list of links and addresses.
Topical areas of focus include sexual and domestic violence, internet security, rights and laws, love and relationships, female sexuality, male sexuality, couple’s sexuality, sexual orientation and identity, contraception, sexually transmitted infections, women’s bodies – women’s topics, men’s bodies – men’s topics, self worth, social dances, sexism and eating disorders.
We also offer our knowledge of violence prevention and sexual health to other organizations through the presentation of lectures and workshops, and by entertaining partnerships with related organizations.
What do we offer English-Speaking People?
We're located in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Our online statistics show that users access our website from all over the world, including non-German speakers, translating our contents using online translation tools. The Lilli in English project aims to make our unique online service available to a larger number of young people and to open the doors for those who speak English better than German. In the project's pilot phase we implemented an English language sector on our website. We are now gradually expanding it. Currently we are translating 60 important and frequently used texts in the field of sexual health. More sectors will follow, depending on our fundraising success.
Why do we offer Lilli?
Lilli’s goal is the promotion of sexual and personal self-confidence in adolescents and young adults. This has a preventive effect on several levels:
- Self-confident youth can represent their needs and protect themselves better from sexual assaults and other forms of violence.
- If they have experienced violence, they are more resilient and have more resources with which to deal with the violence and to heal from it.
- They respect the needs and boundaries of others and don’t resort to violence, themselves.
- They have more resources to deal with the emotional problems that accompany puberty and personal development.
- They possess enough self-validation and autonomy to enter and maintain loving and intimate relationships.
- They protect themselves responsibly and assertively from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STI).
- If they are infected with an STI, they look out for their own health and healing and for the prevention of infecting others.
- They possess more resources for dealing with conflict-pregnancies and finding sensible/reasonable solutions.
- They are invested in fulfilling their sexual needs and standing up for their sexual rights.
- When they have sexual problems, they are more likely to invest in overcoming the limitations of their sexual learning process.
- They value the sexual needs of others and invest in sexual relationships based on mutual respect.
- If they belong to risk groups, they protect themselves from discrimination and stigmatization, and invest in their own well-being.
Levels and Thematic Focuses of our Prevention Work
We engage in primary prevention by addressing all adolescents and young adults – across the board.
In the context of secondary prevention, we educate and counsel risk groups, for instance: members of ethnic minorities, people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, and users of chat forums.
In terms of tertiary prevention, we support young people that have experienced violence, suffer from a sexual dysfunction, a mental disorder, a somatic illness, or who may inadvertently be pregnant.
Cornerstones of our Prevention Work
Sensitizing and raising awareness
Lilli promotes knowledge about sexuality and sexual learning, sexual and personal rights, mechanisms of violence, cultivation of relationships, physical development and function, contraception and infections. This supports autonomous, low-risk behavior for young people and sensitizes them to deal with taboos, stigmata, myths and prejudices.
Clarifying and de-dramatizing
Lilli educates about the legal and societal frame of sexual and social behaviors. We chose a candid, factual language that does not glorify, judge or instill fear. We promote a clear stance regarding criminal offences and show adolescents and young adults possibilities for behaving in a constructive and respectful ways.
Promoting a sexual language
Lilli helps young people find a sexual language. Beside learning to name genitals and sexual actions explicitly, we offer propositions for an emotional, validating and need-oriented sexual language. This works against taboos and supports young people in asserting themselves, telling each other their needs and boundaries and in opening up to professionals and other caregivers in emergency situations. Moreover, Lilli promotes sexual communication in intimate relationships.
Focusing on resources and abilities
Lilli doesn’t pathologize, we normalize. We see adverse experiences and limits in sexual, personal and social development as the foundations for new experiences and learning steps. We focus on strengths and abilities and name them. This supports feelings of self-worth and self-efficacy and supports responsible, independent behavior.
Referring to adequate help
In cases of detrimental experiences, physical and medical problems, emergencies, serious mental, sexual and social problems as well as questions outside our realm of expertise, we will refer youth to services that do provide the necessary treatment or advice.
Supporting sexual learning
By giving exercise tips, Lilli supports learning steps promoting sensual perception, the cultivation of sexuality and sexual pleasure. This prevents sexual dysfunction, promotes the feeling of belonging to one’s biological sex, and strengthens sexual and personal self-confidence.
Supporting social behavior and the ability to maintain a relationship
Lilli supports learning steps to maintain and cultivate friendships and intimate relationships. We support self-perception and a language expressing personal needs as well as the development of skills and abilities that win partners and make friends. Furthermore, we promote nonviolent handling of hurts and discriminations.
Why Do We Give Exercise Tips?
Support of sexual learning is a keystone in our prevention work, because learning is prerequisite for sexual self-confidence. Exercise starts with the body. It is impossible to support sexual learning without talking about concrete sexual actions. In sexual therapy, psychotherapy, couples’ therapy and forensics we see, on a daily basis, the consequences of missing sexual learning steps. They range from sexual dysfunctions and relationship problems to insecurities in male and female identities, to victimization and perpetration. We see in Lilli a unique opportunity to offer prevention from such consequences to adolescents.
There is an abundance of pornographic information in the internet, which is quite frequently used by adolescents as “sex education”. We can offer an important contribution to prevention by separating myths from reality, pointing out dangers and supporting responsible behavior.
Lilli’s History
Lilli came into existence 2001 as an initiative of frauenberatung:sexuelle Gewalt, an organization offering support to women experiencing sexual violence. In 2004, Lilli came into its own becoming an independent, tax-exempt non-profit organization.
In 2003, we were awarded the Equalization of Man and Woman prize by the City of Zurich; and in 2008, AGAVA, an agency focusing on preventing the exploitation of dependents, awarded us with the AGAVA Prize.
Who Finances Lilli?
As an independent non-profit organization we rely on fund raising from foundations, communities, cantons and churches. Every year anew we are dependent on the generosity of our donors. We gladly accept donations to:
Verein Lilli
PC 87-410032-4
IBAN CH86 0900 0000 8741 0032 4
BIC POFICHBEXXX
How to Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding our site and services, please send an email to Annette Bischof-Campbell,
info@lilli.ch
