Birds & Bees: Sex* Education in Youth Work

Content

Birds & Bees: Sex* Education in Youth Work
As you probably know, youth work has so many faces and so many realities. You might be involved in a local youth club that happens after school, or support a group of scouts, or lead theatre workshops on weekends. You might be a leader of youth camps in summer or someone who makes possible international volunteering camps or youth exchanges. In any of these places, young people bring their excitement and worries with them. They bring their sexual beings with them as well and you need to know how to support them in the best way possible. This does not mean though you need to become an expert. However, you need to know the basics and explore further if interested in some topic of Comprehensive Sex* Education. 
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On this playlist, you find content on Comprehensive Sex* Education that is divided into eight activities according to the chapters we have developed. 
For further information visit: https://birds-bees.eu/ 

Activities to complete

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Values, Rights, Culture

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Relationships, feelings, and emotions

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Social Diversity

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Human Development

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Skills for Sexual Health and Well-being in Youth Work

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Navigating the Terrain of Youth Sexuality

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Staying Safe

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Content

Staying Safe
Comprehensive sexuality education aims to equip children and young people with knowledge, skills, and values necessary for healthy sexual development and respectful relationships, emphasizing inclusion, empathy, and autonomy. As young people increasingly engage with digital spaces for information on sexuality, educators must navigate the balance between leveraging the benefits of digital platforms while equipping them with critical skills to assess and navigate potentially harmful content, including pornography.
According to UNESCO, comprehensive sexuality education is a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social dimensions of human sexuality. Its goal is to provide children and young people with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that empower them to uphold their health, well-being, and dignity, cultivate respectful social and sexual relationships, consider the impact of their choices on their own and others’ well-being, and safeguard their rights throughout their lives. 
Comprehensive sexuality education adopts a positive approach to addressing sexuality, emphasising values such as respect, inclusion, non-discrimination, equality, empathy, responsibility, and reciprocity. It reinforces healthy and positive perspectives regarding bodies, puberty, relationships, sexual matters, and family life.
By adopting a learner-centred approach, comprehensive sexuality education is customised to suit the learner’s age and developmental level. Younger students are introduced to fundamental concepts like family, respect, and kindness, while older learners engage with more intricate topics such as gender-based violence, sexual consent, HIV testing, and pregnancy.
When effectively provided alongside access to essential sexual and reproductive health services, comprehensive sexuality education equips young individuals to make informed choices regarding relationships and sexuality while guiding them in navigating life’s complexities. It also serves to protect children from abuse by educating them about their bodies. Conversely, the absence of high-quality, age-appropriate education on sexuality and relationships may expose children and young people to harmful sexual behaviours and exploitation.
Evidence consistently endorses the value of comprehensive sexuality education and the effectiveness of approaches that address a wide definition of sexual health and well-being, while embracing positive, affirming, and inclusive attitudes toward human sexuality. 
In summary, a holistic approach that covers diverse sexual health topics, progressively integrated throughout grades, fostered within supportive school environments and across subject areas, has the potential to promote an understanding of sexual diversity, prevent dating and intimate partner violence, nurture the development of healthy relationships, protect against child sexual abuse, enhance social and emotional learning, and boost media literacy.
﻿https://birds-bees.eu/chapter-8/﻿

Resources

Birds and Bees - Compilation of recourses on sex* education

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Staying Safe
Comprehensive sexuality education aims to equip children and young people with knowledge, skills, and values necessary for healthy sexual development and respectful relationships, emphasizing inclusion, empathy, and autonomy. As young people increasingly engage with digital spaces for information on sexuality, educators must navigate the balance between leveraging the benefits of digital platforms while equipping them with critical skills to assess and navigate potentially harmful content, including pornography.
﻿https://birds-bees.eu/chapter-8/﻿

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Tasks

Task no.1

Evidence verified by: one activity organiser

Task Description:
- Read the Chapter: Staying Safe﻿
- Define gender-based violence in 2-3 sentences. 
- Submit.
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Criteria for Completion:
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Comprehensiveness: Your definition should encompass the various forms of violence and abuse discussed in the chapter, highlighting their connection to gender identity and roles.
Clarity: Ensure that your definition is clearly written and easy to understand.
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Complete this task to demonstrate your understanding of gender-based violence as discussed in the chapter on Staying Safe.
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Task no.2

Evidence verified by: one activity organiser

Task Description:
- Read the Chapter: Staying Safe﻿
-Reflect on your understanding of continuous learning and professional development within the field of sex* education.
- Consider various ways you can actively seek out opportunities for continuous learning and professional development, such as attending conferences, workshops, webinars, and online courses, joining professional associations, participating in peer discussions and networking, and staying updated on new research, trends, and best practices through reading academic journals and following reputable organizations and experts in the field.
- Write a brief response (2-3 paragraphs) outlining the specific ways you plan to actively seek out opportunities for continuous learning and professional development within the field of sex* education. Describe how each method will help you stay updated.
- Submit
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Criteria for Completion:
Comprehensiveness: Your response should encompass a variety of methods for continuous learning and professional development, demonstrating a proactive approach to staying updated on new research, trends, and best practices.
Relevance: Ensure that the methods you identify are relevant to the field of sex* education and aligned with your professional growth goals.
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Complete this task to demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning and professional development within the field of sexual education, ensuring that you stay updated on new research, trends, and best practices.
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Task no.3

Evidence verified by: one activity organiser

Task Description:
- Read the Chapter: Staying Safe﻿
- Find or create a photo that represents your understanding of Healthy Relationships
- Write a brief description (2-3 sentences) explaining why you chose this photo and how it represents your understanding of healthy relationships.
- Submit
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Criteria for Completion:
Relevance: The photo should represent characteristics or elements of healthy relationships as discussed in the chapter.
Explanation: Your description should effectively explain the connection between the photo and your understanding of healthy relationships, demonstrating insight and understanding.
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Complete this task to demonstrate your understanding of healthy relationships as discussed in the chapter on Staying Safe.

Activities: 7

Started: 2

Completed playlist: 0

Organisers

Madiba Social Cooperative Enterprise

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